Lamin Fofana “Dance In Yr Blood”
It was a long journey for producer Lamin Fofana from his West African birthplace of […]
It was a long journey for producer Lamin Fofana from his West African birthplace of Guinea to Sierra Leone to his current residence in Harlem, New York—an experience which no doubt left an indelible mark on him personally, and subsequently, on his music. And yet, listening to “Dance In Yr Blood”—the first song from Matt Shadetek’s XLR8R podcast and the last track on Fofana’s forthcoming debut EP, What Elijah Said—is far more reminiscent of traversing the techno and bass music hotbeds of Europe than traveling across the African continent before winding up overseas in America. The slamming kick drum, the pulse of the bass tone, the wafting vocal samples, and the various warped sound effects all push a strangely subdued and late-night club vibe on “Blood,” and make for a rather disconcerting finale to Fofana’s debut. It all starts to make sense after reading this quote offered by the producer (and borrowed from the New York Times’ 1975 obituary for Nation of Islam founder Elijah Muhammad) to describe his music: “Yet, he would refer to the Mother Plane, a mysterious space ship with superior beings, giant black gods or something like that, that patrolled the universe, keeping an eye on the devil and ready to rescue Black Muslims from Armageddon.“
What Elijah Said will be released on September 21 via Dutty Artz.
