Exclusive Premiere: Akka – Amazigh EP

Even the most fun sounding job can become a chore. Just ask pornstars. And whilst we would never be tasteless enough to complain about working in the music industry here at Data Transmission we think it’s fair to say we have to sift through a lot of guff on a daily basis so you don’t have to. The reward? Well apart from our modest salaries the sense of wonder that comes when discovering brilliant new talent from around the world and then giving it a platform to showcase itself to you lovely lot.

Once such morning enhancing release came from fast emerging Amsterdam based producer Akka via his Rwina imprint and we knew from the first listen that this was a release we needed to share. Fast forward several rounds of pinging emails back and forth to now and we’re delighted to be able to exclusively share Akka’s new ‘Amazigh’ EP for your listening pleasures today.

Now let’s get a little back story on the release and indeed Rwina as a label.

In 2008 Akkachar founded the Rwina label, naming it after the word for never-ending chaos in the Tamazight dialect of his North African ancestors. Over the next five years he let the chaos unfold, building the label into an unpredictable yet reliable power house of dance and electronic music. Today he turns to his roots for his own debut release, a three-track EP inspired by and dedicated to the Amazigh (or Berber) culture found in Morocco’s Rif mountains.

The music on Amazigh is constructed from field recordings of the Rif region blended with the electronic and club sensibilities Rwina has become known for. The old with the new, the past with the present.

‘Eye of Zohra’ is the imagined soundtrack to the night Akkachar’s family ran away from their village over a hundred years ago. Using sounds from the Ain Zohra region (literally Eye of Zohra) it paints an epic sonic picture of a sad tale with sweeping synth melodies, rolling drums and booming bass. ‘Spatial Scale’ is more meditative, a song to zone out too and reflect. The barebones of the song were made in a day with EPROM and fleshed out with inspiration from the Tizi Ouasli village, where the wind in the valley and slow pace of life helped infuse a more relaxed vibe. ‘Tanmmirt’ closes things off, named after a speech in the same Tamazight language Rwina takes its name from. The speech forms the core of the track, scaled across octaves to add impact and backed by melancholic chords and arps. It tells the Amazigh to be proud and stay strong, and most importantly to never forget their roots.

Buy your copy at: http://boomkat.com/downloads/982409-akka-amazigh