Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone 🔊 (BBC 6 Music) - 5

DUOII

Future Strings (feat. Solistensemble Kaleidoskop)

The Heart of the Anchoress

This City Had A Wall

Album of the Week - Louder Than War
Meat of the Week - Huey Morgan Show, BBC Radio 6 Music

“Filled with energy, spontaneity, and freedom” Twisted Soul
"Deep rhythm and melodic immediacy" Amazing Radio
"A beautiful dance of butterflies and notes in the air" Rodie Music

New London based quartet Qwalia, led by drummer Yusuf Ahmed, offer a plethora of influences whilst remaining resolutely itself. Assembled from musicians who play with David Byrne, Joy Crookes, Nubiyan Twist, Frank Ocean, Jordan Rakei, Sampha, Cat Stevens and more; Yusuf is joined by Tal Janes on guitars and vocals, Ben Reed on bass and keyboardist Joseph Costi.

The name Qwalia stems from the same sounding word Qualia, a philosophy of mind with the property of being an ineffable experience. Qwalia’s music is an instinctive aural expression of how things seemed in the moment of creation.

In April ‘21, Qwalia spent two days recording completely improvised music at the Fish Factory in North West London. There was no plan or preconceived idea of what the music should sound like or what was going to happen.

“We set up altogether in one room, dimmed the lights, pressed record and just played,” says Yusuf. “We came away with over 13 hours of music, which was consolidated into three albums worth of material. The final record is mainly a result of pulling faders up or down to create space and structure out of what was already there from the live recording. The production process felt akin to a sculptor chipping away excess stone to reveal a statue that was already there, and occasionally putting some makeup on it!”

The band members are Pakistani, Italian, Venezuelan, Jewish and English. A reflection of the fact that cultural categories are infinite; Qwalia’s music unconsciously explores identity, exposing what this can mean. Or perhaps that it doesn’t mean anything at all.

Qwalia - Haven't You Heard

The Restless Cyclops

The Musical / Hey Bog

The Musical

Flow

there is always a girl with a secret

Momentaufnahme I

Weird Sounds Sound Bizarre

I'm the One

Neu!

Light In The Sky - Introducing... Steve Hillage

Saucer Surfing

Pampered Menial

Late November

On The Corner

Black Satin

L'apprendista

Buon lavoro!

Furi (Original Game Soundtrack)

A Monster

Throbbing Gristle's Greatest Hits

Hot on the Heels of Love (Remastered)

Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill

Tidal Wave

Wind and Snow

Disengaged

Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping

Stuart Maconie's Freak Zone 🔊 (BBC 6 Music) - 5

Asmodeus Phot