The beginning, the medium, the end and the infinite

"A fearless debut that promises to keep finding new and imaginative ways to assemble fascinating sonic stories with unique aplomb".

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"This record is a lively collaboration between the Angola-born, Lisbon-based producer Batida, a driving force in the new school of African electronics, and the Angolan rapper Ikonoklasta, best known as political activist Luaty Beirao who was jailed in 2016 for criticising the Angolan regime ... Batida's production mixes anthropological recordings from the 1950s with heavy percussion and sci-fi synths, creating a festive mood, particularly on "Vai De C@n@!", that lends things a delirious atmosphere".

"Lusotronic concept album filled with politics and firing rhythms: IKOQWE are a fictional pair of cosmic outsiders, from a far distant time and space, coming to observe what's happening on Earth. IKOQWE are also the album's two Angolan Afro-futurist creators: Pedro Coquenão (better known as Batida, Angolan-born, Lisbon-raised stellar producer) and Luaty Beirão (better known as Ikonoklasta, Angolan rapper-turned-activist icon). Influences include old school hip-hop; samples of Angolan field recordings by ethnomusicologist Hugh Tracey during the 50s featuring the local variants of thumb pianos; Kraftwerk; vintage Jamaican digital dancehall rhythm sleng teng; kuduro, the hectic Angolan dance form that Batida has wired up to the 21st-century; and the magic of traditional melodies ... The vocals fly out in Umbundu, Portuguese and English (...) [and] engage with neocolonialism, dictatorship, and the climate ... And you can guess what 'Quarentena' deals with".