AFRICA TODAY: NIGHT DREAMER DIRECT TO DISC SESSIONS by ETUK UBONG
SKU | 112688 |
Artist | ETUK UBONG |
Title | AFRICA TODAY: NIGHT DREAMER DIRECT TO DISC SESSIONS |
Label | NIGHT DREAMER RECORDS |
Catalog # | ND 002 NIGHT |
Tag | |
Release | W 39 - 2020 |
Format | Vinyl - EULP |
Import | |
€ 17,50 | incl. VAT, excl. shipping |
Tracks
- Ekpo Mmommom
- African Struggle
- Africa Today
- Mass Corruption
- Spiritual Change
- The Purpose Of Creation
Description
Ubong was invited by Night Dreamer to record at Haarlem’s Artone Studio, home to an enviable collection of vintage mastering and recording equipment and situated right above a pressing plant. He assembled an international ensemble of the highest calibre to record his compositions direct-to-disc, avoiding the interference created by widely adopted recording techniques and capturing his enigmatic live performance in its most natural and explosive form. Ubong is joined by another Lagos-based musician, Michael Awosogo, also on trumpet, and a hand-picked group of UK and Netherlands-based musicians who finally after an impromptu show the night before, recorded the whole album in just one sitting on the last day of the five-day session.
Much of the music is incredibly fast-paced, and politically charged, particularly on titles such as “African Struggle” and “Mass Corruption’’, with Ubong featuring on both trumpet and lead vocal, leading a five-piece brass section over the percussion-heavy rhythm section and soulful keys supplied by Vels Trio’s Jack Stephenson-Oliver. Etuk uses music to address not only injustice but also humanity and spirituality, most notably on “Spiritual Change”, a deep cut on which Etuk reflects on Africans need for internal change before they can address the problems around them, stands-out among the rest of the album.