Sinkane
City Slang is happy to announce the signing of NY-based Sinkane, the multi-dimensional music project from Ahmad Gallab. ‘Mars’ is dense with deep, polyrhythmic grooves that refer as much to early 70’s underground soul as it does back to Sudan, Gallab’s home country.
On another level, it's a 21st century party record that acknowledges the international musical village in which we all now live. The music of ‘MARS’ swoons with its kinetic catchiness, but at its core the music enclosed is Gallab’s way of working through a uniquely American story.
Gallab is known in musician circles for having been the touring multi-instrumentalist for Of Montreal, Caribou, Born Ruffians and Eleanor Friedberger, but he didn’t start there. Gallab's family left Sudan when he was a boy, immigrated to the US and moved all over the country. He went to high school in Kent, Ohio. There, he found his first musical community in the town's unsung but thriving post-hardcore scene
The name Sinkane comes from his mishearing of the name Joseph Cinqué, the man who led the Amistad Rebellion. During J. Ivy's verse on Kanye West's ‘Never Let Me Down’ Gallab misheard "Cinqué" as "Sinkane".
"I always figured it was some monolithic African god like Shaka Zulu or something." He soon figured out the mistake, but the chance mythology hung around, and the name stuck.
In addition to producing ‘MARS’, Gallab is a virtual one-man band, playing at least four instruments on every track.
He also enlists a community of top-flight musicians, a screaming guitar solo from George Lewis Jr. of Twin Shadow, as well as contributions from Ira Wolf Tuton (Yeasayer), Oliver Chapoy (Shai Halud), Roberto Lange (Savath & Savathas, Helado Negro), members of Afrobeat band Nomo, and saxophonist/flautist Casey Benjamin aka stutzmcgee.
The live band consists of Gallab on guitar, keys and vocals, Jason 'Jaytram' Trammell on drums and vocals, Mikey Freedom Hart on guitar, keys and vocals, and Mike Montgomery on bass and vocals. After playing Crossing Brooklyn Ferry curated by the National, the band set up shop through an August residency at Zebulon in Brooklyn.
They have put together a growing, faithful following built from the ground up. A recent performance at AfroPunk Festival is perhaps a sign of bigger things to come for the band. Stay tuned for tour dates.
'Mars' Track Listing:
1. Runnin'
2. Jeeper Creeper
3. Lady C'mon
4. Making Time
5. Warm Spell
6. Love Sick
7. Mars
8. Caparundi