A list of albums released this week, in no particular order.
With Fokn Bois, Star Band de Dakar, IAMDDB, Deena Abdelwahed and Scraaatch.
Fokn Bois
Afrobeats LOL
Ghanaian duo FOKN Bois are celebrated for their most unconventional way of entertaining with ingeniously tasteful shock lyrics, revolutionary performance art & indulgent progressive afro sounds.
Afrobeats LOL is a collaboration with the emergent Hip-Life Accra scene like Mr Eazi, Medikal, Sister Deborah, Dex Kwasi and also high-life icon Gyedu Blay Ambolley.
They like to disturb, as shown in their name, ‘Fokn Bois’ being an old slang for ‘little rascals’. The name of the album embodies the duo’s identity as well: it’s a witty gibe to those who tend to gather all African music underground the “afrobeats”catch-all genre.
Listen on Spotify / Deezer / Apple Music
IAMDDB
Swervvvvv.5
Urban jazz trailblazer IAMDDB releases her new album Swervvvvv.5 on Union IV recordings, the final installment of ongoing EP series. Born Diana Debrito, the 22-year-old from Manchester – via Portugal and Angola –combines timeless soul and jazz in the tradition of Nat King Cole and Erykah Badu.
Swervvvvv.5 goes from laid-back jazzy tracks fusing vocals with trap beats, in an overall cloudy and chill-out universe.
Listen on Spotify / Deezer / Apple Music
Star Band de Dakar
Psicodelia Afro-Cubana de Senegal
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the cuban revolution, Ostinato Records releases Psicodelia Afro-Cubana de Senegal, a selection of six of the most psychedelic afro-cuban songs of the renowned Star Band de Dakar.
In these carefully picked tracks, the band covers cuban songs and integrates these influences in their compositions. Changüí, Guajira and the Montuno sound are re-interpretated by electric guitars, brasses and Sabar drums. Ostinato pays tribute to this transatlantic musical connexion.
Order / listen on Bandcamp
Scraaatch
Teardrops
Experimental duo Scraaatch, consisting of Mhysa and Lawd Knows brings emotionality to the club. TEARDROPS was created through the duo’s hybrid DJ/live PA performances, taking shape over four years.
As they present it “the tracks on TEARDROPS express our sentiments surrounding Black life, death, hypervisibility and refusal as we confront the reality that the club—like the rest of this world—can be a vulnerable space.”
Listen on Bandcamp
Deena Abdelwahed
Tawa remixes EP
The tunisian-born artist and activist comes back with Tawa Remixes EP. M.E.S.H, Karen Gwyer, Basile3 and Clip rework the track from her album Khonnar released on Infiné.
These remixes add his propulsive, frenetic avant-garde bass music-inspired beats to Deena’s singular blend of ambient, bass, techno, and Arabic influences and chants.
Listen on Spotify / Deezer / Apple Music
