BOM Nation was started by Ben Davis (Flash Atkins / Paper Recordings) and Tom Lonsborough (2 Billion Beats) in 2021 as a multi-cultural project inspired by African music in all its many forms.
I have been endlessly fascinated by the music coming out the continent and its diaspora, exploring its huge diversity and roots. More recently, a new generation of electronic artists has been spreading into a Western club culture that has been more open to sounds from outside of Europe and South America. Part of that has been a wonderful cross-pollination, with dancefloor influences going both ways. Arguably kick-started by Africa Express, acts such as Enanga Vision, Susso, Msafiri Zawose, Onipa, Owiny Sigoma Band, Les Mamans Du Congo, Diron Animal, DJ Spoko (the list is endless) have been forging new paths led by the astonishing Nyege Nyege Tapes. As BOM Nation, we felt we could offer something to the conversation in a fertile area for creativity and originality, freeing ourselves from the conventions of the usual house and disco that have always been our sweet spot.
Our first EP Green Fuzz was released in 2021, followed by Wakanda Life the following year, both of which are more sample based. But we thought spreading our wings with an album and getting more people involved would be good. I did a podcast with Chris Kirkley from Sahel Sounds who put me in touch with Mali’s Luka Productions, with whom we collaborated on two tracks )more of which below). Closer to home, Felix Ngindu moved from DRC to the UK 25 years ago, contributed to a track, plus London cosmic poet Sirius Rush bought his magic.
The project continues to evolve and we have started to take it out live with Felix and Sirius. It now feels very much like a band so watch this space!
Here is some of the music that inspired Àşę.
Ben
Fela Kuti & Tony Allen
Ground zero.
Amadou Sangare dit Barry – L’Histoire de Moussa Tchefari Pere de Sabally
Hailing from Mali and posted on Awesome Tapes From Africa, this is just a stripped back, bluesy riff with some delicate ngoni playing as a story is told in Bambari (possibly) with a smattering of backing vocals. It goes on for an hour and seven minutes and when it finishes, you want it to put it on again. Despite being wildly different, it reminds me of Manuel Göttsching’s E2-E4, hypnotising you into a dream state.
I have used L’Histoire de Moussa Tchefari countless times to kick an idea off, and it was the first loop that got the album’s Ngoso Musiki going.
Alfa Kat & TidoSoul – Sip Sip
Taken from the excellent NTS compilation, Ampiano Now. This is a hybrid of deep house, bass and techno, and a brilliant example of how South African electronic music has evolved. Sutuka is our take on ampiano that keeps some of the elements, but we can’t help but bring our past to the production. Hopefully it’s a bit different and fresh.
Shangaan Electro
Shangaan Electro is one of those genres that shouldn’t really work but does, brilliantly. For Shangaan Shake, we tried to make it quite lo-fi with a cheap 80s synth feel, but it ended up going more in a more techno direction. We wanted it to be super fast, have loads of energy and be slightly mental, which is pretty much all the required elements.
We’re going to start playing it live so it’s going to put Felix through his paces on the jembe!
Ennanga Vision & Msafiri Zawose
Two really good examples of traditional African music using post acid house elements and fusing them into a new sound. The Ennanga Vision album is super psychedelic and I’d love to hear more from them, but they seem to have gone dormant.
Nyege Nyege
https://nyegenyegetapes.bandcamp.com/
An unbelievable label that is constantly pushing the envelope. Wide-ranging and experimental, it is a constant inspiration. A live gig at their festival in Kampala is our Everest. I know someone who knows someone, so you never know!
Bantou Mentale & Nihiloxica
Is it dubstep, techno, bass? All of these things and more! Simple and super heavy, Bantou Mentale absolutely nails it! Nihiloxica, who formed at the Nyege Nyege Festival hit the same buttons and consist of UK electronic musicians pq and Spooky-J with Bugandan percussion collective Nilotika Cultural Ensemble. I saw them at WOMAD and if there had been a roof, the bass alone would have brought it down. They were super intense and heavy as f**k, heading into The Comet Is Coming and Sons of Kemet territory.
Intombi Zephepha – Ingoina Le Nyathi
Has there ever been a more joyful music out of hardship than township jive, mbaqanga and chimurenga? Taken from the first volume of the Strut compilation series, Next Stop Soweto is a great place to start to get started. The Bhundu Boys were my gateway drug to this style of music; John Peel famously broke down in tears the first time he saw the band perform live, which says it all really.
Ingoina Le Nyathi was the original template for Funk, Jive and Break before it went 2-step, but you can still hear it in there.
King Sunny Adé – Synchro System
One of the titans of Nigerian music. I don’t think there has been a bar DJ set when I haven’t played the original of this. Unbelievably funky psychedelic afrobeat and catchy as all hell, it mixes up of all sorts of different sounds to come up with something that is totally of itself.
Sory Bamba – Bayadjourou
Very raw and a total vibe. I had a dyed-in-the-wool indie kid coming up to the decks to ask what it was at a recent gig. The organ riff is another one that has started loads of ideas in the studio, including BOM Nation’s Ashe Rising from our second EP, Wakanda Life.
Sahel Sounds
An amazing label and part of the BOM Nation story. As well as providing inspiration, label boss Chris Kirkley put me in touch with Mali’s Luka Productions, who did a vocal and a rap, knocking it out of the park on each. We were totally buzzing to be working with someone from Mali, and I think he was the same about working with us in the North of England, which gets to the nub of what we want the band to be. Hopefully, it’s the start of an ongoing collaborative relationship. However, it’s testing my pretty rubbish French to the max when we chat!