UE.39: Cedric Woo

For a selector like Cedric Woo, the old adage “It’s not just the records you play, it’s the way you play them” rings true.

My first encounter with Cedric came during last month’s heralded Houghton Festival. Already a couple of … Read More

In Conversation With: XOA

XOA is a new project to emerge from the capital, comprising of a live band that fuse the sounds of 70’s afrobeat with modern electronica. They create deep, soulful, tropical grooves littered with guitars, percussion and analogue synths while smooth … Read More

UE.31: Philou Louzolo presents ‘Afrigalactic’

While the dance music world descends on Amsterdam for ADE this weekend, the nearby city of Rotterdam will also be buzzing with the arrival of Afrofuturism Now!

A new event run by multimedia arts centre and creative space WORM, Afrofuturism … Read More

Digging Deep: Rich Medina

Rich Medina is one of those truly unique individuals in the world of music. A cooler than cool, deep and softly spoken man from New Jersey, he’s the kind of guy you’d probably have hated at school for being notably … Read More

In Conversation With: Dele Sosimi

Dele Sosimi is one of afrobeat’s foremost patrons in 2015. Born in London to Nigerian parents in 1963, Dele’s involvement with the Afro-funk/jazz hybrid has been hugely prominent and longstanding. Moving back to Nigeria in the ’70s, Dele’s first major … Read More

WIN: 2 tickets to Finding Fela @ BFI

Next week will see the release of Finding Fela, the new biopic on Nigerian afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti directed by Academy Award winning Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Casino Jack), in cinemas across the UK. For … Read More

New Fela Kuti biopic, ‘Finding Fela’, brings afrobeat to the silver screen

7.5

Rating

“It’s outstanding to me the number of people who still have no idea who Fela is”. These are the words of Bill T. Jones, director of the recent Broadway smash Fela!, in the opening minutes of the new biopic on … Read More

Exclusive: Ben Hauke – Wari EP [Melodica]

Put all your smog-related worries to bed with the latest UE Exclusive, the forthcoming release from radio show turned record label, Melodica Recordings.

The latest release from this eclectic label showcases the effortless maturity of one of South London’s finest … Read More

C.K. Mann & His Carousel 7 – Funky Highlife

8

Rating

Trawling through the Urban Essence promos mailbox can, at times, be a tedious task. While we’re blessed with receiving a lot of exciting new music that’s fresh off the press, one sometimes feels bombarded by the deluge of uninteresting, formulaic … Read More