Lamin Fofana - It's Only A Matter of Acceleration Now

14 Oct

Bringing sci-fi, fantasy and the black consciousness into electronic music, Lamin Fofana shares the spirit of early techno and Electro pioneers. Musicians like Jeff Mills and Drexcyia have long been lorded for popularised Afro-futuristic art forms from an African-American point of view. They would incorporate sounds of factories and infrastructure, intertwining that with black voices and experience, whereas Lamin Fofana comes from the other side of that same coin. Fofana grew up in Africa. His heritage is entwined with African music and culture. Fofana's Afrofuturistic lens comes from a place away from the Western world. It is refreshing and playful and brings something new. Whether Fofana has been applying his trade to the New York music scene with his label Sci-Fi & Fantasy or his self-release platform Black Studies, he's been putting in work. This latest release on The Trilogy Tapes, It's Only A Matter of Acceleration Now (2023), is afro-futuristic blender dancehall, techno and experimental music making.

Straight-up bounce from Lamin Fofana as he explodes out the gates. Glitched beats and stunningly soulful synths dominate the sonic pallet on 'It's Only A Matter of Acceleration Now'. Fofana implores you to grab on and hold tight as the deceptively easy-going track takes you for a ride. The bulk of energy comes from the snappy kick and hat pattern. Urgency is baked into the groove, juxtaposed with wooden chimes that resonate with calming energy. And that bassline. Wow. Lamin Fofana knocks it out of the park with this excitant melodic acid line. Not steering too far into the swamp but applying that unmistakable bounce. 'Lines And Speed Decay In My Voice' brings stripped-back dancehall flavours, a total switch up from what came before. Lamin Fofana has curated this sound so distinctly that while it couldn't be further rhythmically, sonically, it's right next door. The drums have a subtle phased texture that brings them alive. Minimalist melodies tap away in the background while Fofana's use of glitched vocals becomes more of a mainstay. 'Alter-destiny' is one for the Sci-Fi fans. This cosmic Afro epic plays as a stark cyber-punk warning, complete with massive 80's synths and bass pulse big enough to make you question your existence. It catalogues the end of days, "there's not long left for this planet," Simultaneously injecting commentaries on race relations. This one will stick out for the culture fans, showing Lamin Fofana's distinct and powerful message.

His latest outing on The Trilogy Tapes may only be three tracks, but it speaks volumes for where electronic music could go. With a back catalogue consisting of album after album, we're witnessing an artist at the peak of their powers with a clear and concise artistic goal. Looking outside of the norms of Eurocentric worldviews and to broader horizons clearly brings out the best.

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