Outside the Lines, Vol. 6

DL | Out on fri 17 november

single 1, OCTOBER 20: REBECA OMORDIA AND GABRIEL PROKOFIEV – ‘ufie, IGBO DANCE (sound-collage rework)’

single 2, november 3: EMÆNUEL – ‘SEVERED DREADS’

Outside the Lines, Vol. 6 takes its focus from UK-based artists who are exploring and engaging with the different dimensions of African art music. Combining African instruments, field recordings, electronic music and contemporary Classical music, this EP examines the boundaries of what ‘classical music’ is typically assumed to be. It instead advocates for a more expansive approach, incorporating electronics and non-Western classical traditions.

The EP has been co-curated with Rebeca Omordia, founder of the African Concert Series, a series bridging the gap between Western classical music and traditional African music through the performance of African art music.

Pianist Rebeca Omordia performs an exploration of Nigerian drumming techniques, interspersed with field recordings from Igbo land recorded by Silas Eziehi and performed by Gabriel Prokofiev in ‘Ufie, Igbo Dance’: a celebration of rhythms and sounds from the South Eastern part of Nigeria. Originally composed by Christian Onyeji, Omordia and Prokofiev’s interpretation reveals the distinctive sound world from the Igbo land through melding acoustic and electronic elements together.

‘Reflections & Refractions’ is a piece about past, present and future. It draws on the sound-worlds of African Classical music through the Kora, performed by Tunde Jegede, and augments and abstracts this intimate soundscape through Ibukun Sunday’s electronics. The resulting music threads together the real and the surreal, antiquity and modernity, and the two performers’ unique African cultural experiences.

EMÆNUEL’s ‘Severed Dreads’ takes inspiration from folkloric religious traditions and transposes them onto a territory of undulating drum patterns and simple atonal harmonies. The 'Drum and the Hum' are the integral elements within the composition, laying the tones of saxophones, homemade flutes, talking drums and bells together in an intricate tapestry that hand off elements and frequencies to one another in a carefully ordered pattern of rhythm.

Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno’s ‘Piny Ngero’ takes its influence from the phrase Ng’ato nyaka ng’e nonde, loosely translating to ‘one must understand their lineage flow’. The Luo tribe’s tradition of passing information from one generation to the next is reflected musically through the blurring of traditional music with other genres, acknowledging both the past and the present.

With the piano music of Nkeiru Okoye as a starting point, ‘Sefa’ by Kamilla Arku and Dameun Strange weaves notions of African diaspora and sisterhood into an electroacoustic soundscape. The piece is inspired by the experiences of an imaginary woman who hears the sound of a piano through raindrops. As the sun begins to set, the sound is bathed in golden-hour glow and conjures a cherished memory of dancing barefoot in the rain with her sisters.

Outside the Lines, Vol. 6 is supported by the Hinrichsen Foundation, and PRS Foundation's Talent Development Network supported by PPL.

Track list:

Rebeca Omordia and Gabriel Prokofiev - ‘Ufie, Igbo Dance (sound-collage rework)’
Tunde Jegede and Ibukun Sunday - ‘Reflections and Refractions’
EMÆNUEL - ‘Severed Dreads’
Rapasa Nyatrapasa Otieno - ‘Piny Ngero’
Kamilla Arku and Dameun Strange - ‘Sefa’

Artwork by Matt Appleton at Modern Activity

Mastering by Adaq Khan