Sakidila
Pongo
The queen of Angolan kuduro finally releases her very first album, Sakidila. The author of the iconic “Wegue Wegue” of Buraka Som Sistema lets her contagious energy fully express itself on these 12 tracks. Between tender afropop, hybrid electronic meetings and kuduro discharge as she knows how to do so well, Pongo shows vigorously the extent of her artistic palette, surrounded by a number of talented collaborators: Lazy Flow, King Doudou or Meryl.
Listen here.
Mr Mixondo
DJ Travella
At only 19 years old, Dar Es Salaam’s DJ Travella represents a new wave of singeli producers who are driving Tanzania’s breakneck dance sound into fresh, innovative spaces. Hamadi Hassani’s music points singeli’s fusion of taarab and techno towards the stars, locating a cyber-singeli style that’s dense, kinetic and unashamedly sexy. Tracks like “London Jomon Beat” will leave no doubt that the East African young producer is capable of bending singeli completely to his will.
Listen here.
Remixed
Acid Arab
Today, a digital mini-album entitled Remixed is released, containing eleven tracks reworked by a few producer friends from half a dozen countries (including Egyptian 3Phaz, London’s The Reflex, Tunisian producer Ammar 808, Parisians Polo & Pan and VoX LoW, etc.) while Acid Arab is putting the finishing touches on its third album, to be released in October. Born in 2012 in the multicultural cauldron of Paris’ 10th arrondissement, the Acid Arab collective (aka Hervé Carvalho, Guido Minisky, Pierrot Casanova, Nicolas Borne, and the sensational Algerian keyboardist Kenzi Bourras) has patiently honed its style, ignited the stages and conquered the world.
Listen here.
Atfalouna
Hassan Ideddir
Hassan Ideddir’s 1989 single “Atfalouna” sees an expanded repress courtesy of Dark Entries. While Hip-Hop and New Beat borrowed tropes from Ara I’m bic music, “Atfalouna” inverts the gesture, resituating orchestra hits and sampling techniques within a Moroccan music framework. Also included are two tracks not on the original 12”. “Ibini” is a moody, downtempo instrumental that sounds like a cult Italo B-side. The record closes with “Ydouchababe”, an electro number driven by funky guitars, electronic claps, and a huge horn riff.
Listen here.
Makhadzi
Pain Ya Jealous
Limpopo’s dance music queen Makhadzi pours her heart out on her new album Pain Ya Jealous. Using her iconic bolobedu house sound the South African hitmaker puts together ten tracks that are a perfect blend of modern pop, the shaker swing of amapiano and her region’s auto-tune and epic synth style. This project also calls Master KG into the fold on what has already become a modest hit, “Kulakwe”.
Listen here.
This week we also listened to:
- Red Dragon by Uncle Waffles
- Forest Frenzy by Kaval
