South African producer Mark Akol collaborated with Andy S, a rapper from Côte d’Ivoire on “Novelle Vague.” The term originally referred to the French New Wave cinema of the late 50s and 60s that involved experiments in narrative and visual style, editing and subject matter. For this song it references a new era of African hip-hop that has emerged in recent years. It starts off with a mix of menacing synth sound and laughter before Andy S goes directly into things with his energetic rap in French which one does not need to fully understand to appreciate how the rapper’s momentum and wordplay and tones jibes with the warbling/rapid swelling synth and creative samples and electronic percussion accenting and giving texture to every line, backing vocals echoing to the side. The track manages to combine an unconventional playfulness with swagger and a mood that draws you into a moment that feels like a snapshot of the future and a glimpse into the present of modern African music innovating in soundscapes much as did artists out of the Highlife and Afrobeat movements and the sort of funk Walias Band got up to with contributions from Moog/organ player Hailu Mergia. “Nouvelle Vague” sounds like it could come from anywhere on the production end because of the internationalization of software and gear and methods of recording being attainable to anyone with access to technology and the internet. But its sensibility and vocal cadence is refreshingly different and new beyond specific cultural context and thus represents a fascinating innovation in the world of hip-hop in general and thus worthy of the song title and its connection to a wider movement. Listen to the song on Soundcloud and follow Mark Akol there as well.
Queen City Sounds and Art 
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