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Africa 360 is 1Xtra's week-long celebration of the rich music and culture that is from the motherland.

With a selection of special shows, mixes and interviews, it's basically a party saluting the continent - and yes, you're all invited!

Kenyan-born, London-based DJ Edu has long been championing African sounds on his 1Xtra show Destination Africa - which is also the station's longest running show - so we’ve decided to go deep with him on the names that he’ll be pushing the hardest during the Africa 360 season, covering everything from Genge and Coupe De Cale, Zouk, Lingala, Soukous, to soul and urban and the best of Afro beats. Here’s five artists and DJs who you should be listening to, for Africa 360… and beyond.

• Listen to DJ Edu's Destination Africa, Wednesdays from 9pm

(Warning: This video may contain strong language and adult themes. It is also hosted on a third party website so may contain adverts.)

DJ and producer, VAN is no newcomer when it comes to DJ Edu’s Destination Africa show. He’s stopped by the studio before to deliver his punchy, distinctive Afro-Arabian EDM mixes. Born Khalil Belkas, VAN’s high energy sets mix classic moroccan folk sounds with hard, fast electronics, creating a sound like no other and scoring himself an MTV Europe Music Awards nomination for ‘Enty’, his collaboration with Moroccan pop singer Saad Lamjarred, in the process.

(Warning: This video may contain strong language and adult themes. It is also hosted on a third party website so may contain adverts.)

For the past 21 years, Navio has been a key part of the Ugandan sound. Hailing from Kampala, the man born Daniel Kigozi Jr, has long been at the forefront of the East African hip-hop revolution, starting out as a member of the Klear Kut collective and releasing their ground-breaking debut album ‘Mind, Body and Soul’ in 2001 before branching out on his own to become one of the biggest names in Ugandan rap. His last album, 2020’s ‘Strength In Numbers’, saw Navio collaborating with and celebrating fellow African talent, with guest spots from Nigeria’s Seyi Shay and Ice Prince as well as Kenya’s Khaligraph Jones, Mozambique’s Laylizzy, Tanzania’s Joh Makini and Vanessa Mdee as well as Ugandan artists Daddy Andre, Mith and Flex d’Paper.

(Warning: This video may contain strong language and adult themes. It is also hosted on a third party website so may contain adverts.)

For the past five years Gengetone – a jumpy and outspoken rap, reggae and dancehall hybrid – has been quickly going global, thanks to the likes of Nruff, who has helped take the youth-centric sound from the streets of Kenya to the rest of the world. Sung in a kind of Swahili slang called ‘sheng’, Gengatone’s roots are as organic as they are original, and DJ Nruff is leading the charge. But he isn’t just a must-hear DJ, he’s also a comic book hero with his own series; the Adventures of Nrvff; Super DJ.

Cabo Verdean musician Soraia Ramos grew up in France and is now based in Lisbon, Portugal, but her sound owes everything to her African roots. Ramos got her start singing covers on YouTube, but now she’s catching people’s attention with her own distinct energy, singing in softly melodic Creole on tracks like the dreamy ‘’, which features the celebrated Manecas Costa of Guinea Bissau on guitar. And she’s only getting bigger and better. Soraia Ramos is Lusophone Africa’s one to definitely watch.

Born Pedro Henriques Lisboa Santos in Luanda, C4 Pedro actually grew up in Belgium, but it was back home in Angola where his musical career really began to take off. First heard in the late 1970s, Kizomba means party or dance, and C4 Pedro is their human embodiment, bringing his smooth energy to the genre’s already romantic sound. Nominated in the Best African Act category in the MTV Europe Music Awards, C4 Pedro is making waves far beyond Angola.