The Dynamic Afrokinetic

From Afro to Soul, to House and back, New York DJs Chris Annibell and OP! bring their Afrokinetic to Le Bain's skyline, Saturday, February 6th.

LE BAIN: What's Afrokinetic's song to embody 2015?
AFROKINETIC: Figure of Speech by Detroit Swindles. It's an afro-tech house dance-floor burner, which incorporates Nigerian, Afrobeat originator, Fela Kuti samples, that are chopped and flipped in a hip-hop style. A perfect blend of classic west african funk, house music with an updated feel.

OP! and Chris Annibell of Afrokinetic

Could you pick one muse that shows Afrokinetic the way for the new year?’
It is hard to pick just one, but there are two muses that embody the feeling of Afrokinetic, whom all happen to be family and friends. The first one is Deva Mahal. Her voice and spirit come from a deep lineage rooted in African American blues and soul, but borders on the experimental. She has a thunderous voice that supports depth, vulnerability, and triumph that is embodied in her lyrics and sound. She is also direct family to us so we are honored to be connected to her in such an intimate way. 

Deva Mahal Everybody Deserves To Be Free
The second is South African/Canadian singer Zaki Ibrahim. To us, she represents one of the most important voices in music. Her unique background both influenced by her South African heritage and North American lived experiences give her a unique outlook on sound and vocal rhythmic approach. For as deep as she can venture in to poly-rhythmic African beats and stanzas, she can also flow with ease and grace on the most electronic and hip hop driven soundscapes. The timbre of her voice evokes feelings of revolution, change, freedom, and uncompromised self expression. She is a friend of the Afrokinetic family and we support her music as much as possible at the party.
Zaki Ibrahim Draw The Line

What's coming up in 2016?

New original productions, edits and remixes from both of us! First up, Annibell's remix of Peruvian group NOVALIMA’s song, Tinkalamina off their new album, Planetario. This mix will be available on WonderWheel Recordings.

Saturday, February 6th, Le Bain presents 'Afrokinetic' featuring resident DJs Chris Annibell and OP! Doors 10pm. The Standard, High Line. 

Header photo by Neil Aline

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