DJs Di Guetto
DJs Di Guetto
The Príncipe label continues to promote the unique Afro-Portuguese sounds of the Lisbon scene. And now, with DJs Di Guetto, DJ Marfox‘s label continues to promote Angolan kuduro in Portugal and around the world. The album is a 13-track compilation taken from Volume 1, released in 2006 and originally featuring 37 tracks. A perfect selection to capture the original African dance music spirit of the album. Often unpredictable, even quirky, DJs Di Guetto is composed to make bodies vibrate to its jerky rhythms. Feet and hips activate on their own when listening to this album, and we dare you to resist. The ambient chaos is sometimes overturned to make way for more minimalist techno, as on “Techno”. The union of Marfox, DJ Nervoso, DJ N.K, DJ Foxufo, DJ Pausas and DJ Jesse has paved the way with a jewel of simplicity.
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Drunken Love
Elvin Brandhi et Lord Spikeheart
Ever since they met in Kampala, Elvin Brandhi and Lord Spikeheart have been sharing their vision and creating. Drunken Love is the focal point of their work. A project in which the music goes beyond the usual instruments to explore uncharted territory. Guttural screams follow one another in an atmosphere reminiscent of death metal, but interspersed with electronic sounds and cybernetic vocals. At times hyperpop, often grindcore, Drunken Love gives the impression of falling away from familiar sounds to explore distorted territory. Grunts and syllables flow between Elvin Brandhi and Lord Spikeheart in a performance that refuses to gain the comfort of contemporary trends. Every sound, every scream, every friction can be a musical instrument on this experimental album of sonic madness.
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Hommage A Zanzibar
Gibraltar Drakus
Head for Cameroon with Gibraltar Drakus and its Hommage à Zanzibar. Originally released in 1989, the album is being reissued this summer to our great delight. The member of the emblematic bikutsi group Les Têtes Brûlées, offered a final tribute to the great guitarist Zanzibar, who revolutionized the genre. bikutsi is a traditional Cameroonian percussive musical genre that migrated to the cities, the guitars replacing the traditional Béti balafons (xylophones). Founded in the mid 80s, LesTêtes Brûlées (whose artistic director was Jean-Marie Ahanda) quickly became emblematic of the genre, and Zanzibar enlivened the band’s spirit with his unusual handling of the electric guitar. Gibraltar Drakus, the band’s youngest member and Zanzibar’s protégé, pays tribute to the guitarist after his death with this short project produced by Mystic Jim. The album is driven by the energy of Gibraltar Drakus and transmits the energy that the Têtes Brûlées had managed to create by modernizing the genre. A nugget worth rediscovering.
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ISOLATION
Slikback
The prolific Kenyan DJ doesn’t rest, and this month he releases ISOLATION . His universe is as indescribable as ever, a sort of large canvas on which Slikback has put the best of several styles. We find the energy of bass music, the unpredictability of industrial techno, elements of grime and a dark ambient atmosphere. “VOIDOUT” and its hammering take us to the climax before transforming into a kind of transfigured EDM, “KENEKI” and its ultrasound-punctuated bass evolve unpredictably, a fine demonstration of trump cards up Slikback’s sleeve. Even if the artist had already proved his versatility with his Lasakaneku project, which was much more organic and footwork-infused. ISOLATION is a raw, futuristic project likely to shake your foundations.
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I Told Them
Burna Boy
The African giant warned us his album would be sensational, and he wasn’t lying, I Told Them is this month’s must-have. Burna Boy looks back on his career in this 15-track ode to resilience and the pursuit of dreams. “I basically predicted everything that’s happening now. So this is basically that. It’s fun to tell people something is true, and they doubt, and then they end up seeing it. There’s no greater feeling.”, the artist told Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 about the album’s title. And it’s fair to say that Burna has arrived at the top of his game: the album features contributions from big names such as J. Cole and Dave, as well as Wu Tang Clan legends GZA and RZA. A large number of rappers are present, which can be explained by the strong 90s R&B influence that Burna Boy has integrated into I Told Them. But that doesn’t stop him from experimenting with Afrofusion, or indulging in neo-fuji with Seyi Vibez on “Giza”. The Nigerian superstar’s journey is not about to stop here.
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Le Tchêpo : Tchêpoya Des Tchêpos
Lesky
What if Ivorian rappers had found the magic recipe? That’s the feeling Lesky gives us with his new album Le Tchêpo: Tchêpoya Des Tchépos, released a year after Ouwo Boy. A “tchêpo” in Nouchi is a cursed person, a person who does the wrong thing, and Lesky pokes fun at it with his emblematic tongue in cheek humor. But the rapper is also keen to remind us that he’s not here just for laughs, and cuts through the production with disconcerting ease on “Kpakites”, a good reminder that he didn’t get where he is by chance. Le Tchêpo: Tchêpoya Des Tchêpos features no guests apart from Black K on the already anthological “Tout Est Loué”. But Lesky doesn’t need any help to go from poignant on “Maman Ouwo 2” to egotrip on “Djakoto”. One thing’s for sure: he hasn’t maxed out his talent.
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Semana Maluca
DJ Lycox et TYSON
Another DJ from the Príncipe Discos label is in the spotlight with DJ Lycox, but he’s not alone: TYSON accompanies him on the sublime Semana Maluca. The two DJs offer us a one-way ticket to the sun-drenched streets of Lisbon with this project. Semana Maluca is a pure concentrate of light but twirling batida, with a nice dose of kuduro thrown in for good measure. The drums and synths are laid-back, bringing with them a calm yet danceable atmosphere. Quite different from DJ Lycox’s last EP, Kizas do Ly, which explored more West Indian rhythms such as zouk mixed with a form of synth pop, Semana Maluca nonetheless retains the DJs trademark intensity and once again demonstrates his ability to reinvent himself.
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Struggler
Genesis Owusu
After Smiling with No Teeth, his critically and publicly acclaimed debut album, Genesis Owusu finally unveils his second album, Struggler. Struggler is the direct sequel to Smiling with No Teeth, an album that evokes the artist’s own experience of notoriety in the wake of the first album that catapulted him into fame. A situation symbolized by Struggler‘s central character, aptly named The Roach, who fights against all odds to avoid being crushed. All this in a narrative inspired by Kafka and Samuel Beckett, but above all driven by the charisma of the Ghanaian-Australian singer. It’s a common thread that keeps us from getting lost, as Genesis manages to contrast this album with diverse sounds. His ease allows him to switch from post-punk beats to smooth neo soul in a snap of his fingers, without his voice ever being drowned out by the flurry of instruments. Struggler is a coherent project, exuding a gentle frenzy thanks to its omnipresent funk tinged with jazz nuances.
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