Yenkyi

Following on from the ‘Yenkyi Taxi’ documentary, British Ghanaian artist Hagan releases the highly anticipated accompanying EP, the ‘Yenkyi’ EP. It comes as the fruit of Hagan’s trip to Ghana last year, in which he set out to connect with his roots both music and personal. Delving into the underbelly of the contemporary Ghanaian musical scene and its traditions, Hagan connected with local artists and musicians to create a pulsing masterpiece. Hagan comes correct with a combination of Gqom-inspired drum patterns, layers of Ghanaian percussion, drone-like basslines, airy synths, and a dark vibe throughout. “The EP focuses on me trying to further enrich my sound through exploring my heritage and musical influences from Ghana. I made it a focus to record Ghanaian percussion… instruments such as the Dondo, Fontomfrom, Talking Drum and Atumpan were used to create an authentic tone I wasn't able to achieve through programming drums electronically,” Hagan explains. Hagan spent time recording traditional Ghanaian percussionists at the legendary Vivivi Studios in Accra, recorded with UK Ghanaian production outfit Team Salut (Kojo Funds, Yxng Bane, Afro B), and local Ghanaian producers including Gafacci (Enchufada). The pair collaborate on EP highlight "Yenko", which channels its English translation exactly - "Let's Go" - the pulsing 808 and drums making it an instant crowd mover. The film and EP explore the links between the vibrant music coming out of Ghana and the London underground electronic scenes taking huge influence from them. If you don’t know, it’s time you got familiar and let Hagan pave the way. Watch Yenkyi Taxi here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ojmirG0TFk&t=2s