I knew next to nothing about Sinkane before Labor Day weekend started.
I’d casually heard a few songs on our airwaves and saw his name on our charts, but it wasn’t until I dug in that I realized what I had been missing.
I had a few hours to kill during a leisurely vacation in Colorado and streamed “Mean Love”, his latest release out this week on DFA Records, and it was stunningly good.
So much so, I ended up alternating between “Mean Love” and his 2012 album “Mars” ALL weekend. (Check out “Warm Spell”)
From the classic pop songcraft and perfect emotional delivery of the title track to the single “How We Be”, which has a Superfly-era Curtis Mayfield funkvibe, he floats effortlessly across genres, integrating Afro-beat grooves, R&B and much more.
Sinkane is the solo project from Sudan-born, Ohio-raised, Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Ahmed Gallab.
Stream the album in full here and see it live in LA at The Echo on October 21.
Bonus trivia: Ahmed was the music director for “ATOMIC BOMB! The Music of William Onyeabor” bringing on Damon Albarn, David Byrne, and members of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem and more to pay tribute the West African synth pioneer.
Double Bonus: Stream a remix of “How We Be“ that’s been a favorite among our DJs.