{"id":113300,"date":"2022-10-13T10:15:25","date_gmt":"2022-10-13T08:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/?p=113300"},"modified":"2022-10-13T13:03:40","modified_gmt":"2022-10-13T11:03:40","slug":"silent-noise-maryx2-lagos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/silent-noise-maryx2-lagos\/","title":{"rendered":"Silent Noise and the sensual intimacy of maryyx2\u2019s Lagos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Silent Noise doesn\u2019t nibble at contrast, it takes a full bite out of the oxymoronic meat of life. \u201c<em>Literally silent noise,<\/em>\u201d chuckles Chukwuka Nwobi aka maryyx2 over WhatsApp. Although it\u2019s really more than an album. A visual artist by trade, maryyx2 wove sound into an image-world to bring a heftier dimension to the offbeat and erotic beauty that you can find in the 10 dense and quirky alternative tracks that feel mellow and cool, slick and modern. \u201c<em>I wanted to do something that resonated. That was authentic to myself. Authentic to my environment, authentic to the place where I live,<\/em>\u201d maryyx2 explains. That place is Lagos. The Nigerian megapolis that captures the imagination of Africa and the world. Pushing 15 million inhabitants, Lagos is the largest city in Africa\u2019s largest nation ripe for chaos and diversity, creativity and madness. In maryyx2\u2019s words, \u201c<em>The ambiance is very erratic. It&#8217;s very random. It&#8217;s also very dangerous, you know? So that&#8217;s the music that I wanted to make. I wanted to make the music that felt like where I am right now. Intentionally chaotic.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Selassie Official Music Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VuTxBbZpAvM?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In come <em>Silent Noise <\/em>and its beautiful contradictions. \u201c<em>It&#8217;s seeing beauty in the madness. Which, there&#8217;s one thing about my art that I&#8217;ve trained myself to do is to constantly see the beauty in things.<\/em>\u201d See the music video for \u201cSelassie\u201d; a slow-motion, zoom-in to a brouhaha somewhere on the streets of Lagos. The feigned violence is matched with up-close, hyper-saturated portraits and a quirky musical gem that mixes bedroom pop with internet vogue. It\u2019s captivating and has a mismatched emotive haze that\u2019s difficult to describe. Something the local police had a hard time interpreting as well. \u201c<em>There was a time when during the shoot the police had to come and stop and shut us down cause they thought we were inciting a riot,<\/em>\u201d maryyx2 laughs. Not to mention the &#8220;Silent Noise\u201d bookends with spliced spa\/lounge music and a little, \u201c<em>always remember we love you<\/em>\u201d at the end from some ethereal computer voice. Coming from the country that has put all of its eggs into the Afrobeats basket, it\u2019s a refreshing reminder of diversity and kick to the gut for any outsider assumptions.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/selassie-maryx2-images.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-113306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/selassie-maryx2-images.jpeg 1000w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/selassie-maryx2-images-759x506.jpeg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/selassie-maryx2-images-661x441.jpeg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/selassie-maryx2-images-465x310.jpeg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/selassie-maryx2-images-375x250.jpeg 375w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>I&#8217;ve been doing this for close to 10 years of my life now,\u201d <\/em>says maryyx2 who&#8217;s been an integral part of Nigeria\u2019s alt\u00e9 scene from its inception. It\u2019s a clique that brings together Cruel Santino (formerly Santi) Teezee or Odunsi. Chukwuka, who continues to work creative direction for Santi and Odunsi, has been taking photos, making videos and building the visual standards for the too-cool-for-school (literally) scene. \u201c<em>It&#8217;s just like a group of people who have the same aspirations and the same taste, which is very important,<\/em>\u201d maryyx2 says of Nigeria\u2019s alt\u00e9 environment. \u201c<em>I know people definitely do not just listen to commercial music, not just pop. But I don&#8217;t know why people aren\u2019t making that type of music<\/em>,<em>\u201d <\/em>maryyx2 says confounded, like the author, about the apparent lack of healthy-weird in Nigeria\u2019s musical landscape, \u201c<em>It&#8217;s very, very strange.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Though <em>Silent Noise<\/em> aims to express those overlooked eccentricities from every angle. In \u201cRING\u201d we\u2019re immediately transported to the closets, bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens of \u201cmuses\u201d in what feels like an excerpt of a long distance relationship on Skype. It\u2019s erotic and playful, confident and clumsy. Don\u2019t mind the dancing anime girl at the end, an improbable link which also pops up in Santi\u2019s <em>Subaru Boys : FINAL HEAVEN <\/em>album artwork and Spotify canvas. You don\u2019t see it until you see it. \u201c<em>I\u2019m dedicated to capturing lives of people who are not seen, people who are not in the eyes of the press or the people who are not popular, like you&#8217;re everyday people,<\/em>\u201d maryyx2 says of the project and broader work on Silent Noise Productions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"RING Official Music Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hd1r-x5wrUw?feature=oembed&#038;autoplay=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And it all comes back to Lagos. Plus the assumptions that are shattered when confronted with a project like this one.