Afrosideral - Ode Ni Ire (feat. Nickodemus)

Song of the Day
Today's Song of the Day — as chosen by DJ Chilly, DJ Miss Ashley, DJ Riz, Gabriel Teodros, and OC Notes as part of KEXP’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day programming — is "Ode Ni Ire (feat. Nickodemus)" by Afrosideral, from the 2019 album El Olimpo de los Orishas on Wonderwheel Records.
photo by helman bejerano
written by Janice Headley

Afrosideral is a new project from Cuban producer Kumar Sublevao Beat, and on his latest LP El Olimpo de los Orishas, he pays homage to Yorùbá people, an African ethnic group that inhabits western Africa. He explained to Jazziz Magazine that he was inspired by the Orishas, "deities of the Yoruba people that rule over the forces of nature and the endeavors of humanity."

On today's Song of the Day, he teams up with New York-based DJ/producer Nickodemus. He explains the track to Jazziz Magazine:

This means “fortune seeker.” This track is a turning point on the album, leaning into heavier house sounds that brings us into the futuristic mountains of Oshosi – master of birds, the hunter, the wizard, member of the Odde Orishas, the warriors.

This is a song from the Iyesá nation to Oshosi – one that’s not very well-known on the islands, but one that stands out because of its various unusual elements – the voices of the Matanza province in Cuba, that are typical of the Afrocuban traditional singing. It’s on this track that the collaboration with Nickodemus (co-producer of the album) shines through as well, given the way the bass launches us directly onto the dancefloor, like a bow and arrow. 

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