- You wouldn't know it from the global flavor of her productions, but Mina got her start as a DJ in Leeds before moving to London, where she now lives and hosts a show, Boko! Boko!, on Radar Radio. After a coproduction with Lorenzo BITW, both her solo debut and this follow-up, Sentah, have been released through Buraka Som Sistema's Lisbon-based label, Enchufada—a good indication of where her musical interests lie.
Featuring producers and vocalists from Ghana, Peru and Italy, Sentah winds a globe-trotting, syncopated path through African diasporic club sounds. Nané raps in Spanish over the South African house beats of "Boing," which might sound like an odd pairing, but the MC's sass is a perfect fit. In fact, each of the vocalists add plenty of personality: Bryte brings playful calls to the title track, and Cratus' sunny croon on the calypso bopper "Only" is pretty irresistible. Mina makes a kuduro stepper with the Ghanaian producer Gafacci, and another collaboration with Lorenzo BITW results in the sleek funky house of "Circles." Mina has light touch that helps these styles cohere, making the release feel positively vibrate. Her love, as well as a certain reverence, for these styles comes through, too—an homage that feels like a positive contribution to a larger conversation about musical globalization.
Tracklist01. Boing feat. Nané
02. Sentah feat. Bryte
03. Ringtone Riddim feat. Gafacci
04. Circles feat. Lorenzo BITW
05. Only feat. Cratus
06. Sentah (Instrumental)