Even voorstellen – Ibibio Sound Machine – Pull the rope
IBIBIO SOUND MACHINE “Pull The Rope” 03/05 (merge/konkurrent)
‘Got To Be Who U Are’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hixYQg5dEoc
“mama say” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtdhHQcrDlY
Ibibio Sound Machine’s new single ‘Got to Be Who U Are’ quite literally globetrots, name-checking locales across the world that would feel disparate were it not for how well-travelled the band are. Kicking off with muted stabs and a breathy vocal, the song quickly transforms into an uplifting and expansive disco track with a soaring melody that takes the listener on a joyous quest for self-love.
The band explain that ‘Got To Be Who U Are’ is “about the idea that what brings us together is stronger than what separates us. No matter where we may go, we will always carry the essence of who we are in our hearts, and yet the places and things that separate us are not as important as we may be led to believe. Be happy and proud of who or what you are. Musically, the track begins by stating its message over a traditional African mbira part and then drops into a similar vocal except now over more of an electronic dance vibe which is meant to have an uplifting tone to it to carry along the message that we may be in Europe, Africa or America, but a simple sound or thought can instantly connect us. The places mentioned in the chorus “Surulere, Isale Eko, Ikoyi, Yaba” are all areas in Lagos, Nigeria where Eno grew up. The different parts of the music are connected even though they are using totally different sounds, symbolising movement of people across the world and the fundamental connection between places and people no matter where one may be.”
‘Pull the Rope’, the new record by Ibibio Sound Machine, casts the Eno Williams and Max Grunhard-led outfit in a new light. The hope, joy, and sexiness of their music remains, but, further honing the edge of their acclaimed 2022 album ‘Electricity’, the connection they aim to foster has shifted venues, from the sunny buoyancy of a sunlit festival to a sweat-soaked, all-night dance club. The atmosphere has changed, but you’re still having the time of your life.
Williams and Grunhard attribute this shift to a matter of collaborators, recording Pull the Rope with Sheffield-based producer Ross Orton (Arctic Monkeys, M.I.A.) over the course of two weeks. The way the pair wrote songs changed significantly — rather than Eno penning lyrics to music generated by Max and company’s jamming, Orton started with Eno and Max writing together before adding the band. With less time in the studio and a new way of considering how they built songs, the duo found making decisions about Pull the Rope’s sound quicker and more instinctual than before.
In melding their songwriting process, Grunhard and Williams have, impossibly, pulled the trick of making Ibibio Sound Machine a tighter band than ever before, building out from their core in a way that highlights the electrifying group of musicians they play with. Rather than recording with the full band in the room, Pull the Rope was sculpted, elements added and shaped by Grunhard, Williams, and Orton along the way.
The message in their fantastic new album ‘Pull the Rope’, is hope in darkness, bliss in spite of bleakness. Once again, Ibibio Sound Machine are here to provide the soundtrack to the best night of your life, and the better world to come.
1. Pull The Rope, 2. Got To Be Who U Are, 3. Fire, 4. Them Say, 5. Political Incorrect, 6. Mama Say, 7. Let My Yes Be Yes, 8. Touch The Ceiling, 9. Far Away, 10. Dance In The Rain