"Let's dance" is the mantra of Ibibio Sound Machine, and is likely to be what most listeners think when they hear the band's vibrant debut album.
If you wanted to sum up the self-titled release of Ibibio Sound Machine in a single word, then 'striking' would be the most obvious one. Wherever you find yourself on it, this newly-released record leaves the listener dazzled and, most likely, dancing. The band draws you in and whisks you away through different decades and worlds.
Ibibio Sound Machine are a London-based eight-piece fronted by British-Nigerian singer Eno Williams and Ghanaian virtuoso guitarist Alfred 'Kari' Bannerman, and backed up by six more truly cosmopolitan musicians.
Fittingly, their debut album encapsulates this international diversity and combines the fun and colourful sounds of West African funk, disco and soul with London's own bass culture. The band's Nigerian influences shine through and, in Soundway Record's signature style, the track titles appear in both Ibibio and English on the album. But for all the various inspirations behind the record's soundscape, this is no clunky fusion.
The bass is perhaps the most clearly European aspect of Ibibio's sound, ranging from the low frequency rumble to smooth compressed riffs, though the patterns and ilk of the melodies and riffs are distinctively West African too, conjuring up Afrobeat textures.
'The Talking Fish' is a case in point, in which Nigerian licks and bridges bring a pure funk bass line and drum beat to life. Meanwhile, on 'Let's Dance', which was released as a single earlier this year, polyrhythms reign supreme.
One of the most impressive aspects of the album is the way in which every instrument is given the chance to breathe; nothing is just for show and the whole line up plays with precison and flare. Trumpets and brass sections meld with digital textures and circuitry, creating a sound that is sunny, upbeat and even a little raucous at times.
This is perhaps in part down to the production process. To record the album, the band's founders - Max Grunhard, Leon Brichard and Benji Bouton - put together a series of funk-heavy drum and bass tracks before inviting Kari Bannerman to work his Ghanaian guitar licks over the pre-recorded track. This is not revolutionary, but it does seem to have ensured that no band member's contribution is lost in the mix.
Bannerman's input provides some of the most understated but essential elements of the songs, sitting low in the mix, though there are also some moments where he shines though. 'Woman of Substance', for example, is a refined track in which his refreshing melodic noodling weaves through a range of lush sounds and textures that include thumb pianos and conga drums.
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It's easy to get caught up the album's multi-layered groove, but Ibibio Sound Machine are all about 'blink and you will miss it' details too, such as the colourful and resonant bass drum on 'I'm Running (Nya Fehe)'. Furthermore, for all the groove and fun, the band reveals its sophisticated, laid-back streak at times too.
Eno Williams' vocals meanwhile are both punctuating and percussive. At the beginning of 'Prodigal Son (Ayen Ake Feheke)', her tones are demanding as they articulate every syllable, but when she has the opportunity to sing more in Ibibio, the results are soulful and entrancing. Williams' lyrics stem from Nigerian folklore and mystique touching on Christian traditions and motifs.
The opening track 'Voice of the Bird (Uyio Inuen)' is a pastoral opening to a unabashed album of growling bass riffs and upbeat displays. 'Got to Move, Got to Get Out! (Ana Nkpong ana Nwuoro)' too is a hidden gem. At a much slower tempo the drowsy dub feel and pretty electronics are a perfect backdrop for William's sultry tones.
What is clear is that this exciting, colourful album is just the beginning. The future is bright for Ibibio Sound Machine if they keep heading in the direction they have set themselves.
Ibibio Sound Machine is out now on Soundway Records.
James Bullock is a freelance journalist and researcher with a particular focus on sub-Saharan political development, post-colonial literature and West African music. He has been published in the Financial Times and Monocle magazine. You can contact him via his twitter.
