Music
2025
Ibibio Sound Machine
Afrofuturistic disco ball sparkles even when it rains
It's actually a shame that the '12-inch version' is more or less extinct. The tracks on Ibibio Sound Machine's latest album Pull the Rope (2024) would still be captivating for every second, even if they lasted ten minutes. Fortunately, the London collective keeps other disco traditions alive. Disco, mind you, in its West African style, extending from Kiki Gyan and William Onyeabor, but cast in a super-tight, retrofuturistic production. Ibibio sets in motion: dancing happens no matter what, but if possible, we also move together towards a hopeful future, beat by beat. That's what the rhythmic chants of singer Eno Williams ensure.
