New XL signings Ibeyi have dropped their Richard Russell-produced debut and an accompanying clip courtesy of label associate (and founder of the Hot Charity imprint) Jamie-James Medina.
Twins Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Díaz are the daughters of Anga Díaz the Cuban percussionist who has played with the likes of Buena Vista Social Club and Afro-Cuban All Stars. ‘Ibeyi’ (pronounced ‘ee-bey-ee’) translates as ‘twins’ in the language of the Yoruba people, whose music was transplanted from West Africa to Cuba with the 16th-century slave trade.
With Russell on board, the duo make a darker and more layered sound than their heritage might suggest and “Oya” gets under the skin with a gentle relentlessness that draws Yoruba percussion and time signatures through Russell’s distinctive filter. It’s minimally expansive - or maybe expansively minimal - but satisfying on a sublime level.
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