WEMA / ウェマ / WEMA / レコード

ペーニャの面々による新コラボユニット!実験性と伝統音楽が交差する完全フロア仕様な一枚!

新世代グローバルベースを牽引するUKのバンド=ペーニャのメンバーと、タンザニアのマルチ器楽奏者ムサフィリ・ザウォーセによるコラボユニット=WEMAのデビュー作が到着! 伝統的なタンザニア音楽のエッセンスを軸に、アフロラテンのリズム、エクスペリメンタルな電子音楽のヒプノティックなビート、スワヒリ語/スペイン語のリズミカルなリリックが融合。ひしゃげたようなドライな質感の電子音とテープディレイをかましたヴォーカルサンプリングなどなど多彩なアイデア、それを血肉化する有機的なアンサンブル、スピリチュアリティを増幅する親指ピアノの幽玄な響き、そして完全フロア仕様なドンシャリのきいたミックスもGOOD! 控えめにいって最高の一枚です!




For WEMA, collaboration is a state of mind. The five-piece collective – consisting of Tanzanian multi-instrumentalist Msafiri Zawose, producer Photay and Penya members Magnus P.I, Lilli Elina and Jimmy le Messurier – is an artistic pursuit founded on community; a space in which to harness the transformative power of connection.

2LP slipcase 140g vinyl w/ printed innersleeves + DL card

For WEMA, collaboration is a state of mind. The five piece collective – consisting of Tanzanian multi instrumentalist Msafiri Zawose, producer Photay and Penya members Magnus P.I, Lilli Elina and Jimmy le Messurier – is an artistic pursuit founded on community; a space in which to harness the transformative power of connection. Translated from Swahili, ‘wema’ means kindness and benevolence – virtues that lie at the core of the project, and are reflected in the group’s world embracing approach to music. “WEMA is a state of gratitude and belief, without sorrow or grief. It’s about giving your entire heart,” Msafiri declares.
The self-titled album is an intoxicating, dancefloor indebted blend 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.