Nick Bollinger reviews an urban 21st century set with deep Yoruban roots, by Cuban-Venezuelan twins Naomi and Lisa-Kainde Diaz.
Ibeyi Photo: supplied
It’s just a little over two years since the debut of Ibeyi (pronounced e-bay-e): a pair of young Cuban-Venezuelan sisters with deep musical roots. That first album was very good, but if you haven’t heard it you might as well start with their new one, because it’s even better.
Ash Photo: supplied
Ibeyi are Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz, twin daughters of a French-Venezuelan mother and Cuban father. Their father was the late Anga Diaz, a master percussionist steeped in the Yoruban drumming traditions brought to Cuba by West African slaves. But it was their mother who, after their father’s death in 2005, initiated the twins into the Yoruba culture, through ceremonial songs and dances. And traces of that culture underpin the whole of this album.
In a track like ‘Away Away’, the new album’s first single, the sisters drape their voices over a deep drumbeat that carries echoes of ancient rites. And yet there’s much about this music that lives in the present, from the electronic sampling to the sporadic use of Autotune - applied as an effect, not because these sisters have any problem with pitch; in fact theirs would seem to be damn near perfect.
The Yoruba roots may run deep, but there’s no question that this is music of the present day. The production has a bright digital sheen, while the songs reflect an urban 21st century. Take ‘Deathless’: a modern-day tale of racial harassment, clearly drawn from experience, with musician-of-the-moment Kamasi Washington on saxophone weaving his own bop commentary around the sisters’ voices.
It’s not the only song here where Ibeyi make a stand for civil rights, both as African descendants and as women. The inspirational message of ‘No Man Is Big Enough For My Arms’ is courtesy of Michelle Obama, and Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé are surely the kind of “smart, powerful, creative, accomplished young women” she had in mind.
While beats play a part in these tracks – sometimes the backing consists of almost nothing but beats – it could hardly be described as a dance record. Ibeyi lean towards slower tempos, which makes their music somewhat solemn, but also provides the space for them to stretch out in their vocals. The result is a kind of naked soul music, where the voice has nowhere to hide, and this vulnerability makes the performances all the more powerful.
Some credit must go to producer Richard Russell who signed Ibeyi to his XL Recordings label when they were still in their teens, and encouraged them to draw on their unique heritage rather than mould their talents around more conventional models. The sisters have taken that encouragement and run with it and at just 22 have developed a musical identity that’s rich in tradition yet open and looking to the future.
Ash is available on XL Recordings.
