Introducing Baloji

Bella Union are thrilled to announce the signing of BALOJI whose EP 64 bits & Malachite will be available 4th November via the label. The EP’s lead track “Spoiler” is streaming below:

Of Congolese origin and based in Belgium, Baloji is a poet, composer, lyricist, beatmaker, scriptwriter, actor, video artist and stylist. His music stands at the crossroads of African music, rap, the French singer-songwriter tradition, afro-american music (soul, funk, jazz) discovered via hip hop culture and sampling; and electronic music (trance, deep house) which was prevalent in the region of Belgium where Baloji grew up.

Baloji means “man of science” in Swahili, but during the colonial period that meaning shifted to “man of the occult sciences and sorcery”. By placing his resilience at the centre of his work, Baloji reconciles all these influences to enrich his creative projects. “64 bits & Malachite” offers a musical style based in these cross-fertilisations and collaborations, unbridled and freed from the labels of “genres”.

64 bits is the current reference for processors. It evokes the idea of built-in obsolescence; how previous versions, even if they still function, are designed to become useless. Malachite is a green-layered stone found in Katanga (DRC Congo). 64 Bits & Malachite mines our operating systems: it is a metaphor of our era, a melody of diaspora; a nomadic music between encounters and collisions.

Baloji has a number of upcoming European headline shows and festival appearances throughout the Autumn, including Iceland Airwaves in early November. Later that month he’ll also be visiting these shores, headlining the Moth Club in Hackney. Date/info below:

Thursday 24th November – LONDON – Moth Club tickets

64 bits & Malachite will be available 4th November via Bella Union. EP artwork and Baloji photo below:

Pre-order the album on iTunes now!