Faizal Mostrixx - Ghosts EP [BYR018]

Label: Byrd Out

A breakdancer, choreographer, social worker and producer with a keen interest in preserving and developing African cultural heritage, Faizal Mostrixx possesses a breezier, gentler and more poetic sound than we’d associate with recent, exhilarating finds from Uganda. But make no mistake; he still knows how to kick it.

The A-side is the one for us, striking out with the loping, tarraxho-compatible drum patterns, rudely plucked bass and warped vocal motifs of ‘Chicken Groove’ before a single-string fiddle refrain opens the titular EP highlight, a deeply unique fusion of swaying plainchant giving way to scatty chat and smacking drum programming that could easily be mistaken for Jlin. Factor in the grimy low end strings and brooding atmospheres of ‘Icy Forest’ and the slinky slow/fast gear shifts of ‘Flute Cry’ and you have an exceptional EP from any angle.