Out 18/01/2019

Out — Jan 18th 2019

Mastered by Mike Grinser Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin

Design — Dave Gaskarth

Photography — Susu Laroche

Dedicated to Dr Kimbwandende Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau

Alongside her work as a sonic activist and in curating and managing the NON Worldwide collective beside Angel Ho and Chino Amobi - Nkisi sees her first full album land with us on UIQ.

‘7 Directions’ - is rooted firmly in the African Cosmology of the Bantu-Kongo and in particular the writings of Kongo scholar Dr Kimbwandende Kia Bunseki Fu-Kiau. Musically we think it’s Nkisi’s most singular record to date - explicitly exploring - via 7 hyper-focused hyper-modern tracks - the incredible polyrhythms of congolese percussion music.

“When we hear before we see, voice and sound waves interplay between consciousness and hallucinations. Allowing the rhythmic to experiment with conditions of perception, disrupting predetermined expectations...Through manipulating rhythm, we create movements of energy... this energy determines collective behaviour and allows for new ways of producing knowledge...when we hear before we see, we can think about predicting the future and the manipulation of imagery that happens. through visionary possession we are renewed from within, in a system of systems... the pattern of patterns in being, it reaches and remains forever incomplete”
— Nkisi

The album’s design - directed by Nkisi and realised by UIQ inhouse remote viewer Dave Gaskarth is based around the 'vee' from the book on cosmology. “Front, back and labels all work on an isometric grid which is composed of 4 triangles so it's structurally based on the philosophy from the ground up.”