Parisian Afro imprint Mawimbi‘s latest release in collaboration with Wormfood Records comes from Ghanian project ONIPA. In packaging four originals with three remixes, the EP covers a lot of ground, with West African stylings manifested in hip-hop, disco and house formats and beyond. This feat should come as no surprise to followers of the label, however, as the Paris crew has long managed to tastefully blend African music forms with electronic dance sensibilities.
Our premiere comes via London duo Krywald & Farrer‘s remix of the A1 track, “Woza”. Known lately for their scorching hot Persies series, here the talented editors modify the frenzied, afrofuturistic original into a chilled deep house affair. Where the original is percussive, and intensely jovial, the remix is more subdued. Synth pads and basslines create a new texture for the track, while drum and vocal samples from the original are layered in to maintain some of the original flavor. It’s ultimately a fairly climactic affair, too, with everything building towards a bittersweet combination of chords.
The rest of the record, meanwhile, has variety on offer. A range of tempos and styles are explored by ONIPA to showcase their fusion of African music with contemporary electronic formats. The wax and full digital release for the record is coming up soon, too, with the drop scheduled for September 7th (it can be preordered here).
Martín