Kanzafula
Lulaworld, 2024
8/10
The artist Ahmed Moneka draws from his Afro-Sufi music roots for these worldly funk, soul and jazz sounds that unfold across 9 diverse tracks.
“Aman” starts the listen with a warm presence, where spoken word flows alongside the many grooves and crisp drumming, and “Sea” follows with much emphasis on percussion and winds for an elegant and breezy climate.
Further along, the rich delivery of “Oh Mother” is more rock focused, where soulful sax is met with quick melodies, while “Chi Mali Wali” is strongly Eastern influenced and full of emotive strings and meticulous string plucking.
Landing close to the end, “Treed Trooh” carries a hint of mystery that recruits well timed strings, poetic singing and a distinct cautiousness, and "Sidi Mansure” exits with a busy and dance floor ready finish that uses strategic backing vocals and plenty of harmonic gestures.
A culturally impressive affair that pulls from African grooves and Arabic melodies, Moneka looks back on his transition from from Baghdad to Toronto via this striking body of work.
Travels well with: Yosef Gutman Levitt- The World And Its People; Maha Maya Band- A New Day