Afriqoui’s ‘Mokako’ caught my undivided attention while I was still studying in college over five years ago, and its absolutely irresistible grooves have stayed with me as a number-one party track ever since. No DJ set feels complete without visiting the Afriqoui boys, mixing traditional African musical elements, such as...
All posts by Sophie Darling
Electro-swing is the upbeat party pal known to many, but few artists transcend the scene into a global sphere. However, veteran of the beats Parov Stelar‘s ‘All Night‘ has an impressive 41 million views on Youtube, and would be recognised by many party goers for its catchy and danceable riffs....
To end November, the trusty Jazz Cafe have booked an evening with Turkey’s female offering of psychedelia and funky-folky rock. Gaye Su Akyol has been unstoppable in the last couple of years; perhaps a peak would be playing 2018’s WOMAD. Her blend of Turkish tonality, funk, political and social sentiment...
The rare decision to release a double single, as opposed to a single or an EP, is perhaps our first hint that Kiki and the Tiger do things a little differently. Heavily influenced by satirical poetic greats, such as Ian Dury, the group formed in Hackney, with the youngest member...
Grammy Award winning, yes, but more than that; Tinariwen represent a music so powerful and so passionate, that it’s managed to reach all corners of the globe, from a previously unvisited (by the West) musical landscape that is the Sahara Desert in North Africa. Blues, funk and rock, ongoing trans-like...
Sudan Archives is perhaps one of the most powerful female figures in the contemporary African music scene. Not just singing, but playing violin, composing and producing her own tracks, Sudan Archives really carves her own musical path; one that fuses irresistibly groovy R&B riffs and beats, played out on her...
We never kept secret that we have something for 47Soul, the London-based shamstep band, whose roots in Palestine and Jordan are reflected in their music, which is also a blend with electronic, dub and reggae. So, every time there’s an opportunity to write about or have a chat with them, well…...
This latest instalment from Prince Fatty boasts a full-length album deep in dub, packed with collaborations, that is characteristically catchy. ‘Two Timer’ featuring Cornell Campbell and Tippa Irie, the intro track, is classic, from the brilliant opening dub samples to the recognisable vocals of Tippa Irie. It’s smooth, relaxed, and...
Pat Thomas is a name known by many and perhaps all lovers of West African grooves, as he is a staple name in the rare groove resurgence, heightened by the likes of Strut Records, reissuing some old regional classics. Known by some as the ‘golden voice of Africa’ (officially crowned...
Bet you’ll hardly meet a more intriguing and original character than Edna Martinez. The Colombian artist and DJ grew up living and breathing Afro-Colombian and tropical sounds adding Arabic and Middle Eastern tunes to the mix. She eventually moved to Berlin, where today lives and runs a renowned series named...