Up next on Crammed Discs is IKOQWE (pronounced “ee-kok-weh”), a new project by Batida (the Angola-born, Lisbon-raised artist who ranks among the leading exponents of the new wave of African electronic music) and Ikonoklasta, the Angolan rapper turned iconic activist. Their debut album, The Beginning, the Medium, the End and the Infinite, is out in March.

IKOQWE’s inspiration comes from old school hip-hop, which it blends with electronic music and the sounds of old kalimbas from Angola.

The Beginning, the Medium, the End and the Infinite includes drum machines, vocals in Angolan slang, Umbundu, Portuguese, and English. It also features discussions about neo-colonialism, iniquities, and falsified history, radio sounds, utopian solutions, and more.

Ahead of the album, the pair have shared Pele, meaning “skin,” the first single. The release contains the album version of “Pele,” plus remixes by Boddhi Satva and MADMADMAD.

Crammed’s current roster includes Zenobia, from Palestine, and Nihiloxica, whom we’ve featured before.

Tracklisting, Single

01. Pele
02. Pele feat. Boddhi Satva.
03. Pele feat. MADMADMAD

The Beginning, the Medium, the End and the Infinite LP is scheduled for March 5 release. Meanwhile, you can stream the album version of “Pele” in full below. Pele, the single, will land on January 22. We’ll add more details as they become available.