Wanna Hear Grime Verses Over Afrobeat Tracks? This 'Afrogrime' EP Has You Covered
French producer Ozferti mixes classic UK grime bars from with Nigerian afrobeat on his 'Afrogrime' EP.
The world got a very small taste of what grime bars might sound like atop afrobeats production last year when Skepta jumped on the remix of Wizkid’s "Ojuelegba" along with Drake.
If you were curious to hear a more traditional afrobeat-grime fusion, Ozferti—the production moniker of French illustrator, musician, and producer Florian Doucet—has you covered.
On Afrogime EP Volume 2, the artist marries classic grime cuts with the sounds of Nigerian afrobeat, Ghanaian highlife and vocal traditions from Ethiopia, Mali and Cameroon, to create a collection of pulsating, experimental tracks. He samples verses from the likes of Wiley, JME, Skepta, Big Narstie, and other grime acts.
"Imagine an alternate dimension where East Africans spirits meet steampunk technologies, that's what Ozferti is about," the artist tells Okayafrica.
The musician is no stranger to merging preexisting genres and creating musical styles of his own. He’s described his past releases as “Ethio-hop” and “Nubian Bass."
With Afrogrime EP Volume 2, Ozferti tells us to be prepared for “abstract landscapes, grime beats, spicy percussion, southern guitar riffs, and scissor flows.”
These rare vibes of Afrogrime are worth getting into. Listen to the EP below—which samples verses from the likes of Wiley, and check other music from Ozferti via Bandcamp.