ALBUM OF THE MONTH:
EGOLI BY AFRICA EXPRESS
There are numerous reasons why you
should listen to Africa Express’ new album,
EGOLI. As with all the organisation’s past
projects, the idea behind this record is a
really cool one: through collaborations with
such high-profile Western artists as Damon
Albarn, Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys or
Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, Africa Express
continue their mission of showcasing the
vibrant and varied African music scene, this
time travelling to South Africa (“eGoli” is the
alternative Zulu name for Johannesburg) for seven days to record music with the
local artists.
And the result is as pleasantly surprising and fresh as you’d expect. Spanning
18 diverse tracks, EGOLI joyfully toys with sunny reggae motifs, gets down and
dirty for some hefty hip hop beats and boogies down to clubby electro numbers
that give off strong Noughties’ Kylie Minogue vibes. It’s a clubby, warm collection
of catchy ditties that shine a new light on traditional African folk music and are
bound to get you moving your hips.
Key tracks: “Johannesburg”, “Become the Tiger”, “Africa to the World”
by Eva Mackevic
WATCHING: RACE ACROSS THE
WORLD: BBC TWO A high
stakes competition where
teams start in London and race
by road and rail to Singapore for
a cash prize of £10,000—I found
it to be a thrilling watch.
READING: ANGELS AND DEMONS BY
DAN BROWN it’s the prequel to his
bestseller The Da Vinci Code, which is
one of my favourite thrillers.
MUSIC
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ONLINE: HOUZZ An interior
design app that gives
examples of beautifully put-
together decor and room
ideas—a perfect source of
creative inspiration.LISTENING: SONGS OF INNOCENCE
BY U2 My favourite album and
collection of old-school songs. It has
deep and meaningful lyrics mixed
with a pacy, upbeat soundtrack.READER RADAR: JUDE SHAYEB, STUDENT AND WRITER