Electricity

Description

Electricity is the fourth album by Ibibio Sound Machine, and like any good afrofuturist story, it begins with an existential crisis. Born of the 2020s, it is darker than what the band has done before. It is produced by British synthpop band Hot Chip, Grammy Award nominees. It is the first Ibibio Sound Machine album made with outside producers since the band was formed by singer Eno Williams and saxophonist Max Grunhard. The team has created a kaleidoscope of delights, with echoes of Jonzun Crew, Grace Jones, William Onyeabor, Tom Tom Club, Kae Tempest, Keith LeBlanc, The J.B.'s, Jon Hassell's Fourth World and Bootsy Collins. The opening track "Protection From Evil" sees Eno Williams wielding Al Doyle's enormous synth line (Hot Chip) like a spiritual shield against unspecified evil forces — unspecified because she speaks in unknown tongues. The meaning of the lyrics is defined by her energetic delivery. As Electricity takes flight, so do the lyrics in favor of a brighter future, alternating between English and Ibibio, and propelled by Joseph Amoako's relentless afrobeat. She deepens this feeling with the single "All That You Want", assuring her romantic interest while demanding reciprocity. Meanwhile, Scott Baylis's playful Juno synthesizer guides the listener's feet to the dancefloor. Electricity is a profound realization of the founding manifesto: combining the rhythmic character of the Ibibio language with traditional West African music and more modern electronic sounds. If the band likes to venture into electronic territory, what is essential is keeping the music rooted in African roots. Ibibio Sound Machine gives the best example of this on the track "Freedom". This title was inspired by the Baka women of Cameroon and its lyrics prompted Hot Chip and Ibibio Sound Machine to layer joyfully kinetic electronic patterns over it in the studio. When the track ends with the mantra "rage, hope, cope, soul", it is clear that Ibibio Sound Machine has channeled and distilled these words as guiding principles, for the album and for the world it inhabits.