Afrorack // The Afrorack LP

This is a record released by Ugandan modular developer Afrorack aka Bamanya Brian in May 2023 on dance label Nyage Nyage in Kampala, Uganda.

Includes 9 songs from tribal techno to strange beats using the module system The Afrorack, which he self-taught.

Below is a commentary by the label.

"Bamanya, who helped build Africa's first DIY modular synthesizer, has created a giant wall of self-made modules and FX units that he calls 'The Afrorack'.When I started looking into the world of modular synthesizers, I found the technology hard to come by in Uganda.Not only were there relatively few dealers across Africa, but the modules were often prohibitively expensive.So he studied electronic circuits by himself, built a CV control system, and continues to evolve.

'The Afrorack' is Bamanya's debut album, an expression of his unbridled creativity and restless energy.He fully understands that these modules were developed with European and American musical styles in mind, and has adapted his own musical style to tailor his system to his needs. Developed methodology and language.His starting points are often abstractions of acid and techno, but Bamanya incorporates East African rhythms and different scales into these familiar structures, breaking them apart into fractal pieces. "Africa has its own traditional music, so I think we're at a stage where people have new tools that weren't available to them and experiment with them in other contexts," he said in 2019. tells Music.

This attitude is most evident on "African Drum Machine," where Bamanya uses a Euclidean rhythm sequencer to divide his CV signal into complex algorithmic patterns that mimic the polyrhythmic structures present in many East African musical forms. increase.If you don't listen closely, it might sound like 4/4 techno, but if you pay attention, you'll find different layers of drums and jagged oscillators bouncing off each other to create hypnotic new rhythms. Bamanya takes a similar approach on "Why Serious," fuzzing dubby basslines and plasticky percussive sounds to create a frenetic hybrid of abstract electronics and FWD-minded East African club sounds. I'm here.

Bamanya's meditative, bass-heavy compositions recall the psychedelic sounds of Shackleton and Adrian Sherwood's African Head Charge, especially on tracks like "Inspired" and "Last Modular."These two tracks sound decidedly metallic with their lyrgy tone shifts and precise drums, but the producer always has total control while incorporating dangerous eccentricities like cat moans and video game blips. is built byAlso, on beat-less tracks like "Osc" and "Rev," Bamanya makes conscious references to the history of modular music, approaching the cosmic world of Popol Vuh, Klaus Schulze and the Emeralds, with an emphasis on East African music. It is reinforced with a unique rhythmic strength. "The Afrorack" is a long-awaited conversation starter. "

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12 "black vinyl. 

Hakuna Kulala:

"Bamanya is responsible for building Africa's first DIY modular synthesizer, a huge wall of home-made modules and FX units that he dubbed, fittingly, The Afrorack. His reason for embarking on this difficult project was simple: as he began to investigate the world of modular synthesizers, he realized it would be difficult to acquire the technology in Uganda. Not only were there relatively few retailers across the whole of Africa, but the modules were often prohibitively expensive. and buy the required parts locally, so he taught himself electronics and constructed a CV-controlled system that's been evolving ever since.

"The Afrorack" is Bamanya's debut album and displays the producer's untethered creativity and restless energy. He's all too aware that these modules were developed with European and American musical styles in mind, so developed his own musical methodology and language to coax the system into suiting his needs. His starting points are often abstractions of acid and techno, but Bamanya curves East African rhythms and different scales into these familiar structures, splintering them into fractal shards. "I believe Africa is at that point where people are getting new tools which were not available to them, and then experimenting with them in a different context, because Africa has its own traditional music," he told Pan African Music back in 2019.

This attitude is most evident on 'African Drum Machine', where Bamanya uses a Euclidean rhythm sequencer to divide his CV signals into complex algorithmic patterns that mimic the polyrhythmic structures that exist in many East African musical forms. might sound like 4/4 techno, but focus your attention and you'll hear different layers of drums and jagged oscillators bouncing between each other creating hypnotic new rhythms. Bamanya takes a similar approach on 'Why Serious', fuzzing dubby basslines and plasticky percussive sounds into a frenetic hybrid of abstract electronics and fwd-thinking East African club sounds.

At times, Bamanya's meditative, bass-heavy compositions echo the psychedelic sounds of Shackleton or Adrian Sherwood's African Head Charge, particularly on tracks like 'Inspired' and 'Last Modular'. With lysergic tonal shifts and precision-engineered drums, both tracks sound defiantly metallic, but sculpted by a producer who's always completely in control as he introduces risky eccentricities like feline groans and videogame blips. And on less beat-heavy tracks like 'Osc' and 'Rev', Bamanya makes a conscious nod to the history of modular music, approaching the kosmische universe of Popol Vuh, Klaus Schulze and Emeralds, augmenting it with East Africa's idiosyncratic rhythmic intensity. "The Afrorack" is the beginning of a conversation that's been long overdue. "

Artist: Afrorack

Label: Hakuna Kulala