Kollaboration ist das Grundprinzip von WEMA, dem Kollektiv bestehend aus den tansanischen Multi-Instrumentalisten Msafiri Zawose, dem Producer Phontay und den Penya Members Magnus P.I, Lilli Elina and Jimmy le Messurier. Ihr spannendes Crossover Debüt erschient beim renommierten !K7 Records Label.

The self-titled album is an intoxicating, dancefloorindebtedblend of traditional Tanzanian music, Afro-Latin rhythms and experimental electronic music, with the majority of lyrics sung in Swahili and Spanish. It’s a smorgasbord of sounds, moods and textures that call on the very ethos of the band; the pursuit of cohesion and togetherness in a fractured world. Through this lens, WEMA is a near-spiritual listen, invoking the sacred sounds of their global influences. The tape-delayed vocal samples and sparse industrial clangs of Kande are reminiscent of the kind of deconstructed beats you might find in a closing club set. Bendir Bendir’s pointillist soundscapes are juxtaposed with a warm chorus of Msafiri’s layered harmonies. Msafiri Jam Pt 2, with its uptempo percussion and atmospheric background noise, features the undulating hornwork of groundbreaking Afro-Cuban trumpeter Yelfris Valdes. There’s a palpable optimism running through WEMA; it’s raw, unfiltered music that is as danceable as it is soul-stirring.