Nyamekye Junction - Dasein (2022)

Following the critically acclaimed Sankofa Season, a debut collaboration from UK legends Andrew Ashong & Kaidi Tatham, Kitto Records return to introduce a new three-piece band: Nyamekye Junction. Born of chance meetings in Accra, the band brings together a Burundian producer and vocalist, Betina Quest; with a Ghanaian singer-songwriter, Eli A Free; and a German percussionist and multi instrumentalist, Ma.ttic. Nyamekye Junction take their name from a bustling junction in the Ghanaian capital, where a number of major roads merge, embodying the musical approach of the band: a singular sound at the junction of their cultural heritages. In Eli’s words, ‘Dasein’ (from the German for ‘existence’, ‘being there’), captures “the need to live in this moment here and now with a heart full of gratitude” while exploring a number of interlinked themes, including the importance of one's environment - cultural and political, as well as physical - in situating, shaping and explaining each individual’s identity. Challenging lazy stereotypes of modern ‘African’ music as being synonymous with Afrobeats alone, Nyamekye blend synths and samplers with enchanting vocals and traditional West African percussion instruments like the Frikyiwa, Kpanlogos and Kayamba to produce a sound that is at once nostalgic and futuristic. Music threaded from many genres that is hard-hitting and meditative; undefinable and unrepeated; politically cutting and uplifting. As betina quest says: "Nyamekye Junction sounds like nothing I have ever heard before. For a musician that's an exciting moment." The band adeptly channel a wide range of influences, from the Ghanaian legends Ebo Taylor and Osibisa through to US mainstays such as Nina Simone and Erykah Badu; with equal regard given to UK innovators like Benjamin Clementine and Mala. The resulting debut EP ‘Dasein’ is a stunning collage which showcases the band’s impressive range and evolving sound by traversing a diverse range of moods, rhythms and textures. The lead single ‘GMT’ (short for ‘Ghana Man Time’) is a dance-floor-ready track that carries a deft political message. Driven by a weighty bassline alongside punching drums and percussion, for a rhythm section that would be at home in any broken-beat set, the song explores and emphasises differing conceptions of time between the West and Africa with a playful irony. Later, the lighter ‘Eyes Don’t See’ provides space for the full range of Eli’s balladeering vocals, while ‘Cloud 21’ serves up Dean Blunt-esque instrumentals and ‘Aduro’ closes the record with a rousing anti-colonial anthem.



Tracklist:
1 01. Nyamekye Junction - GMT (04:23)
1 02. Nyamekye Junction - Eyes Don't See (05:47)
1 03. Nyamekye Junction - Cloud 21 (03:59)
1 04. Nyamekye Junction - Aduro (07:36)