Martel – Zaire

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( Performed, mixed, produced, and mastered by Martel, 2023)

Zaire drags the listener into the raw Africa, merging tribal instruments and synths with the soundscapes of the Congo Rainforest. What starts as a jab at the Disney-clichés of Afro-House and Tomorrowland’s definitions of the ethnic evolves into a sonic abyss that tackles the wars, the injustice, the colonial hate and the never-ending struggle for a final freedom of existence in a landscape torn apart by the vultures of the world. With thumping grooves and a dense shamanic atmosphere, the constant quotes and samples by warlords and mercenaries alike invoke a documentary-like vibe. The album aims for an assault on the senses that would be both at home at a warehouse rave and a Tutsi circumcision ritual – but its intensity and malariac flashbacks flow best in the moments when the humid techno, the jungle Marxism and the diesel-fuelled black magic converge. Recorded using original samples collected during travels, along with personal equipment, synthesis and other instruments. We’re proud to present this album, never-before-released and exclusively available in Write Brain TV’s growing of underground music.