SINKANE announces new album 'Life & Livin' It' for Feb 10 on City Slang. New video & live dates!


“Kulu shi tamaam/We’re all gonna be alright” is Ahmed Gallab's message on poignant new single. Album & live date details enclosed!

Photo Credit: Adam Tetzloff

Today Sinkane has confirmed details of his new studio album ‘Life & Livin’ It’, set for release on February 10th, 2017 worldwide via City Slang. The news comes with a new single, accompanying video and worldwide tour dates.
 
In single U’HuhSinkane shares a much-needed dose of optimism, repeating the refrain “We’re all gonna be alright / Kulu shi tamaam”.
 
""Kulu shi tamaam" is an Arabic phrase meaning "Everything is great!" Ahmed Gallab explains. “Times are tough. Struggles have always existed in our lives. But hope, love and the power of positivity help us stay alive. It is whatinspires me to wake up in the morning, make music, and, ultimately, connect with people.
 
To my sisters who ache, my brothers losing strength: we don't need to be saved. We'll make our own way. Kulu shi tamaam! As long as we try we're all going to be alright!
 
The video for U’Huh is a powerful celebration of perseverance and was shot at Brooklyn’s Union Pool, with additional footage shot at Lowlands. “The timeless nature of the song made it feel like a period piece was appropriate visual accompaniment. The newsreels on TV depict social unrest in Detroit and Newark in 1967,” said director Nick Bentgen. “This song moved me. We’re all gonna be alright." 
 
Watch the video for “U’Huh” here: https://youtu.be/LSgmgkyhPZ4
 
Sinkane music — every note of it — comes straight out of a generosity of spirit. Never has that spirit been on more vivid display than on the uplifting new album, ‘Life & Livin’ It.’ This is feel-good music for trying times, celebrating what makes life good without ignoring what makes it hard.
 
Recorded at Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Texas, and once again produced by Ahmed Gallab with lyrics and help from longtime collaborator Greg Lofaro, ‘Life & Livin’ It’ draws from the best elements of Sinkane’s previous records: the slinky funk and soul grooves are there, so are the sparkling melodies with roots in sub-Saharan Africa. With basic tracking played together live, the fun and immediacy of Sinkane’s live show is a central feeling of the recordings. The four members of Sinkane - Ish Montgomery (bass), Jason Trammell (drums), Jonny Lam (guitar), and now joined by Amanda Khiri (vocals) and Elenna Canlas (keys and vocals) - sang and play additional parts on every song, with Trammell contributing lyrics to “Theme from Life & Livin’ It,” and Lam helping with arrangements. Daptone recording artists Antibalas contributed horns.
 
‘Life & Livin’ It’ is the follow-up to Sinkane’s acclaimed 2015 album ‘Mean Love,’ for which the band played 166 shows in 20 countries, and Gallab’s time leading The Atomic Bomb Band — the highly celebrated 15-piece outfit that played the music of elusive Nigerian electro-funk maestro William Onyeabor. The band included David Byrne, Damon Albarn, members of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Jamie Lidell and legendary jazz musicians Pharoah Sanders and Charles Lloyd, and they played all over the planet, including making their TV debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon“Those 14 months really changed my life,” Ahmed says. “Not only did I learn how to put on a bigger show, but all that touring brought Sinkane closer as a band." 
 
As Ahmed got into the depths of writing for ‘Life & Livin’ It,’ he had a clear goal: to conjure the ups and downs of a universal experience, and have fun while doing it. Ahmed’s primary intention was to make music that is joyous, but also socially conscious when you scratch beneath the surface. “I would listen to my favorite records, like Funkadelic’s ‘America Eats Its Young,’ and realize how great they made me feel. That carefree, light and fun feeling I was getting while writing this record is what I want everyone to feel when they listen to it."
 
True to its name, ‘Life & Livin’ It’ is an album about all kinds of experiences. When Ahmed Gallab sings, he sounds unafraid yet vulnerable. But while he once sang of feeling like he was on the planet Mars, Ahmed is now firmly grounded on Earth. He’s no longer searching for his home — he has created a home for himself. There’s a party there, and ‘Life & Livin’ It’ is playing on the stereo. You are invited.
 
‘Life & Livin’ It’ is now available for pre-order at http://sinkane.lnk.to/lifeandlivinit.
 

Praise for Sinkane's previous album, 'Mean Love' (2014, City Slang):

“Eclectic & exhilarating” - Album of the Week, The Sunday Times
“Warm, wise & wonderful” - Album of the Week, The Independent on Sunday
“Hopefully he can become as famous as his collaborators” - **** London Evening Standard
“So exciting.” ***** The Guardian
“Quirky, eclectic” - **** The Independent
"Addictive, Afro-funk grooviness with a contemporary electronic twist & silky vocals" - Metro
Negotiating the many twists & turns in his music with unruffled calm” - **** Financial Times
“He has neatly stitched a tapestry of cultures into a cohesive, convincing whole” - 8/10, NME
“An engrossing journey” - **** The Irish Times
“Curiously timeless” - 8/10 Uncut
"Effortlessly knitting together elements of funk, soul and left-field electronics… Sinkane brings forth an album awash with cherry-picked cultural influence and cathartic lyrics of life’s twists and turns.” - 8/10 The Line of Best Fit
"Mean Love both demands and rewards attention.” - Drowned in Sound
“Unless you're dead on the inside, this should hit the sweet spot and get you moving.” - Dummy


'Life & Livin' It' tracklist:
1. Deadweight
2. U'Huh (Youtube)
3. Favorite Song
4. Fire
5. Telephone
6. Passenger
7. Theme From Life & Livin' It
8.  Won't Follow
9. The Way
 
'Live & Livin' It' artwork:



Sinkane 2017 World Tour:
February
15 - Portland, ME @ Space Gallery
16 - Boston, MA @ Great Scott (Tickets)
17 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom (Tickets)
18 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat (Tickets)
19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s (Tickets)
21 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe (Tickets)
22 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement (Tickets)
23 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall (Tickets)
24 - Dearborn, MI @ Arab American National Museum (Tickets)
28 - Seattle, WA @ The Tractor (Tickets)
March
01 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios (Tickets)
03 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent (Tickets)
04 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Theater (Tickets)
05 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar (Tickets)
10-13 - Adelaide, AU @ Botanic Park for WOMADelaide (Tickets)
17-19 - New Plymouth, NZ @ WOMAD NZ (Tickets)
29 - London, UK @ The Dome (Tickets)
30 - Paris, FR @ Point Ephemere (Tickets)
April
01 - Amsterdam, NL @ Sugar Factory (Tickets)
02 - Berlin, DE @ Volksbuhne Theatre (Tickets)
03 - Cologne, DE @ Gebaude 9 (Tickets)
04 - Heidelberg, DE @ Karlstorbahnhof (Tickets)
05 - Munich, DE @ Kammer 2, Kammerspiele
06 - Zurich, CH @ Bogen (Tickets)
07 - Milan, IT @ Biko Club (Tickets)
08 - Roma, IT @ Auditorium Parco della Musica (Tickets)
 
Sinkane on the Web:
https://sinkane.com
https://www.facebook.com/SinkaneRa
https://twitter.com/sinkane

For more information please contact kate@stereosanctity.co.uk / t. +44 7812 607 230

November 16, 2016 10:42am ET by Stereo Sanctity  

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