Various Artists - Chromesthesia: The Colour of Sound Vol. 1 (Chromesthesia, 2024)
An album born from a research project. British-Egyptian historian Hannah Elsisi explored the rhythms created by a thousand years of Afro-diasporic migration. Forced or voluntary. All contemporary beats can be traced back to these ancient rhythms, says Elsisi. Her research focuses on what she calls the ‘mangrove world’: the area between the Gulf of Mexico and the Persian Gulf, from Cuba to Iran. Accompanying the research is this record: ‘Chromesthesia: The Colour Of Sound Vol. 1’, with contributions from artists who have their roots in this ‘mangrove world’. Elsisi has linked a number of artists with others, so that, for example, Deena Abdelwahed collaborates with Julmud and Nick Léon; Nick Léon with Baby Cocada; and Dj Babatr with Oshazs. Geographical and musical connections that are not always immediately obvious. Until you hear the rhythms collide, songs emerge and a world of inspiring beats opens up. All based on familiar sounds from mahraganat, raptor house, congotronics, reggeaton and the like. You can feel the musical and rhythmic similarities - with ‘Mangrove’ being the sublime opening track. Eternidad’ and ‘Sucio’ take you to the Latin club. Lafawndah introduces her latest alter ego KUKII to the beats of 3Phaz. On ‘Zamaleky’, South Africa’s Sho Madjozi drops her rhymes to the energetic, eclectic vibes of Egypt’s Double Zuksh. The mood shifts with ‘Time On’ - where Gaika and Lord Tusk draw rhythms from jungle, dubstep and grime - draped in dub, while Cõvco’s vocal samples evoke the warrior beats of Kinshasa and Yorubaland. Hannah Elsisi herself appears on the punishing ‘Dark Out’, brought to you by Maurice Louca and Kelman Duran in collaboration with South African jazz drummer Asher Gamdeze. A spoken word like a rich, layered meditation on history, colonialism, displacement and migration, condensed into seven minutes. Lamina Fofana closes with bittersweet ambient on ‘Infinite: Regress Into Futures Past’, where the loops and crunching vinyl evoke a sense of déjà vu about history repeating itself. You could listen to ‘Chromesthesia’, completely ignore the story and still be impressed by the musical offering. But that would be a pity. Because this album takes you back to the roots of music, to the origins of today’s club sounds. It immerses you in its political and musical history. Open your ears to this sublime musical journey.
Released on Chromesthesia,