Status Report by ¡AC!

‘Status Report’ is an accumulation of reflective, cinematic, and experimental compositions created over 3 years, from the formation of ¡AC! in late 2021 up to late 2024. It is the debut album by the Nairobi-based duo consisting of electronic musicians Ng’at Maler and Sisian, who describe it as a ‘coincidentally apt peek into the state of the state’, commentating on the thematic messaging of the songs aligning with current affairs in Kenya, most memorably marked by the unprecedented nationwide protests of June 2024.

‘Status Report’ is as deeply personal as it is political, reflected in the various samples scattered throughout the album. Sisian pays homage to her local socio - political sheroes some still with us, others in the beyond, adding excerpts of the voices of Micere Mugo (Status Report), Wangari Maathai (KNKTD, Eloquent Rage), and Martha Karua (Post Election Blues), accentuating her lyrical themes that examine structures of power while simultaneously imploring individual introspection. Additionally, voices and sounds of nature recorded from an annual alternative rites -of-passage ceremony in Komolion, West Pokot can be heard in ‘Hawata Amini’, ‘Maswala Ibuka’, and ‘Fingertips’, and the proceeds from these songs will support the work of Noonkera – a Kenyan community-based organization working to address the plight of pastoralist children in danger of hostile and harmful traditional
cultural practices. Lastly, the voices of ¡AC!’s friends and loved ones can be heard on 'Hawata Amini’, translating to ‘they will not believe’ - a rallying cry for the youth of their homeland.

‘Status Report’ is held in place with fleshy loops, melodious arpeggios, dank synthwork, steady rhythmic movements forged with the intention to summon rumination on the uncertain yet fleetingly optimistic physical and political states of our world - through the forces of music, love, hints of anarchy, and both individual and communal agency. Yes, it is not always “happy” music, given the circumstances of its inspiration, but this is an album of hope, and it speaks for a generation whose Time is Now.

- a quirky minimalist & a pallet full of colours that we haven’t heard about yet…
- a conscious rebellion against the slumber of indifference.