In a musical landscape that doesn’t have funds to invest in artist development, and in a city that’s becoming incrisingly unaffordable for struggling musicians like New York, the artistic growth of EMEFE is nothing short of a small miracle. The collective started in 2010 as a horn driven, instrumental project with heavy afrobeat, funk and jazz influences (if you like the sound of that, check out 2012’s LP "Good Future"), and slowly evolved into a more experimental, and somewhat darker sounding hybrid, featuring occasional vocals and synths, as you can hear on their sophomore, self titled album, released earlier in 2015. The record showcases a band more aligned with that tradition of edgy NYC music we like to celebrate in this blog, borrowing from the experience of another local band famous for incorporating world music influences: The Talking Heads. Brand new single "Confess" (premiered below), with its pop structure, memorable melody, and clear emphasys on synths and other electronic effects, represents further evidence of the band’s new direction. A direction that elegantly and compellingly marries the body-moving power of afrobeat and funk with the propensity, typical of the best NYC artists, for cerebral experimentation within the pop and rock realms.
EMEFE will be opening for legendary NYC Afrobeat masters Antibalas on November 4th at Brooklyn Bowl – a show that should not be missed. – Photo by Austin Hein
We added this song to The Deli’s playlist of Best songs by emerging NYC artists – check it out!