\u00a0 \u201c<em>The way Lagos has been portrayed to the outside world is a place where you can just come, have fun, enjoy yourself and also have a bit of danger, which is kind of cool,<\/em>\u201d maryyx2 beguiles of the typical narrative. \u201c<em>But people who live here are in a constant war with themselves and with the government and even day-to-day activities because nothing is easy. I just wanted to show that honest side of Lagos to the world. These people are real people and you can learn stuff from them. And you can see the beauty in them through what they do and how they dress and how their personality is\u2026<\/em>\u201d And maryyx2 has certainly exposed audiences to a Lagos that has evaded headlines. Whether it\u2019s the attention to detail that surrounds Silent Noise\u2019s visuals, a fly-on-the-wall masterpiece like in \u201cBRANDY DJ REMIX\u201d or the indie aesthetic of an alt\u00e9 insider, it\u2019s a reminder that there\u2019s always more than meets the eye.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1010\" height=\"673\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/maryx2-silent-noise-1010x673.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-113309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/maryx2-silent-noise-1010x673.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/maryx2-silent-noise-759x506.jpg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/maryx2-silent-noise-661x441.jpg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/maryx2-silent-noise-465x310.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/maryx2-silent-noise-375x250.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/maryx2-silent-noise.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201c<em>I know that my own generation is breaking those boundaries of becoming the status quo, like what the traditional version of an adult in Nigeria is,<\/em>\u201d maryyx2 says of the burgeoning alternative community. \u201c<em>I feel like that&#8217;s what drives us to become the artist that we are, the resistance against us becoming the artist that we are.<\/em> <em>I&#8217;m very, very, fluid in who I am. And I feel like that has been silenced by the outside community or frowned upon. So the music was a way to scream out, \u2018This is who I am and this is what I do!\u2019 You don&#8217;t have to be perceived, nothing has to really make sense.\u201d <\/em>Does <em>Silent Noise <\/em>make sense? In title or in scope? Maybe, maybe not, but it\u2019s proud and unique, illuminated like an EXIT sign around the corner for those who want to get off the beaten path. Or not. What\u2019s important is it\u2019s there, and even without the right words, it remains beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>\u201cYou know, you can just be and exist\u2026<\/em>\u201d maryyx2 concludes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be with <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/album\/77p1z2mbWDK3HM03LDyBwg?si=GICdWy11R3messGvizHZbw\"><em>Silent Noise<\/em><\/a>, out now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1010\" height=\"1010\" src=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-1010x1010.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-113308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-1010x1010.jpg 1010w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-759x759.jpg 759w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-661x661.jpg 661w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-465x465.jpg 465w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-375x375.jpg 375w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-85x85.jpg 85w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER-73x73.jpg 73w, https:\/\/pan-african-music-production.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/SILENT-NOISE-ALBUM-COVER.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"(min-width:1010px) 759px,100vw\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>maryyx2 provides an alternative perspective of Lagos in Silent Noise, a digital and provocative window in which the intimate and chaotic clash with worlds often unseen.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":113301,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7833],"tags":[10639],"location":[8172],"yst_prominent_words":[25653,8414,8402,8435,9006,8438,13760],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113300"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/52"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=113300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/113300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/113301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=113300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=113300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=113300"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=113300"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=113300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}