Bubblegum Club

Tag: funk

  • The Sounds of Nigerian Pop

    The Sounds of Nigerian Pop

    While West African pop has come to be dominated by the sounds of Afrobeat, it is more of a catch-all term for the variety of West African pop sounds that are emerging from the region. Arguably, it is Fela Kuti who laid the foundation by fusing Western sounds taken from jazz and funk with West African sounds to create Afrobeat in the 70s. A similar sonic melting pot is present today, with their EDM, house, pop, dancehall, R&B, hip hop and trap coming across as a combination of contemporary Western sounds infused with West African rhythms and melodies.

    West African pop has now crossed borders, transported by the internet and the diaspora to places such as the UK and USA. The growing popularity of the sound in these places has led to an explosion in popularity of the practitioners and sees them increasingly crossing-over and collaborating with other pop stars such as Drake, Snoop Dogg, Wyclef Jean, Skepta and Rae Sremmurd.

    Below are four Nigerian artists who are fusing West African and Western sounds to create their own brand of Nigerian pop.

    Small Doctor – This Year 

    Featuring an infectious rhythm and the ever popular autotuned vocals, ‘This Year’ is Small Doctor’s latest single. Shot in the desert, the colourful, dance-heavy music video is reminiscent of scenes from Mad Max, although with a much more upbeat soundtrack. Hailing from Ondo State in Nigeria, Temitope Adekunle aka Small Doctor broke onto the scene in 2012, releasing mixtapes and freestyles. Singing primarily in the Nigerian language Yoruba, he rose to prominence in 2015 with the release of the singles ‘Gbagaun’, ‘Anobi’ & ‘Mosquito Killer’, produced by Dre Sean. His music is a combination of pop with Fuji music, a popular Nigerian genre which arose from the improvisational Ajisari/Were music tradition, which is a kind of music performed to wake Muslim people before dawn during the Ramadan fasting season.

    Kiss Daniel – No Do

    Sensuous and simple, ‘No Do’ is a ballad and Kiss Daniel’s first single of 2018. Shot in Lagos the video follows Kiss Daniel as he strolls through the streets and encounters everyday life in the area he calls home. Kiss Daniel was born in Ogun State. He is best known for his single ‘Woyu’ released in 2014 which was nominated for Best Pop Single at the 2015 Headies, as well as Hottest Single of The Year at the 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards. The single also received a remix featuring Tiwa Savage and Davido. Kiss Daniel showed interested in music from an early age, receiving support from his father and was signed to G-Worldwide Entertainment in 2014. His debut album ‘New Era’ was released in 2016 which saw him winning Album Of The Year and Best R&B/Pop album at the Headies in 2017.

    Reekado Banks – Like Ft. Tiwa Savage and Fiokee

    Featuring label-mate and multi-talent Tiwa Savage as well as Fiokee, ‘Like’ is the latest single from Reekado Banks. Dedicated to the ladies, like so many pop songs, the video takes on a cinematic quality with scenes straight form Noire films and flourishes of 80s neon. Lagos born Ayoleyi Solomon aka Reekado Banks fka as Spicy, has been active as an artist since 2008, although he gained notoriety in 2014 with his Rookie of the Year win at The Headies. Released in 2016, his debut album, Spotlight, was released in 2016 and debuted at number 10 on the Billboard World Album Music Chart. Signed to Mavin Records, he has worked with the likes of  Don Jazzy, Korede Bello, Di’Ja, Dr SID and D’Prince.

    Glenn Mena – Sound it (Freestyle)

    Shot on Lagos Island, ‘Sound it’ showcases Glenn’s skill as a rapper. With a strong dancehall feel, the  track is all about the rhythm and witty verses. Afropolitan model, pianist and recording artist, Glenn Mena had been making music since 2010, however it was with the release of his single ‘Movement’ in 2012 that he his career really took off. Releasing a number of singles between then and 2017, his debut EP ‘Mask&Music’ was released on his own imprint of the same name. Not tying himself to a specific genre, his sound evolves as he grows and learns as an artists.

