Published
Wed, Aug 7, 2019, 12:00
- The record is "a celebration of the unifying power of Black culture through the prism of electronic music," inspired by the work of Quincy Jones, Roy Ayers and Weldon Irvine.
Afriqua will release his debut album, Colored, on R&S this October.
Colored is "a celebration of the unifying power of Black culture through the prism of electronic music," incorporating elements of house and techno as well as experimental and abstract electronica. Adam Longman Parker was inspired by the work of artists like Quincy Jones, Roy Ayers and Weldon Irvine, who is also from Parker's hometown of Hampton, Virginia.
Growing up in Virginia, Parker was exposed to local electronic music pioneers including The Neptunes, Timbaland and Missy Elliot. "The Virginia sound" is intrinsic to Parker's process: "Black electronic music doesn't have to be from the Midwest," he said in a press release. "This isn't from Detroit, this isn't from Chicago. It's from Virginia. The overarching theme [of the album] was reconciling this branch of the Black musical tree with its origins. It's not divisive, it's about celebrating the rightful origins of the music we all enjoy."
The LP also features an impressive lineup of collaborators: J. Cole affiliate Salomon Faye, Belgian Afro-pop vocalist Zap Mama, LCD Soundsystem bassist Tyler Pope and Parker's brother, producer and songwriter Ruven. The album artwork was created by Atlanta artist Eric Mack.
Colored follows two EPs by Parker on R&S, 2017's Aleph and 2018's Vice/Principle. There will be an album release party at Flash in Washington, DC, on October 5th, with a full North American tour to be revealed in the coming weeks.
Listen to "Space Dookie," featuring Big Farma.
Tracklist
01. Tema feat. Ruven
02. Dope
03. Sociodelic
04. Shout
05. Birdlandia
06. Noir
07. Upstream feat. Zap Mama
08. Turner
09. Zenith
10. Native Sun
11. Go Tell It feat. Salomon Faye
12. Whatever Means
13. Jumpteenth
14. Burn
15. Space Dookie feat. Big Farma
16. At Last
R&S will release Colored on October 4th, 2019.
Photo credit: Joy Song
