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Foray into the wild: Pilanesberg caters for family
While the safari adventures were memorable, what truly set this trip apart was how well the resort catered to families.
Out now via BLZ and Inside Records, the six-track project is a bold sonic manifesto that expands their self-coined ‘Afraw’ sound – an unfiltered fusion of traditional African musical heritage with contemporary electronic textures and innovations.
Crafted over the course of three years across West Africa and Europe, We Are Lagos In Paris is rooted in deep cultural exchange and nomadic production methods. Recording sessions unfolded in Dakar, Abidjan, Paris, Cabo Verde, and Accra – each location imprinting its energy onto the project.
Driven by spontaneity and a DIY ethos, the trio weave together Amapiano, house, techno, and electronica with funk, reggae, hip-hop, disco, blues, and afrobeats. The result is a global sound that is both raw and refined – a genre-fluid identity that resists easy classification while remaining deeply intentional.
Each track on the EP is a cross-cultural dialogue, collapsing geography in favour of creative freedom. From the hypnotic G-Funk-meets-Sahel blues energy of ‘Afro G Western’ featuring Ghanaian griot Stevo Atambire, to the liberation anthem ‘Sinatanale’, which is powered by TSIE’s defiant, groove-heavy verses, the project pulses with layered emotional and musical depth.
The EP’s focus track ‘Faya’, with its wah-wah guitar licks, funk-reggae bounce, and soulful vocals from Ayisi, radiates both warmth and urgency. The opening track ‘Mali Spirit’ sets the tone with Mandingo guitars, hypnotic vocal loops, and deep house basslines, while ‘Take Me’ fuses blues and reggae into a brooding, emotive electronic groove.
Even its most experimental track, ‘Lusafro’, leans fully into genre-defiance – combining hypnotic synth loops, Cabo Verdean brass, and militaristic choirs to create a soundscape that’s at once surreal and militant.
Beyond the music, We Are Lagos In Paris is also a visual and cultural statement. Each track is accompanied by a video created in tandem with its production – translating sound into motion and atmosphere. The visuals dive into themes like modern West African dance, sisterhood, sonic quests, and surrealist storytelling.
Entirely self-directed and co-produced by Lagos In Paris, these visuals mirror the group’s collective identity: hybrid, shapeshifting, and steeped in artistic curiosity. They’re not just music videos – they’re visual extensions of the songs’ spirit and the trio’s transcontinental vision.
Formed through studio collaborations between Abidjan, Dakar, and Paris, Lagos In Paris is a West African collective of producers and performers exploring new directions in African electronic music. Their sound draws from both tradition and innovation, blending ancestral rhythms and organic instrumentation with modern electronic production. Their nomadic approach goes beyond logistics; it reflects how they move across places, cultures, and genres, absorbing influences and reshaping them through their unique ‘Afraw’ lens. This has led to Collaborations with a range of global artists and a growing catalogue that reflects their evolving identity.
Whether in the studio or performing live, Lagos In Paris operate in the space between structure and experimentation. Their performances combine Groove-Heavyinstrumentation, layered electronic textures, and moments of improvisation to create an engaging and atmospheric experience. Visually and thematically, they draw on elements of dance traditions and underground club culture, not as nostalgic throwbacks, but as ways to connect the past with the present in meaningful, creative ways.
With early support from Rolling Stone, COLORS, BBC 1Xtra, Rinse FM, and Spotify, Lagos In Paris are steadily gaining recognition as a distinctive new voice in the global electronic music scene. Through their genre-blending sound, immersive visuals, and clear creative direction, they’re helping to expand the possibilities of African electronic music and shaping a sound that feels both rooted and forward-looking.
‘WE ARE LAGOS IN PARIS’ EP TRACKLIST
- Mali Spirit
- Afro G Western (featuring Stevo Atambire & TSIE)
- Sinatanale (featuring TSIE)
- Faya (featuring Ayisi)
- Take Me (featuring TSIE)
- Lusafro
Issued on GQ South Africa by Shannon Manuel | https://www.gq.co.za/culture/entertainment/mysterious-alt-electronic-trio-lagos-in-paris-release-their-long-awaited-debut-ep-ba257219-a993-48d0-b1b9-7e3d87677d9a
