Review: Keleketla & Coldcut – Keleketla!

Hey music heads, here is today’s review:

Keleketla! is a convergence of British, South African, Nigerian, American, and other musicians that recorded mainly in South Africa and England. The album is produced by the English electronic-music duo Coldcut, who are known for their versatile mixing of genres such as reggae, acid jazz, techno, jungle, and more. Some other notable artists on this record include Tony Aleen on drums, Shabaka Hutchings on the saxophone, Yugen Blakrock on a rap verse, and Matt Black & Jonathan More (Coldcut) on production. This is truly a historic collaboration that is distinct from any exploitation/appropriation, pushing messages in African languages and English by African and Black artists. The album starts with Future Toyi Toyi where the listener is first surrounded by very melodic African chants over many repeated drones and instruments. From the beginning, Coldcut does not hold back with their production, cleverly echoing certain chants or basically using them as instruments. The vocals do not at any point feel like they are a part of a cohesive singing structure, rather there are segments of spoken word and singing that are arranged to create an immersive atmosphere. Here is the analysis for the rest of the songs:

- International Love Affair – This is a very rhythmic composition with the incorporation of a jazz guitar, a synthesizer, and a saxophone in addition to the instruments from the first track. At its core, this track is a jazz improvisation piece with solos from the synthesizer, the flute, and the phenomenally NASTY saxophone. The chorus is the catchy repeating of “International love affair.”

- Shepherd Song – Half of the spoken word at the beginning of this song is in an African language and the other half is in English. The vocalist talks about traveling the world as a shepherd and sings the same words over the length of the cut. There is also a notable bass line towards the beginning.

- Freedom Groove – This song has the most ominous beginning with fluctuating electronic noises and lo-fi screams transitioning into the song with a staccato piano line. The vocalist on this song preaches about his definition of freedom: a natural order. An amazingly creative saxophone improvisation solo is featured around two minutes into the song. The spoken word is extremely inspirational and is only emphasized even more with the instruments and production. Finally, there is a great synth and piano-heavy outro.

- Crystallise – Experimental use of two saxophones introduces an even more cutting-edge rap beat for Blakrock to perform over. She raps purposefully about many joys in life, her values, and her perspective of the world; it is so thoughtful and intriguing that there is no real good way to explain it. You must listen to the verse yourself.

- Broken Light – Broken Light showcases some awfully dreamy vocal harmonies to portray the beauty of describing or being a broken light. The jazz influence continues with synth and guitar improvisation solos in the middle of the song and a flute solo at the end. I love the inclusion of a harp in the outro.

- 5&1 – The track starts with the playing of bongos or a similar percussion instrument accompanying the soulful African singing. The flute also has a niche in this song as well as an unidentifiable string instrument (for me) that comes in after the flute. After three minutes, the groove and vibe of this song completely change to a fast-paced, piano-heavy instrumental with a woman singing illegibly.

- Papua Merdeka – Another jazzy, electronic instrumental backing a different style of singing this time. It is airier and completely in a non-English language (really not sure what it is) for the first half of the song, while the second half is in spoken-word English. The spoken word describes an experience of a man who protested to free his country from Indonesian occupation, but “was arrested, tortured and threatened with death.” He brings awareness for the need of freedom in West Papua. Also, an outstanding sax solo is featured a little more than four minutes into the song.

- Swift Gathering – The only other quiet introduction besides Freedom Groove that features a piano solo over an electronic instrumental. Amazing effects are scattered throughout the final track while incorporating the instruments of flute, different horns, and different strings.

This is my favorite album so far in 2020. The way Coldcut infused all these distinct elements and genres together for a holistic, mesmeric experience flawlessly depicts the skill of the duo. Every feature and every instrument played a necessary role to create Keleketla!, allowing the album to be a genuine collaboration of cultures that is rarely seen in the music scene. All the jazz solos are perfectly chosen for their respective songs, and the improvisation felt like an aspect that ties all the genres together (the other aspect obviously being Coldcut’s mastermind production). The cultural landscape that is this record brings up many themes, experiences, and concepts that are meaningful and important. I truly would not have this album any other way.

Favorite Tracks: International Love Affair and Freedom Groove

Least Favorites: Swift Gathering (if I had to choose)

Amazing Album: 9.5