Boddhi Satva – Mama Kosa ft Kaysha
When it comes to dance music, few producers can claim Boddhi Satva’s level of authority. Known affectionately as the founding father of niche sub-genre ancestral soul, Boddhi’s music uses spirituality as its central hallmark. It weaves the thread of soul into a tapestry of African styles, set to the pace of inventive house.
With his widely acclaimed Ancestral Interpretations mixtape series, the Central African Republic-born DJ and producer remixes a selection of commercially and critically acclaimed R&B and hip-hop songs, adding his distinct touch to tracks originally recorded by everyone from Drake and Sékouba Banbino to Beyoncé.
For Mama Kosa, the monster dancefloor single off his forthcoming sophomore studio album Transition, he ropes in zouk’s Congolese elder statesmen Kaysha. If you watch the video closely, you’ll spot Angolan music royalty: DJ Djeff, Malvado and Elizio.
Stonebwoy – Run Go
Stonebwoy’s win at last month’s BET awards for the best African international act came under some scrutiny, since most expected the accolade to go to the clear favourite, Wizkid. Digging a little deeper, Stonebwoy’s dancehall/reggae pedigree proves anything but disputable. Not only does he come recommended by Ghanaian music veteran Samini, his catalog of hits now attracts comparisons with other renowned names on that scene.
Single Run Go has been out for a while, but only recently got this video treatment in which Stonebwoy walks through Accra, crooning longingly for simpler days.
Petite Noir – Best
No stranger to this playlist, Petite Noir’s Yannick Ilunga offers up yet another stunning video. This time it’s for Best, the second single off his forthcoming debut album, La Vie Est Belle/Life Is Beautiful, out on 11 September. It demonstrates how only through actually being on the African continent can one appreciate its enduring contradictions – how incredibly beautiful it is on the one hand, yet on the other hand, how raw and unforgiving it can be.
This month Petite Noir kicks off a string of summer and autumn live dates with a performance at the New York’s growing cult festival, Afropunk. Londoners can catch him at the Lexington on 15 September.
Brymo – Duro
Nigerian music label and collective Chocolate City publicly rowed with Brymo (the vocalist who featured on Ice Prince’s Afrobeats classic, Oleku) a couple of years ago, before the singer parted ways with them permanently. What a loss to them. Brymo, possibly one of Naija’s most criminally underrated artists, has since independently put out two extraordinary albums. He delivers as always on this new song, Duro, which indicates another album – his fifth – is on the way. Hopefully it will be to much larger acclaim.
Yemi Alade – Duro Timi
All roads lead to London’s Dance Afrique festival on 28 August, with headliners Akon, South African afropop/house duo Mafikizolo and MTV Base Africa’s recent winner of the Best Female award, Yemi Alade. Johnny, her launch single about a no-good fella, has been a tough act to follow, but Alade remains resolute in showing off her artistic range. On Duro Timi (meaning “stay with me” in Yoruba), a more worthwhile love interest brings out Alade’s tender side, while she takes on the tricky task of blending R&B with afropop.
