DJ Doraemon – African Voices

By Corey Maass

I love intros but don’t usually expect them to define the sound I’m about to hear. Most often they’re like interludes on old hip hop records – a chance for the artist to have a little fun before getting down to the “real” tracks.

But the intro on this EP does, truly, set you up for what you’re about to hear. Slightly off-kilter Kuduro beats set against organic percussion, horn bleats, and guitar chords. Soupy reverbed-out spaces and voices make you take off your headphones to make sure no one is talking to you. Misleadingly simple polyrhythms layer and build on and off of each other until you lose the downbeat altogether. All you can do is keep dancing…

“African Voice 06” hits the sweet spot for me, admittedly because it might be the most straight-forward track on the album. Voices like bird song ring out as a call-to-action, playing off the throbbing bass. It’s three minutes that’s over all too quickly.

And “African Whistle – Take Over Remix” wins as the most catchy tune. I look forward to hearing that on a dance floor.

Posted on February 13, 2020