Alone

Album review

After Buraka Sound Sistem and Batida, the Luanda-Lisbon axis continues to surprise us with its vital contribution to the definition of the Afro-futuristic music. Raised in the Cazenga ghetto in the Angolan capital, the singer of the already-noticed Throes +The Shine—a band for which he had invented the eloquent expression of kudurock and collaborated with the Congolese Pierre Kwenders—releases his first solo album. For Alone, Diron Animal has produced a magical synthesis in which the rhythms from his country, kuduro and semba first, proudly assimilate influences coming from house, Afro beat, hip hop, electro, coupé-décalé and funk. Diabolically danceable, the discourse is nevertheless conscious and concerned. In Portuguese, Kimbundu or English, Diron Animal describes the contrasted, violent, ambitious, pessimistic and hopeful feelings that his ghetto experiences, while still showcasing his creativity. On NCrazy, he invites the famous rapper Spoek Mathambo, emblematic of the South African revolutionary scene, in order to support the statement that the future of urban music is taking shape in Africa. © BM/Qobuz