After a whirlwind year of music in 2016, I thought music nerds would get a chance to take a breather from the plethora of good music. But Brooklyn-based Sinkane had other ideas with the February release of Life and Livin It. Circling back to the rhythms that garnered his devout fanbase, Ahmed Gallab sounds more self-assured and open than he ever has before. While on tour in New Zealand, I got to chat with Sinkane about the new album, being an African musician in the time of Black Lives Matter, and what exactly him and Toro y Moi were doing together on Instagram. Here are 10 things you should know about Sinkane.
Creating His Signature Sound Led Sinkane on the Path of Self-Discovery
Sinkane’s musical production is a style all its own. Being as much traditional East African as it is American pop, it was a process to create. “It's taken me six records to get the sound that I have now cultivated," he explains. "I still feel like I'm working on it, too. It's been very exciting and I've learned a lot about myself along the way.”
Sinkane Used His Residency at Union Pool in Brooklyn as Testing Ground for New Material
“Our fans are our family," he gushes, "so to share new music with them before it was recorded made sense to me. There were songs that we played that I wasn't sure about. Some that I thought were too corny or maybe the grooves weren't that good. Our fans are honest and seeing their reactions every night helped give me the confidence to go through with some of the tracks that I was unsure of. Also, we had the opportunity to jam with some of our best friends. Members of Holy Ghost!, Delicate Steve, Luca Benadetti, Mikey Freedom Hart. So many buddies! It was so much fun!”
Album Favorite, “Fire,” Took Three Years to Complete
A nod to Afro-rock bands The Funkees and The Hygrades, “Fire” was no breeze in the studio. “The song is about religion, so it was a bit tough for me to write. It was hard for me to be vulnerable like that. But, ultimately, the song called the shots. It's hard to explain but it just wouldn't let go until it was ready.” I guess the saying is true: pressure does make diamonds.
In “Uh Huh” Sinkane Makes It Clear That America’s Never Had a Golden Age
“I think that people need to realize that life has always been tough. Every generation has had a struggle that's defined them. Civil Rights, Women's Liberation Movement, Inflation, AIDS, crack, Vietnam, The Great Depression, Slavery, Civil War. There have always been struggles," Sinkane says, ‘but what's important to understand about this is that we're still alive and the reason for that is the power of positivity. People have stayed positive through these tough times and it has helped them persevere. In order to be truly positive you need to be realistic. Shit sucks right now but, you know what? It's always sucked! Let's keep our heads up and do the best we can to make things better.”
Outside of Work with Other Indie Bands and His Own Project, Sinkane Also Hops In the DJ Booth
Sinkane’s sets are all about making the crowd feel good and nothing does that better than nostalgia. “I am really good at playing songs that everybody knows. Especially Clinton-Era top 40 MTV R&B, Rap and Pop hits.” I’d kill for an N*Sync/Backstreet mash-up right now!
Sinkane Loves Toro y Moi’s 'What For' Album Just As Much As We Do
The internet (and my groupchat) went berserk when a picture went up of Sinkane and Toro y Moi together. Were they releasing a project? Going on tour? “He's a good friend and has been a big supporter of Sinkane. He took us on tour once and we love to geek out about music from time to time. We haven't done anything yet, but I'm sure it'll happen in the future sometime.” The future is five minutes from now, so do these two wanna just take my pre-sale money now?
Anthony Bourdain Might Want to Hold on to His Job Tight
Having lived in various cities and traveled all over the world, Sinkane says that he doesn’t feel local — by Taiye Selasi’s definition — anywhere, but he sure knows where to eat. Take notes people!
- Brassica — Columbus, OH
- Dishoom — London
- The Federal Store — New Plymouth, NZ
- Cera 23 — Barcelona
- Cordobar — Berlin
- El Reyes Deli — Brooklyn (it’s all about the tacos)
Sinkane Isn’t the Only Sudanese Artist We Should Be Obsessing Over
After reading a roundtable Sinkane had done with Sudanese artists in Brooklyn over the summer, I was dying to add more to my iTunes. He suggests Oddisee, Sharhabil, Sayed Khalifa, Al-Bilabil, El Sarah, Sufyan.
There’s No Need for Sinkane to Negotiate Balancing His Sudanese Origin with His Contemporary Americanness
“I've just accepted both worlds as parts of my identity. Neither of them identify me holistically. They just help make up what people see and hear of me. There are many other elements too. My music is me in my most honest state. Everything that's in the music is part of my identity. All of the flubs too.”
Black Twitter Holds Celebs and Artists to, Easily, the World’s Highest Standard — Sinkane is By No Means Worried
“Sinkane is for everybody. It's not just for black people or children of the second generation diaspora. Although, I want to connect with people who share my struggle, I am not closing the door to anyone else who relates to my music or message. My shows are different than most because there isn't just one kind of person there. There might be loads of white folks there but they aren't all the same kind of people. Everybody is different and colorful and unique," he expresses.
"What I aim to do is create a safe place for people to come and be themselves. People from all over the world who share the belief that love, hope and positive energy can yield the best results in us as human beings and, in turn, influence the world to become a better place.”
Learn more fun facts about your favorite up-and-coming artists by visiting our 10 Things page.
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