Ibibio Sound Machine had been birthed in 2013 by London-born Nigerian singer Eno Williams and saxophonist Max Grunhard with a sound based mostly round melding African music and digital parts. With three albums to their title already, 2014’s self-titled Soundway debut, plus Uyai (2017) and Doko Mien (2019) (each on their present label Merge), they now flip a brand new web page with the discharge of their fourth album Electrical energy.
Electrical energy comes with, because the title may suggest, fairly a weighty enhance within the electronics division. This comes because of the manufacturing collaboration of Scorching Chip. It is the primary time Ibibio have labored with exterior producers, whose mutual appreciation grew from seeing one another at festivals. Whereas digital parts have usually sat throughout the band’s general sonic imaginative and prescient, on Electrical energy they arrive bursting to the forefront with buzzing basslines, wild synths and a generously utilized degree of overdrive. This new partnership has remodeled Ibibio into supercharged, conductive, Afro-futurist adventurers, with a contemporary perspective on their authentic musical intentions.
The extreme driving opener ‘Safety From Evil’ smashes by way of the audio system with a fearsome onomatopoeic declaration by Williams. The album’s title observe blends spacious synths with drummer Joseph Amoako’s persistent afrobeat and Williams alternating between English and the Ibibio language she grew up talking in Nigeria. The lighter, nearly acapella, ‘Afo Ken Doko Mien’ is gorgeous and hymn-like with delicately complementary synth doodles. ‘All That You Need’ brings LCD Soundsystem-esque vibes whereas ‘17 18 19’ sounds most like basic ISM, with rhythmically energetic vocals main a strong afro-disco jam.
Bringing Scorching Chip on board for ‘Electrical energy’ has been a grasp stroke for Ibibio Sound Machine, giving a contemporary collaborative enter to their compelling kinetic sound, and has produced a splendidly wealthy album. Now, how nice would it not be to listen to Scorching Chip’s subsequent album produced by Ibibio?!
Electrical energy arrives 25 March by way of Merge Data.
Challenge Three of the Gigwise Print journal is preselling now! Order right here.