That willful disregard for convention is among what makes this new generation of Nigerian artists so exciting. Not to say their recklessness is new by any stretch—Fela, D’banj and Terry G were pretty exceptional in their primes but the production on Noah Aire’s new single, “1:32 Today” is just zany and eccentric enough to thrust him into experimental territory. He fuses a Fela inspired chant with South Africa choir scatting melodies for delightful dance number ending with “I Dunno What The Fuck I Should Say”.

While today’s liberal society might find his honesty more odd than his vulgar lyrics, what makes it stick out is the traditional church inclined sounds of gongs and Noah Aire’s first words; “Thank God I See Today”. Aire skillfully skirts the line between the vulgar and the divine. The interweaving of analogue and digital sounds into an organic backing for his seemingly innocuous set of lyrics shows how deft production can make even the most ridiculous lyric book shine.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BYHQ_YXgzyK/?taken-by=noahxos

Though the mixing of vocals and beats aren’t quite there, one can only imagine how big the warmth of retro production with the polish of modern studios and Noah Aire’s icy lashing of contemporary angst could be—particularly if managed properly. It’s not that his voice or range is impressive or that the narrative of “1:32 Today” hasn’t been done, it’s the way he uses the studio to build multiple takes into the song’s structure, playing the samples as background vocals, scattering murmurs and echoes around the main vocal lines.

Listen to Noah Aire’s “1:32 Today” below.

Featured Image Credits: Instagram/noahxos

You are meeting Debola at a strange time in his life. He wandered into a dream and lost his way back. Tweet at him @debola_abimbolu

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