Liye Liye
La Roche
La Roche’s new project has the objective of painting “a vivid, pineal tickling four dimensional picture of Congolese culture in 2022”. To do so, the Fulu Miziki producer immersed himself in traditional sounds and electronic music, while also using street noises from the bustling Kinshasa megalopolis (“digital watch alarms, car horns, gunshots, screams”), refashioning this mix into completely out of time tracks released via Nyege Nyege.
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Dollar Menu
Mach-Hommy
Mach-Hommy’s reinterpretation of Muhammad Ali’s famous picture in a bank gives an indication of the themes adressed in Dollar Menu. Following the critically-acclaimed Pray For Haiti released last year, this EP sees the Haitian-American rapper rap as fiercely as ever on seven new tracks, filled with obscure references to Gerhard Schröder, John “Narwuar” Ruskin and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
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Riddim 5
Fave
Fusing sultry Afropop melodies with Caribbean, R&B and hip-hop influences, Fave’s debut EP Riddim 5 confirms that the singer is definitely one of Nigeria’s next big artists. Written by herself and featuring production from some of the country’s most dynamic beatmakers (Krizbeatz, Phyl, Saszy Afroshii, Damie), the project sees her explore different musical ambiances, from the bouncy “Obsessed” to the dreamy midtempo “S.M.K”. “The sounds in my head that want to come out are finally getting the chance”, she says about the EP.
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Modern Africa, Part I – Ekhaya (Deluxe)
THEMBA
South African DJ THEMBA surrounds himself with big names of the DJing and production for the deluxe version of Modern Africa, Part I – Ekhaya, featuring remixes and reworks from American duo The Martinez Brothers, British DJs Dense & Pika and Damian Lazarus, and South African heavyweight Black Coffee. The project is a deep dive in the Southern African take on Afro-house.
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Lost In Space – EP
Sean Lifer
Kumerica’s very own Sean Lifer drops a five-track EP, described rather simply on his social media: “5 songs all hits, no skips ! no features”. On Lost In Space – EP, despite being known for his drill banger “Ma Drip”, the rapper switches to a more airy and dreamlike production, allowing him to get more personal in his lyrics.
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Dabalomuni
Avalanche Kaito
Avalanche Kaito is the meeting between Kaito Winse, a Burkinabe urban griot, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, and a Belgium noise punk duo composed of drummer Benjamin Chaval and guitarist Nico Gitto. The band describes their music as “the sound of the world as it truly is; an unruly and unforgettable sonic explosion created by the intersection of wayward travellers.” Following the release of “Le repas du cobra”, the trio now drops his debut EP via Glitterbeat Record.
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Club Series Chapter One
Oliver Nayoka
Following his album Aja Wele Wele released in November 2020, Nigerian highlife guitarist Oliver Nayoka returns with the first chapter of a new musical collection: Club Series Chapter One. In his own words, the project is an “an expression of fulfillment, love, togetherness and prosperity amongst Igbo brothers and sisters. The series celebrates the wins of a group, community or a family in all works of life.”
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