Kwes: ilp

Kwesi Sey’s debut album has been a long time coming, especially when you look at the long list of productions and collaborations which he already has to his name.

From co-producing Kinshasa One Two in the Congo with Damon Albarn and Richard Russell to working with The xx, Bobby Wom- ack, Speech Debelle and others, his rep for beguiling, evocative electronica has grown with every day or night in the studio.

ilp is imbued with Sey's familiar array of shadowy hooks and nuances, an album of beautifully composed and poised soundscapes full of magical, colourful splashes. Be it the intricate strung- out loops pitched throughout Hives or the strikingly off-kilter magnetism of Rollerblades, Sey's soundbeds are full of intrigue.

Equally, on Flower and Purplehands, it's how Sey's beats manage to both move in mysterious ways and command your attention that marks him out.
facebook.com/kwesmusic
Download: Flower, Rollerblades