Influenced by bands like Talking Heads or Material and legends like Fela Kuti or William Onyeabor, the British group Ibibio Sound Machine mixes traditional African plots with the electronic music of the day. Key element of  "Pull The Rope", a latest album finely produced by Ross Orton, the singer Eno Williams evokes this new album, the Nigerian ibibio culture or the do it yourself spirit....

Can you describe your new Lp?

Our new album was started at our studio in London where we wrote all the material and completed in Sheffield with producer Ross Orton. The nature of recording in a different city lent a new sound to what we do. Sheffield has a darker, more industrial vibe than London and this permeates the musical experience. Ross was a great person to work with. His style is to work a bit faster than we were used to and not overthink stuff. He’s particularly good at making drum sounds and added a starker, more angular sound to what we do.

The title evoke the idea of force and tension…

Correct! The concept of the record tries to capture is the idea that the tension between us all, different groups, different ideologies can result in a positive force just as much as it can create negativity in the world. This is central to our approach to music… we are all the same and connected in many ways in spite of cultural backgrounds.

Few words about “Political Incorrect” and “Touch The Ceiling ”?

 This track talks about the way we have become divided by ideas of what is and isn’t correct in the age of social media. It has a breezy funk vibe and also gives a nod to the politicality of artists like Fela Kuti. And “Touch The Ceiling” is the outlier of the record, a little more introspective and speaks to the “journey” of life.

What’s the part of Ibibio culture in the group?

Ibibio culture was essential to the origins of the group. We started with the idea of taking stories told by my older relatives when growing up and putting them in a musical setting. This progressed into different ways of finding our voice, sometimes using the Ibibio language and sometimes English to find new ways of evolving our sound but the Ibibio roots are never far from mind.

The post-punk legacy with bands like Talking Heads or Gang Of Four seems obvious…

Yes, Talking Heads is a particular favourite of ours along with Liquid Liquid and ESG. Another big influence with a French connection would be the  Celluloid records label. That kind of sound mixed with different West African music, William Onyeabor, Fela and also many Francophone African artists are all obvious reference points for us. I can also evoke the new African sounds. They are more influenced by global music trends like R&B and other American/EDM sounds. It’s very catchy and sums up the youthful energy of Africa today.

DIY is crucial...

Absolutely ! More and more as musicians, we have to make our own pathways and be increasingly resourceful outside the mainstream in order to get our creativity out into the world

Your three favorite Lps?

Angelique Kidjo and “Aye”: it’s my first introduction to hearing African music made in a non-traditional way. The Talking Heads and Remain In Ligh: it’s  post-punk classic. And Whitney Houston self-titled. She’s my favourite artist from childhood growing up in Nigeria! It’s great to see vinyl being so popular now. It’s one of the positive things happening in music today and has also very much helped a new fascination around the world with African music.

Various groups or performers combine African rhythms and synthetic sounds. Pioneers of the genre, the Zazou-Bikaye-CY1 collective announced this mix in 1983 with “Noir Et Blanc”, an astonishing experience. Another formula, the collaboration between Doctor L, Assassin’s beatmaker, and Tony Allen, Fela’s drummer, led in the early 2000s to “Psyco On Da Bus”, a hybrid session largely marked by Yoruba rhythms. Today, Tunisian producer Sofyann Ben Youssef aka Ammar 808 offers a synthetic interpretation of North African registers as indicated by the eloquent “Maghreb United”, a variation around the TR-808 drum machine. Finally, at the other end of the continent, cities like Johannesburg or Pretoria bring together a host of adventurous creators. Among them Spoek Mathambo and his mind-blowing version of Joy Division’s “She’s Lost Control”, or the Native Soul duo, whose Amapiano hymns are now available on the American label Awesome Tapes From Africa…

Interviewed by Vincent Caffiaux / Photo Ibibio Sound Machine by Matilda Hill-Jenkins.