Kotey Niikoi

Kotey was born and raised in Accra, Ghana. It was during his childhood that he began to learn and study traditional styles of music. He can play many instruments including acoustic guitar, bamboo flute (Atenteben), bass guitar, assorted types of drums such as kpanlogo drums, obonu set and gome, as well as percussion. He writes his own music, which is influenced by various traditional West African styles including palmwine music and traditional drum rhythms as well as jazz harmonies. In 2014 he released his first CD, 'Suban'.

Currently, Kotey performs live concerts in and around Germany with his band Dromo, which combines the talents of up to seven musicians. A highlight of their performance involves bringing the traditional king's drums from Ghana, known as obonu set, on stage. Kotey is also a music instructor for drums and also gives lectures on Ghana music traditions. His goal is to preserve or even revive aspects of traditional culture from Ghana.