There are plenty of great records from early 2020s UK showing how amapiano and Afro-house has settled into the dance music vocabulary. But none come close to this for showing the greater possibilities yet to be mined. Ghanaian-Brit producer and instrumentalist Hagan is able to bring together pan-African sounds, from ancient kora (harp) to the poppiest modern R&B/dancehall-indebted Afro-swing, with rich internationalist neo soul and jazz playing, all with that amapiano pulse and deep bass underpinning it. This album is a masterpiece, and together with his enduringly beloved remix of Muva of Earth’s Erykah Badu-ish “High” which he released in the same summer of 2022 served as the announcement of a world-class talent reaching maturity.

Before his debut album Hagan was known for his dancefloor bangers that found their intensity in intricate percussion and a girthy basslines, but right from the offset it’s clear that he’s chosen a different approach on Textures. The drums and bass are still there, but the songs are more expansive and melodic. Opener “Kora Song (Sonix)” is centered around Jali Bakary Konteh’s delicate kora, while “Pray for Me” is a jazzy cut that blends piano, djembe drums, and London’s Ayeisha Raquel airy vocals. The recording of Hagan’s grandmother at the end is one of many personal and organic moments on this record, which was made following Hagan’s travels through Ghana, Brazil, Nigeria and South Africa. The Ghanaian British producer explores ideas of diaspora and multiple identities while delving into his own roots, weaving in several field recordings into his tracks, like jama (indigenous GA music usually sang in groups) samples on “Royal Jama,” which is powered by a hefty highlife section.