Ghana’s Delasi shares Voltaic Prodigy project

Described as a “conduit channelling these frequencies”, the eight-track effort is produced entirely by Delasi and features Brooklyn-based saxophonist and producer Noah Dreiblatt on ‘Drum Fiesta’ and Delasi’s former piano teacher, Kenyan multi-instrumentalist Wanguba Ashene, who contributes additional saxophone on ‘Mutura Flex’.

“The tape is a reflection of Delasi’s kaleidoscopic vision and myriad musical influences,” a statement reads. “Like the producers who inspired it – J Dilla, Alchemist and Hi-Tek, to name a few – the tape pulls from hip-hop’s established soundscapes: crunchy drum breaks, soulful chords and avant-garde jazz are immutably part of the concept. But it also looks to the future: Delasi takes these fundamentals and turns them on their heads by forging new rhythmic patterns on his Push 2 drum machine and OP-1 sequencer.”

Voltaic Prodigy’s arrival follows his EP Audacity of Free Thought earlier this year via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings. Delasi, whose work spans R&B, hip hop, funk, indigenous Ghanaian music and elements of jazz, is also behind the 2015 Thought Journey album.

Speaking to Music In Africa recently about the move to Brownswood, the Koforidua-based artist and a 2021 Prince Claus Fund recipient said: “I was actively seeking a new home for my music. I couldn’t handle all the day-to-day operations, from admin to production to booking, by myself anymore. I needed a team. Besides, the music was becoming much stronger and will continue to surpass what I can manage solo-wise.

“There’s great synergy with a roster of artists as eclectic as I am. Gilles has a strong reputation as a cultural curator, and I’m excited to see what this partnership will bring.”