Every once in a while, something hits my inbox that truly stops me in my tracks. Today is that day and this incredible piece of work from Ancient Astronauts is simply sublime.
[3DJ] Rating đ„đ„đ„đ„đ„Over three years in the making, ZIK ZAK is an African musical odyssey, featuring some of the freshest talent from nine countries on the mother continent. Tying this remarkable range of artists together are German production team ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS, weaving the vocal talents of the African singers into their distinctive âBoom Dubâ sound. Drawing on Hip Hop, Dancehall, Roots Reggae, Bass Music, Soul, Electronica and Breakbeat, the production incorporates live instruments and musical influences from all over Africa and its diaspora.
The concept behind all these tracks is ZIK ZAK (âZig-Zagâ in English), mapping out each artistâs life of tragedy and success, in a context of global inequality and ruthless capitalism. This album responds to the urgent need to understand the daily struggle for survival by creative artists and musicians from the global south. Each artist gives a unique voice to their rocky way through the contemporary African landscape, revealing a new perspective from a different city, country, religion, and ideology. This is ZIK ZAK.
It’s easy to forget how much harder it is for artists and musicians to survive away from the relative comfort of the richer parts of the world. In Africa, employment levels are shockingly low and the welfare state non-existent, so that most artists live in a state of constant precariousness, with nothing to fall back on when the music industry fails to pay. Yet the mainstream African music industry constantly feeds us a capitalist wet dream, with fantastical images of artists living a âbling-blingâ lifestyle of fast cars, swimming pools and supermodels with inflated chests. The artists featured on ZIK ZAK have all rejected this preposterous mythology, instead bringing us real messages from their everyday lives, demonstrating more talent, creativity and authenticity in a single album, than in a lifetime of over-produced, commercial music videos.
In ZIK ZAK, particular focus is on the intense and vibrant scene in Uganda, where local, mutant forms of Afrobeats and Dancehall have evolved away from the more familiar, globalized products of Nigeria and Jamaica. ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS established a base and partnership with local studio East African Records, allowing them to dig deep in the wells of talent in Ugandaâs capital, Kampala. Elsewhere, they established friendships and musical relationships with enlightened artists as far afield as Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Togo, Guinea and Senegal, in many cases meeting the artists in person. DOGU, the DJ of ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS, toured East Africa twice with artists on the album, spreading the gospel of ZIK ZAK across festivals, clubs and bars in the region. Even in their hometown of Cologne, the production team engage with diaspora artists, recording the percussion for ZIK ZAK with the African drummers and percussionists of DOGU Ìs party series Family Affairs Cologne â Afro Urban Club Session.
The ZIK ZAK project has provided these underground African artists an opportunity to reach a new worldwide audience, building on the success of ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS. This German production duo â aka DOGU and KABANJAK – have been working together since 2001, producing and touring with some of the biggest names in the alternative music scene: The Pharcyde, Tippa Irie, Akua Naru, The Jungle Brothers, Raashan Ahmad, DJ Brace, Nickodemus, Thievery Corporation, BANTU and many more. They are respected for their ethical and activist stance, as well as for their ground-breaking music: recently they were commissioned by Pulitzer-Prize-winning author Ian Urbina to work on the soundtrack to his important environmental book: âThe Outlaw Oceanâ.
For the ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS, this new album is an important project both musically and ideologically. In their own words: âWith ZIK ZAK, we want to give a platform to young talents from Africa that are too good to ignore â they must be heard internationally. Africa is our motherland too, in the end. Civilization comes from Africa and that Ìs where rhythm comes from. After too many years of slavery and exploitation of the African countries, it is time to shine light on the great talent of Mother Africa.â
- Upliftment Skit feat. C Wyne Nalukalala
- Basonyiwe feat. Spyda MC
- PagliacciÂŽs Reprise feat. Joyce Olong
- Ghetto Youth Never Give Up feat. C Wyne Nalukalala
- Pump Up The Sound feat. Bani Fyah
- Moz Militant feat. Blaze 5th
- Tebamanyi feat. MoRoots
- Wan Aken feat. Brazen Rule
- Photoshop Reality feat. BANTU
- My Vision feat. Shoeshine Buoy
- Omuntu Wwo feat. MOTH
- No Luv feat. Modenine
- Social Distancing feat. Ife Piankhi
- Entandikwa feat. Abramz
- Deram Me 1 Minuto feat. Olho Vivo
- Source Of Life feat. Nilotika Cultural Ensemble
- Ddala feat. Spyda MC
- Simulizi Zetu feat. GP_Rowdix
- Do It To The Beat feat. Blessed San
- Ziinga Zanram feat. Art Melody
Label: Switchstance Recordings
Format: 2LP Vinyl / digital
Released January 22, 2021 you can hear / pick it up on Bandcamp here and via www.ancientastronauts.de
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