From Cloud

Let’s Dance – Ibibio Soundmachine

London born, Lagos raised singer Eno Williams is currently being touted as one of the most refreshing new wave African sounds. The singer leads an 8-piece band whose music is borne of a multiplex of influences; a fusion of coordinated fast-paced synths, loud trumpets and music rendered in her native Ibibio language. “Let’s Dance”, comes off The Ibibio Soundmachine’s self-titled debut and it bursts of a vibrant energy and of 70s psychedelic funk reminiscent of an sonic era forgotten.

Capture – Seo
Capture is another one of many hidden in the obscure underbelly of SoundCloud. Seo sings of a world where there is too much to capture, a direct reflection of our information age where there is too much to absorb and not enough to learn.

Emotions In Kumasi – Khandie
Ghanian music is witnessing an acoustic renaissance where peripheral sounds are stripped away for lighter production. Even Khandie’s druggy “Emotions In Kumasi” opens with a guitar riff that sounds like the start of a closing movie sequence. Khandie is in Kumasi sailing through the motions and longing for lost love, but she’s “moving on, moving on” and feeling like she “finna turn up”

Maradona – Niniola
Our Best New Music from last week doesn’t need any more brandishing but ahead of the pressing need from a debut album from Niniola, “Maradona” will live on as a bold exploration of the female sensuality, a murky subject matter many artists of her ilk actively shy away from.

From Our Pot of Jollof

Moving On – Asa
As if to remind us of the continued relevance of her Bed of Stone album, Asa released a haunting performance of her survivor’s anthem “Moving On” earlier last week. “Moving On” is a deep cut from the album about forging ahead despite inherent trauma from the past.

If You Ask Me – Omawumi
West African Idols first runner up Omawumi Megbele turned a stint on a music reality show into a platform to become one of Nigeria’s most successful contemporary musicians, period. Omawumi is always on the pulse of contemporary Nigerian issues, using her voice and her platform to promote women’s issues. But one song stands out above all the others. 2011, If You Ask Me from the album, Lasso of Truth. Covering domestic violence, sexual assault, molestation and incestuous relationship. Omawumi brought to the national consciousness the plight of the most vulnerable.

If I Start To Talk – Tiwa Savage
Before the release of an accompanying video that suggested marital abuse and indicated personal battles for Tiwa Savage last year, the original song stood out on her sophomore album R.E.D as a light-weight Afrowave number about leaving the past unsaid because there’s too much pain buried within to do otherwise.

Overseas

Hey Girl (feat. Florence Welch) – Lady Gaga

If you have ever wondered if there is a song about women supporting women that doesn’t sound like an obvious pseudo-feminist propaganda, you should listen to Lady Gaga and Florence Welch’s duet on this chord light track off Gaga’s sixth studio album Joanne.

Patience – RayBLK

BBC’s Sound Of 2017, Ray BLK brings her stylised hip-hop and soul to self reflect on “Patience”. In a world of glossy contracts and the gold rush for fame, Ray BLK will sit on the outside of it all and leave the rat race for those willing to sell their soul because “slow and steady wins the race”.

https://soundcloud.com/thenativemag/sets/the-bumplist

See our Bumplist from the previous week, featuring Migos, JHus and other choice picks