Sonic Interventions – Do You Remember? (Agogo Records, 2024)
Berlin-based collective Sonic Interventions is set to release Do You Remember?, a debut album that beautifully intertwines spiritual jazz with global roots music influences. With musicians from five continents, the ensemble captures a transformative mix of sounds that explore themes of cultural memory, healing, and resilience.
The idea for Do You Remember? originated in 2020, amid the solitude of global lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Musicians across Berlin gathered for lively outdoor jam sessions at Tempelhofer Feld, a former airport. These jams were a community-driven, improvisational exchange that evolved into Sonic Interventions. This album channels that energy, integrating spiritual jazz, spoken-word poetry, and rhythmic experimentation.
The album’s eclectic compositions interweave spiritual jazz, highlife, house music, desert blues, Latin music, and hip-hop, incorporating ethno beats and instruments, prayers, and improvisational pieces with seductive grooves that celebrate the ensemble’s cultural diversity.
“Siyavuma (We Accept, We Surrender)” and “Ma Qeti Pa Haru” mix traditional and modern sounds to tell ancient stories.
Meanwhile, “Dust” moves from spoken poetry on humanity’s cosmic origins into a Sahara-inspired groove.
“Twasa” draws from Southern African folklore, exploring surrender and healing.
“War” and “Let Go” critique global conflicts and call for freedom with hypnotic beats and chant-like mantras.
Drawn from a four-year archive, the album captures the spontaneity of its original sessions, preserving the rawness of improvised interactions. Through thoughtful editing, the group uncovers narratives of shared memory and identity, fostering a connection to global cultural roots.
Musicians: Dumama on vocals; Astan KA on vocals; Nane Kahle on vocals; Douniah on vocals; Eric Owusu on vocals; Kechou Nafraz, guitar, electronic percussion, karkabas, OP1; Pachakuti on tenor saxophone, keyboards, vocals; Daniel ‘El Congo’ Allen on trumpet; Marius Max on tenor saxophone; Paulrhythms on electric bass; Hal Strewe on electric bass; Simo Gumbri, Dylan Hunter and Chee Greene on drum set, percussion, synths, audio production; Ziggy Zeitgeist on drum set; Dante ‘Percu’ Parraguez on congas, drum set; Christoph ‘ma.ttic’ Matenaers on kpanlogos, ngoni, hang, kajamba; Aduni on congas, tama, jembe; Szabolcs ‘Àbáse’ Bognár on keyboards, shekere; and Sonkomusic on keyboards, organ.
Release Date: November 22, 2024
Buy Do You Remember?.
Author: JGurski
