FOFOULAH - Daega Rek - CD

The London based afro-dub ensemble Fofoulah, have followed-up their trailblazing debut album (“Fofoulah”/Glitterbeat 2014) with an even more shapeshifting and adventurous recording: Daega Rek (The Truth). Slippery sabar beats, dystopian electronics and echoing, shamanic chants ratchet up both the dub quotient and the dramatic tension. A sound world that is both earthy and urban, futurist and rooted.

The rhythmic propulsion of the initial recordings made by drummer Dave Smith and Gambian sabar drummer and vocalist Kaw Secka at Real World Studios, melds with a backdrop of constantly shifting sonic colors - Johnny Brierley’s deep, melodic bass lines, underpin the evolving patterns of Phil Stevenson’s guitar which in turn, intersect with Tom Challenger’s vivid keyboards and production and the urgency of Secka’s incantations. The emphasis on the sonic structure and identity of the material showcases its influences - traditional sabar drumming meeting glitchy electronics; and dub textures blending with elements of footwork and drum & bass.  

Fofoulah remind us that sonics and human experiences combine, resonate and land where they will. “Fortress” mentalities can slow this down, but the spirit of morphing and connectivity still flashes forward.