The Berlin-Based duo drops the video alongside the Ghanaian artist ahead of the international album.
Re.decay is the brainchild of Owen Ross and Emanuel Bender, each an established musician in their own right. Owen Ross has shared the stage with a number of groups and artists (The Roots, Big Boi, OK Go!), while Emanuel Bender has been credited on production for Alle Farben, Dillistone and others.
“These Days” drops ahead of their upcoming album, Way Out East, next year, which will feature 15 artists from eight different countries and three continents. As the first instalment of the project, the new video pictures Kirani Ayat flexing his lyrical muscles, spouting gritty yet soulful melodies in English and Hausa over Re.decay’s raw, afro-infused palette , tempered by smooth chords and pulsating groove.
Directed by Richard Quagraine Amoah and filmed across stunning West African backdrops, the artist wanders across his homeland of Ghana delivering a message of optimism and reassurance to anyone wanting to be different and innovative: “Over here it often feels like you’re either mainstream or underground,” he says. “My sound is niche, I put in a lot of effort just to stand out. This track is me reminding myself of ‘Darey da rana’ (‘day and night’ in Hausa), ‘life goes on we living our lives,’ and that I shouldn’t care much for what’s mainstream or for what’s trendy and I should just keep doing me. I just have to stay true to myself.”
Listen to “These Days” in our Songs of the Week playlist on Spotify and Deezer.
