YAO BOBBY & SIMON GRAB
The Togolese Rapper and political activist Yao Bobby collaborates with Swiss noisemaker Simon Grab. An intense sound battle between energetic rhymes fired into a dark sound world of raw electronic bass pulsations with a dubby punk attitude, produced on analog feedback electronics. A very raw and improvised form of live experimental hip hop – ‚Freeform Rap and Noise’. In their unique soundworld, each bring a totally singular style & attitude to create a kind of next generation free form rap, noise & synthetic rhythm concoction coaxed out of improvised feedback signals and dynamic microphone control. Yao’s lyrics (in his mother tongue Ewé, french and also partly in english) deal with the current injustices in Africa and the problems of the colonial aftermath of the west & its remaining grip on the continent. Whether you are able to understand each lyric or not, the unstoppable flow, the versatile dynamic range, and the emotions in the frequencies (both voice and electronics) convey life-force & a sense of resistance. A raw, honest attitude and forward momentum that is unmistakeable in its intent to crush borders sonically, socially, and politically