bass transmissions from lagos via london

coldwave & synthpop 12x12 inch lp!

... phat afro / disco performance

the finnish tropical troupe maajo is back with a two-track ep. in contrast to the afro-balearic sound of their 2016 debut tropic of tulli, the new defo / mansaba ep is a step in a deeper and sometimes darker direction. defo kicks off the ep with a driving 5/4 rhythm. reminiscent of mark ernestus’ ndagga sounds, it is a tribal tune with maajo’s signature ethereal disco elements. trevor deep jr.’s version straightens out the original’s unconventional time signature and focuses on a four-to-four beat and plenty of berliner dub. the remix is a solid dancefloor tool, traversing the original like a train making its way through a dark rainforest. the b-side is entirely covered by mansaba, a 14-minute long journey into inwards. this studio jam, recorded largely live, is a wild mixture of polyrhythmic sequences, krautrock guitar licks, equatorial forest percussion and violin synths. the trip starts slow and soothing, sneakily picks up pace and keeps grow and growing, eventually exploding into a full-on tribal dance.

21st century urban electric gospel reggae. warning: this tune might make you believe in god...johndelahughes, discogs

originally released in october 2016 - maajo marked the inauguration of a new imprint: queen nanny. spread across 4 sides of vinyl, the lp was a meandering journey that saw a newly formed finnish five-piece expand and develop a canon set by herman prime’s ep under the same title that was released via seagull in 2015.
following it’s warm reception, queen nanny returns with an all-star remix package that sees luke vibert, call super and dengue dengue dengue all interpret selections from the original album. altogether a tougher and more contorted collection of music - the remixes effectively pull maajo out of it’s habitual home-listening environment and drop it directly on the dancefloor to stunning effect.