Mortel-06
Innoss’B
On his sophomore release, Congolese heavyweight Innoss’B displays once again his versatility, over 15 new tracks. The singer-songwriter’s Mortel-06 is a cocktail of rumba, ndombolo, Afropop, hip-hop, Afrohouse, R&B and traditional Congolese instrumentation, which tackles different lyrical themes. While the emotive “Adieu” meets the jazzy overtones of “Boutchou”, “Réponds Moi” delicately expresses yearning. Upping the tempo is the dance-geared “Naomi Campbell”, before the Goma native’s album closer “Cherchons l’Argent” wraps infectious lyrics into a percussive soundscape with accentuated guitar strums.
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Maswitsi
Kgethi Nkotsi
Kgethi Nkotsi is a South African trombone player based in Tembisa, Johannesburg. His debut solo, which “can be called a jazz album”, presents him through ten cheerful and euphoric compositions, which demonstrate a high level of mastery. Here’s what Nkotsi told us about his project: “‘Maswitsi’ is a colloquial Tswana, Sotho and Sepedi term for ‘sweets’. The album is inspired by kids, townships games, township slang, colours, humor and every bit of South African music.
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Story Of A Sad Mermaid
Niariu
“Niariu” means “cat” in Fulani. This is what the artist’s entourage liked to call her when she was a child, and she has apparently lost none of her mischievousness and unpredictability. On her debut solo after her journey with the Amazones d’Afrique, she integrates the musical cultures of Guinea and the USA, with African music and reggae on the one hand, soul and RnB on the other, and blends them in a discreet electronic substance that she uses to poetically lay her words on. We previously premiered the track “The Entrance” exclusively on PAM.
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Glitterbeat_tak:til_2021
Glitterbeat Records
Looking back on its achievements in 2021, German label Glitterbeat Records offers us a compilation of their artists’ latest music as a New Year present. Focused on the label’s mission to showcase contemporary genres from all corners of the world, Glitterbeat_tak:til_2021 features songs from Brazilian collective Bixiga 70, Malian musician Samba Touré, South African rock band BLK JKS and many others.
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NO SKIPS
Dan Mwale, Sauceman Guluva
Dan Mwale and Sauceman Guluva took to social media on Christmas Eve announcing that they were going to release NO SKIPS. The two emerging South African rappers co-produced, wrote and mastered the entire project together, with Niner Konnekt providing sonic guidance and valuable executive production that we feel in the heavy trap-influenced beats. On seven tracks, both artists showcase their skills for rapping hard and giving attitude.
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Bomboclaat
Tripa Gninnin
Tripa Gninnin is a rapper born in Yopougon, a district of Abidjan known internationally for its many public personalities. While the young artist had until recently built his reputation alongside fierce local rappers and drillers such as Himra , his new EP Bomboclaat sees him take a considerable artistic turn towards… reggae. However, the four new tracks do not lose the nouchi bad boy DNA of the artist, who remains a bad man above all. Special mention to “Connection London”, which manages to mix a drill rhythm with reggae chords.
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