  • Bubblegum Club mix Vol 7 by K-$

    In her bio she is described as an “internet sensation” we wouldn’t argue with that. K-$ (real name Kalo Canterbury) is a young dj on the rise. We first noticed her for a carefully curated Instagram feed and her very delicious OG-streetstyle looks but its through her sound that she is really starting to make waves. Hot off the release of her mix for NON (featured on Rinse FM) we spoke to K-$ about the exclusive mix she created for us, what she is up to at the moment and the importance of the internet to her as a dj.

     

    Can you tell us a bit about the mix you’ve created for us?

    With this mix, I wanted to create something lekker and bouncy. The songs I chose are all well recognised

    classic funk and disco because they’ve been sampled so many times within more

    contemporary music, especially in hip hop. Paying homage to some of the best bands, groups and

    artists to ever do it back in the day, in a commercially successful sense. Also, each of these songs

    carry that feel-good quality. Don’t tell me you can sit through any of these songs without busting

    out a quick boogie. I also named it “Green Tea Disco” because just like green tea, it’s refreshing.

    Plus I’m always drinking green tea when I make my mixes… Maybe I should start doing that in the

    club when I spin.

     

    What exactly is LIT…and can you tell us a bit about LIT Bassment Ting?

    LIT is a squad of DJs, producers and artists based in Cape Town. Well, we’re actually more like a

    family filled with proper experienced big names like Sumo Jac and Dplanet, to those of us new to

    the game and trying to come up, like me. It’s amazing in the sense that we all learn from each

    other, regardless of our level, so we constantly grow together. We can all hold our own as artists

    and entertainers, but we’re stronger together. We’ve all got each others backs, we all want each

    other to thrive – the support and love is unconditional and the banter is never-ending.

    If I could sum it up, we just have the same idea of what good fun and good music is, and we want

    to share that with whoever is open to it. That’s why we do LIT Bassment Ting. We went from

    throwing a weekly party at Bazinga Bar, to now throwing a monthly party on First Thursdays in the

    basement of House of H on Loop, which has kinda become our headquarters. Our first one was at

    the beginning of October and holy shit, it was LIT. We’re all excited about our second one, taking

    place on the 3rd. We plan to take over Cape Town this Summer. Just watch.

     

    Something exciting seems to be brewing in Cape Town, driven in particular by young

    people of colour and also queer / non binary individuals – why do you think this is?

    There’s a very positive thing happening in Cape Town where people of colour,

    queers and non-binary people are supporting each others art, ideas and movements. This support

    system has almost created a sense of comfortability, safeness and self-acceptance, and because

    of that we’ve become blatantly unapologetic. We don’t just dala what we must, we dala whatever we want,

    however we want, whenever we want to. It’s a gorgeous thing to witness, and an honour to be a part of it.

     

    Why has Joburg never been blessed with a K-$ set?

    I actually played Joburg once back in 2014 at Kitcheners. At the time I basically knew nothing

    about DJing in a technical sense, I just wanted to play some of my favourite songs to a crowd that

    would understand the music too. Things have changed a lot since then and my skills and sound

    have evolved, so I’d love to come up to spin as often as possible now. My pops recently made the

    move to Jozi, meaning I’ll be in the city more and more, and hopefully I’ll play and make

    connections every time I visit. On top of that, Joburg homies have always showed me love whether

    they know me or not, and I know I can bring something refreshing to the table. Holla at me!!!

     

    You truly are an “internet sensation”! How important has the internet been for K-$?

    The internet is everything to me. On a personal level, I taught myself how to play instruments and

    DJ using the internet as my only resource. It opened my mind at a very formative point in my high

    school career and showed me how big the world is. I found many sources of inspiration lurking in

    various corners of the web that influenced my style, the way I think, the way I learn, the shit I like,

    my taste, the way I carry myself. I think because I respected and understood the net when I was

    young, using it as a tool just came naturally. Like my Instagram. That started as pure fun,

    pushing an aesthetic that was true to who I am and no one else, and that persona has just taken

    on a life of its own and I’ve continued to grow with it. I think it reflects in the music I play and the

    way I play it too. The internet really is a wealth of knowledge right at your fingertips, and despite

    the way many assholes abuse it, there’s so much we can gain from it.