In this week’s selection: the thrilling return of FKA Twigs, debut album from Nigerian rapper Ycee, dark and noisy experimentations by Moor Mother and many more to hear this week.
Magdalene
FKA Twigs
FKA twigs aka Tahliah Barnett just release Magdalene, a masterpiece of emotional experimental R&B and electronica. Magdalene pulls back the curtain on Tahliah Barnett the person, or at least as much of her as she wants us to see, and that curtain is flamboyant and luscious, frequently abundantly gorgeous. Alongside a handful of outside producers, among them Nicolas Jaar and Arca, Twigs constructed sound designs worthy of Renaissance architecture.
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2042
Kele
2042 is Kele’s fourth solo record and, following 2017 largely acoustic Fatherland (released under his full name and featuring a duet with Olly Alexander from Years and Years), marks something of a return to the adrenalised electronics of his previous two solo records, Trick (2014) and The Boxer (2010), whilst broadening the sonic palette by bringing in elements of his work with Bloc Party and a litany of other influences and ideas.
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Analog Fluids Of Sonic Black Holes
Moor Mother
Philadelphia-based artist, poet and musician Moor Mother, aka Camae Ayewa, returns today with a new album, Analog Fluids of Sonic Black Holes. Its the follow-up of her 2016 debut album Fetish Bones and according to Don Giovanni Records: “haunting slave narratives are presented as dystopian allegory and negro spirituals are flipped, remixed, and recaptured, only to be digitized into a symbiotic bio-morph program for the post-thumb drive age” on this album.
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Night Dreamer Sessions
Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
Night Dreamer Sessions is a one-take recording from Kuti’s 2018 album Black Times. Brand new London-based record label Night Dreamer has recaptured the organic essence of direct to disc through a series of recordings at Artone Studio in Haarlem, Netherlands. The philosophy of Night Dreamer is about bringing together artists of a certain calibre who thrive off live collaboration and improvisation, not scared of taking risks and who vibe in-the-moment – a sense of heightened artistry, if you will.
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Say Less
Dwson
On his remarkable second album, the Cape Town artist confirms that South Africa is not cold-hearted when it comes to being creative in a style that has already seen a large number of ambassadors through the world. Influenced very early by the jazz his father listened to, Dwson regurgitates all this finesse in his personal and refreshing deep house, right in the spirit of the label.
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Delightful Sounds to Boogie 001
Delightful Sounds to Boogie
DSB’s first release consists of a diskomiks by Prins Thomas and two house tracks by Perdu. The Diskomiks has already reached a legendary status in Belgium since it’s free promotional download for Petrol’s summer club in 2013. The B side is completed by promising Amsterdam producer Perdu. His track starts with a stomping beat and gradually opens up to an oasis of sounds.
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Don’t Wake Me
Thutmose
Lagos born, Brooklyn-based artist Thutmose dropped his new EP, Don’t Wake Me. Traditionally a rapper, this new EP is a reflection of Thutmose’s natural melodic ability, sliding through slow-paced sounds and Afrobeats-steeped rhythms. Don’t Wake Me also includes “Love In The Morning” featuring popstar in the making, Rema.
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Siyangaphi
The music of Laliboi is a sonic tapestry of Gcuwa in the former Transkei enclave of the Eastern Cape province. Laliboi’s debut album, Siyangaphi, is a celebration of manhood. Laliboi’s raps are a dream, and through his mind we are invited to escape into the maze of influences he’s been accumulating over the years — from Kwaito, to Maskandi, to the philosophical underpinnings of bra Zim Ngqawana’s Zimology, and then some. – Tseliso Monaheng
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Ycee Vs Zaheer
Ycee
Nigerian artist, Ycee finally delivers his long-awaited debut album, Ycee vs Zaheer. the album includes 15 tracks with some significant guests as Davido, Ms Banks and Phyno. Ycee Vs Zaheer, a body of work that best describes his abilities as a rapper and singer.
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