A sprawling 19-track movement of textures, contorted ambient spaces and beautifully crafted open-ended melodic performances. Space Afrika have delicately created a vulnerable sonic tapestry that your senses believe to be almost entirely organic.
I’m going to go ahead and say it — Album Of The Year!
Manchester duo Joshua Inyang and Joshua Reid (aka Space Afrika) release their enthralling exploratory LP Honest Labour on Dais Records. A sprawling 19-track movement of textures, contorted ambient spaces and beautifully crafted open-ended melodic performances. Space Afrika have delicately created a vulnerable sonic tapestry that your senses believe to be almost entirely organic—yet there is a binding hint to something more cosmic in the air. At times you feel you can touch the sound as its presence has transported you to a location that is all too familiar, yet disconcerting for reasons unknown; a soft gliding mixture from dreams to memories and euphoria to melancholy.
Honest Labour opens with “yyyyyy2222,” a dazzling entry into this stargate of an LP. Each continuing track rolls into emotive carrying sentiments as they combine found sound and overall haze to generate a timeless echo as the dust crackles on top of these nocturnal loops and almost shoegaze fuzz and chorus dynamics.
Vocal performances are also a keen tie into what makes this release particularly unique.
Selections such as “Indigo Grit ft. guest” and “Rings ft. guest,” display an eerie comfort which is reminiscent of Queenadreena. The clouded environments in these ethereal compositions also carries definition on tracks such as “U ft. kinseyLloyd” with its slow groove yet poignant stances. Other highlight moments are “Like Orchids” and “With Your Touch” that feel like lost field recordings from a time lesser remembered.
For those unfamiliar with Space Afrika, I implore you to take a dive into their back catalogue. 2020 saw the touching release of hybtwibt?—which feels very much like the precursor to Honest Labour. Certainly worth listening to if you missed it.
This review may be a light read, but what Space Afrika demonstrate on this instant classic is beyond words—go see for yourself! For fans of Andy Stott, Burial, Odd Nosdam and Team Sleep.
Honest Labour is available on Dais. [Bandcamp]
