Sensei II

Released

Ghanaian-British producer Karen Nyame (the “KG” stands for “Killa Gyal”) is one of the best producers, not just of the global Afro house explosion, but of electronic music full stop. She had a very slow start, beginning tentatively in the UK funky scene of the late 00s, but finding misogyny pushing her out of the scene – then coming back in glorious style at the end of the 2010s, and only growing in confidence thereafter. This 2021 EP was a key breakthrough, and showcase for her uniquely smooth yet heavy drum sounds and subtly complex programming. Joining the dots between England, the Caribbean, the U.S., and West and South Africa – with vocals in English, Twi, and Zulu – it’s a glorious map of African diasporic influence, and a signpost to the music of the future. It completely rejects any false dichotomy between pop and the underground, succeeding dazzlingly on levels that are both instant and very deep.

Joe Muggs