Listen to Gorah by Nitefreak and Emmanuel Jal

The record, released by American artist Diplo’s house and techno label Higher Ground, is available for streaming and download on major digital platforms.

The track began with production from Nitefreak who then shared the beat with Emmanuel Jal, an artist that he’s looked up to. Recorded in Kenya, Emmanuel’s lyrics, delivered in the Nuer language, deal with handling pressure and the importance of reaching out to support one another in challenging times. 

“When I got the beat from Nitefreak and the Deep Root Records team, I listened to it over and over just to capture the emotions of the track,” Emmanuel Jal said. “With the ongoing global crisis and how we get so busy and only worry about ourselves, I wanted to bring this to light. The lyrics ask these questions regarding how life is treating you. How are you handling the current pressure? So it’s basically about reaching out to those loved ones and asking them how they are handling their daily lives.”     

Bringing a truly fresh and unique approach, Nitefreak is at the forefront of the Afro-house movement and the fastest-growing DJ and producer from Zimbabwe. He has received praise and support from German electronic label Keinemusik, English electronic duo Gorgon City, South African DJ Black Coffee, English DJ Pete Tong, and many other globally renowned acts. 

His musical journey began in 2009 as a self-taught DJ and producer, and he’s evolved his sound over the years. Part of the Deep Root Records family, he has collaborated with Haitian DJ and producer Francis Mercier, Canadian Music producer and DJ BLOND:ISH and three-time Grammy-nominated Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, remixing ‘Sete’, which currently has over 1 million streams.

Nitefreak said: “‘Gorah’ has been in the making for almost a year and a half now. After showing it to the Deep Root team, we all agreed a vocal lead was needed to take this record to the next level. After a listening session with the guys, we immediately thought of Emmanuel Jal as we were already working on other records together. He felt the record resonated with him and after the first take, we knew we had found our vocalist.

‘Gorah’ follows up Nitefreak’s previous release on Higher Ground, ‘Kamili’, with Francis Mercier, continuing Diplo’s mission to bring Afro-centric rhythms to the global dance music community. With past releases including artists like DJEFF and Djibril Cissé, the label plans to continue supporting artists from the African diaspora into 2024.