Lelo

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LVL001: @haganuk - Forward Focus EP - 08 October 2021
https://lnk.to/LVL001EP


Hagan follows up his previous releases on Gobstopper, Jamz Supernova's Future Bounce and Python Syndicate with an EP for new London imprint One Level. Forward Focus finds the British-Ghanaian producer - championed by DJs including Benji B, Jamz Supernova, Mele, Gilles Peterson and Touching Bass - exploring new sounds beyond the Afro-centric Club and Funky rhythms of his work to date. 

Influenced greatly by sounds from across the world, especially in Africa, Forward Focus is a fusion of melodic, rhythmic and arrangement ideas that create a stepping stone toward Hagan's further work to come, evolving his unique take on black electronic music to find a new and distinctive style that knows no boundaries. 

• Osh
On the EP's opening track Hagan's groove sample selection and intricate drum programming draw from his South African House and Brazilian muses. A fine blend of cross cultural sounds and rhythms where infectious bass lines, orchestral strings and marimbas intersect. The key change offers suspense and gives the track space to breathe before the listener is introduced to Osh's final momentous drop.

• Rays Above
With most of the additional percussive drums recorded using a single djembe played to give multiple tones on the hits, ‘Rays Above’ shares a connection to Hagan’s previous production ‘Coastline’. Similar features are present, with both tracks featuring guitarist Alex Blake, saxophonist Kwadwo Poku, and staccato detuned synth chords that altogether serve as a representation of Hagan's usual contrasting rough and smooth flavours.

• Porto’s Groove 
Inspired by a trip to Porto back in 2017, where he played at Enchudafa Hardass Sessions, Hagan captures the energy of his set and the crowd with this flute-led track. On this track we hear Hagan resampling a simple melody by chopping and rearranging the audio, reversing some of the takes to create a reinvigorated and spice-injected instrument. Influenced by Portugal’s vibrant Afro-House scene, the intricate drum programming captures the essence of the country's diverse club culture.

• Mando 
Named after the hometown of Hagan’s great grandmother in Ghana, the track opens up smoothly with ancestral percussion and vocal cuts, followed by vintage strings and rhythmic Highlife guitars. The chorus and tape effects applied on the keys gives the instrument an old and warm feel, reminiscent of Mando village life. 

Tracklist:
01. Osh
02. Rays Above
03. Porto's Groove
04. Mando 

https://onelevel.bandcamp.com 
https://hagan.bandcamp.com

Forward Focus EP

Hagan - Osh

Written, produced and mixed by Toxicated Keys
Mastered by Bertrand Härdi
Artwork Simon Bernheim
℗ & © 2022 PSSNGR

Following the release of "Zaka Zaka" and “Monate Ke Monate”, please welcome From Thutlwane to the World, Toxicated Keys’ debut album.  

If you haven’t yet heard the sound of South-African “Rough Amapiano”, today’s greatest new dance genre, be ready: this LP is a spectacular nine-track showcase of what makes this new trend of Amapiano so vital and exciting. 

Toxicated Keys are two very young producers (18 and 19) from the township of Mamelodi East, in Pretoria, one of South Africa’s biggest cities. They work on FL Studio and received academic training in a music school. These last years, they’ve been building a new style of Amapiano, mostly focused on freaky drum programming and the fascinating sound of the “clunk bass” preset they use heavily.

The two musicians kept some of the basic principles of classic Amapiano : mid-tempo BPMs, syncopated beats and energetic, party-oriented vocals. But they stripped out the warmth and sweetness of the original version and made room for robotic vibes and an eerie feel of never-ending pressure.

This album is clearly not your average electronic/dance album from 2022 : you won’t hear any ambient, lo-fi, deconstructed or downtempo tracks, nor find spoken-word segments or real instruments playing. There’s no manifest interest in trying to explore unexpected genres and repertoires.You probably won’t find the production luxuriously detailed or rich with nuance and depth : this is 100% straight-up dance music made by two teens, physical and functional. But these nine tracks are radically experimental though, thanks to their sheer freshness and boldness.

This is bold and experimental because the cult of clunk bass, log drums and off-beat percussion is a very serious thing here : all the tracks begin with low-key intros that slowly get the floor ready for the moment where the clunk drops. And when it drops, it’s like hearing a robot dancing, humming and building something at the same time. Something from another world lands on the dancefloor, speaking a new language.

Singers and rappers come along, sometimes with full lyrics, but also just to hype up the place, using voices as percussive instruments over the obsessive rhythm section. This is futuristic music made with a very matter-of-fact attitude, verging on aural abstraction while staying fun and popular. And we bet you won’t hear better dance tunes this year.

Style-wise, the tracks navigate from deep house to pure mental techno and crypto-soulful vibes, from Ibiza-ish big room anthems to echoes of older South-African genres. But all these influences are never standing on their own : they always fuse and blend into the Rough Amapiano groove. This is almost like a musical monster, eating and digesting every external reference to remodel it in its very own machine.

So please, before everyone plays it, do pay attention to the world’s most thrilling music right now, and move your body and soul to the sound of Toxicated Keys.  

Etienne Menu

Toxicated Keys - Monate Ke Monate

Lego (XXLPIPE)

WHAT I SAW

Release Date 9 Mai 2025

TESOROX
https://multy.me/gOPvk
https://multy.me/SGXns 
https://multy.me/Zk4zH

Phonkhell
https://www.youtube.com/@phonkhellrecords

TESOROX - VIBRACAO [Slowed]

Hakuna Kulala

PSSNGЯ is a record label, dedicated to producing and documenting electronic music avant-gardes and dance cultures. It’s coming from the future, and this is now out on PSSNGЯ.

Toxicated Keys - Monate Ke Monate

PSSNGЯ

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