A innovative force within London’s experimental music scene, Qwalia is an improvisational psychedelic-jazz quartet led by drummer Yusuf Ahmed, known for his work with Joy Crookes and Anoushka Shankar, and also featuring a lineup of seasoned musicians including Ben Reed on bass (Frank Ocean, David Byrne, Richard Russell’s Everything Is Recorded), Tal Janes on guitar (Jordan Rakei, Cherise, Waaju), and Joseph Costi on keys and synths (Cat Stevens, Tom Herbert, Heidi Vogel).
They made a splash last year with their debut album, Sound And Reason, which, sadly, slipped under our radar. A year on, and now firmly on our radar, Qwalia have new music on the way, recorded in a two-day session at the Fish Factory in Willesden, West London. Despite its improvisational nature, their pieces feel meticulously composed.
Whilst they are yet to unveil more details about an upcoming second album, Qwalia have just released their latest sonic masterpiece, ‘Omega’, through Albert’s Favourites. As the press release describes, the new single “is the very definition of a slow burn, emerging from the quiet pulses of a drum machine, the band lock quickly into Ben Reed’s lyrical bass line in a brooding but ever expanding ascent that you feel could confidently journey onwards forever”. Listen to it below.
Belgian-Ghanaian multi-instrumentalist ESINAM and South African guitarist, songwriter and composer Sibusile Xaba have joined forces for a collaborative track. The result is ‘Africa Wola’, a vibrant celebration of heritage and identity that “that is sang for Africa and Africans, both in the continent and of diaspora”, as the pair puts it. A heartfelt homage to the beauty and complexity of Africa, ‘Africa Wola’ beckons all Africans to take pride and cherish their cultural heritage. The single is out now through W.E.R.F. Records and you can listen to it below.
Bolivian-born singer and multi-medium performer Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Puerto Rican drummer, composer and sound designer Frank Rosaly have announced the release of their debut album. Entitled MESTIZX, the album is a journey through their culture and identity, intersecting their heritage from Bolivia, Brazil, and Puerto Rico. The album’s title, MESTIZX, reflects their embrace of mixed identities and was chosed as “a non-gendered version of the sometimes slurred Spanish colonial word for a “mixed person” – as a means of both challenging and embracing the liminality of their identities and artistic practices”, as the press release describes.
Speaking about MESTIZX , Rosaly had this to share:
“I grew up quite Puerto Rican in my home, but was taught to mask it outside my home. I wasn’t allowed to speak Spanish, so the drums eventually became my language, secretly tying together my own feeling of connection to mi tierra. This record is the first time I actively give voice to the nuance within myself, allowing me to take ownership of this in-between, which is what this album communicates for me… There is this unusual place that exists between these two cultures, of which I am both. There is a complex story in that sliver of in-betweenness, worthy of giving voice to all of us that live in-between.”
Ferragutti also this to say:
“My personal understanding is one that stems from being placed in between lineages that carry the colonizer and colonized, the oppressor and oppressed, the demon and the angel… thus by definition is tied to post-colonial social constructs which we as Bolivians have to step in, like a 500 year novel that goes on and on… We have access to many memories and traditions, but not really, because we don’t fully belong to any of those… This makes us feel we’re in a constant state of being the “visitors” and “outsiders.” On one hand, we are never truly part of one lineage. On the other hand, it makes us a travelers of worlds, storytellers in between multiple languages, cultures, and worldviews. We chose MESTIZX for this work as an act of recognizing the mixed state of being as a difficult and yet powerful one.”
Produced and recorded at International Anthem Studios in Chicago, MESTIZX features an incredible ensemble of musicians, including Matt Lux, Avreeayl Ra, Ben LaMar Gay, Daniel Villarreal, Bill MacKay, Rob Frye, and Mikel Patrick Avery, and additional contributions from Chris Doyle, Guilherme Granado, Viktor Le Givens and Fredy Velásquez. The album traverses a wide range of musical styles, weaving together avant jazz, art punk, post-rock, bomba, plena, cumbia, Andean, minimal, electronica, and folk.
Ahead of the album’s release on May 3rd through International Anthem and Nonesuch, Ferragutti and Rosaly are offering a marvelous glimpse into the album’s rich tapestry of sounds with lead single ‘Destejer’. The single comes with a gorgeous accompanying video directed by Espectador Domesticado, filmed against the backdrop of Corani Lake, near Ferragutti’s hometown in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Watch it now.
Following their introspective Singularity Zone series, The Oscillation are back with a rejuvenated spirit and a new album titled The Start Of The End. Marking a departure from previous works, the new album is driven by optimism and a reevaluation of life’s essence. Embracing more light and shade than before, The Start Of The End is an album of hope and renewal, signaling a brighter tomorrow, and as the press release describes, it “is a result of spiritual and physical re-charging and cleansing.”
Escaping the confines of the bustling cityscape, Demian Castellanos, the mastermind behind The Oscillation, found inspiration in his new surroundings. Castellanos comments:
“When I made my new home, I allowed myself time to do nothing for a while, and I then started some new songs without worrying about them being on an album. I just wrote with the mindset to put out something positive.
I did a lot of reflecting on the past and really wanted to change something in myself, but not knowing how and thinking that a lot of people must be feeling the same way.”
Reflecting on how the album started, he says:
“Writing and recording in an environment where I had little contact with people, no hanging out or partying or even having conversations was very interesting.”
The Start Of The End arrives on May 24th through All Time Low and ahead of it The Oscillation have unveiled its heavenly title track. It comes with a video accompaniment directed by Julian Hand and you can watch it below.
Following the intoxicating ‘The Houses‘, De Beren Gieren unveiled yesterday ‘Papir Freedom’, the second offering from their forthcoming album, What Eludes Us. The new single sees the Dutch-Belgian acoustic-electronic piano trio narrate a tale of liberation centered around an unlikely protagonist, paper, the humble material which at last frees itself from the confines of human manipulation. A daring track, ‘Papir Freedom’ exudes brilliance in abundance. The single is offered with a video made by Victor Van Rossem and you can watch it below.
What Eludes Us is out on March 29th through Sdban Ultra.
Musician, lyricist, activist and producer Middle Name John is set to release his new album, Obviously Confidential, on April 9th through Slowfoot Records and Juicy Records. With insightful lyrics and experimental electronic sounds, the album came to life amidst the exhaustion of late-stage capitalism and the dread of an impending doomsday. Serving as a mirror to society, on the new album Middle Name John “distils disillusioned poetry that oscillates between a purge of incisive social observations and a collection of elaborate indagations of subconsciousness, holding a two-way mirror into the personal and the collective”, as the press release describes.
Obviously Confidential comprises eight groovy and sharp tunes, and for a taster of what’s to come, Middle Name John has unveiled one of the tracks, ‘Different’, alongside an accompanying video. Watch it below.
