Mapambazuko

Nyege Nyege are known for avant-garde releases. This record is no different. Titi Bakorta and Ale Hop join forces to bring together the former’s soukous guitar prowess and the latter’s hypnotic drums and production; combined together in a disjunctive fashion that brings a tension and energy to the tracks. Songs such as ‘Bonne Année’ are tonally experimental and contain surprising sonic transitions, down to Ale Hop’s futuristic and heady creations. While leaning into the modern production, many of the tracks are still structurally traditional soukous with Titi’s guitar underpinning them with the repetitive and energising power of soukous, creating orally interesting tracks that are great to dance to. ‘Así Baila el Sintetizador’ is a stand-out in which bizarre synth sounds interplay rhythmically with the guitar; a remix by Flora Yin-Wong later in the record gets even more moody and psychedelic.