Grey Parrots by Troposphere 7

Back in 2007, ambitious Congolese scientist Jean-Patrice Keka Ohemba Okese established the Democratic Republic of Congo's first space program. He called his family of rockets "Troposphere", and used his own money to fund a series of launches that were progressively more complex. After learning from his successes and a few failures, Keka crowdfunded Troposphere 6 in 2019, intending to send a satellite into space to photograph the earth at a 200km altitude.

"Troposphere 7" is MB Jones' dedication to the DRC's enigmatic space program, named after a rocket that has yet to be conceptualized. Jones - a former US special agent from Masachussets who defected to the Republic of Korea - is already notorious for his decompressed K-pop experiments on Feeding Tube and DRAMA, but "Troposphere 7" explores radically different territory. Recorded in Uganda with Hakuna Kulala's Rey Sapienz, it's a mysterious blend of electronic funk, dimly lit 4/4, and abstract, psychedelic textures.

The first few seconds of opening track 'Boda Boda Ride' land us directly in Kampala, with the familiar sound of the city's motorcycle taxis eventually dissolving into white noise, synth drones and a squelchy Detroit-inspired rhythm. Like Actress's criminally underrated Thriller 12"s crossed with Kelis-era Neptunes, it's cosmic dance music that's grounded in the 2020s East African landscape. The sound extends further on 'Butu Na Moyi', dipping into pulsing 4/4 and echoing Digital Mystikz's bleakest dubs.

1980s movie soundtrack synths bubble over reverberating sci-fi FX on 'Mwinda', and rhythmic elements slowly disappear, giving way to 'Isabyre' with its mind-altering synth splatter and untangled percussive rolls. 'Atmospher' is deeper still, allowing gloomy interplanetary drones to wash over Jones' peculiar sonic landscape. He brings each element together on closing track 'Grey Parrots', finding a UK funky groove in textured environmental recordings, kalimba, and bleeping electronics. Cosmic shit.

Club explorations from the East African and Congolese Electronic Underground and beyond.

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