Yaya - You Decide (2019)

Tamango Records proudly announces the first album from label-head Yaya called "You Decide". It consists of 8 tracks + 4 digital exclusive cuts that draw from Yaya's several musical influences and his wide multicultural background. The album is packed with percussive numbers, where Yaya manages to discover a common ground between his minimal roots and the most avant-garde tech house, finding himself at ease into the 4/4 structure and often bringing into play his sister Karice. The album opens with rattling tribal percussions and ethnic Yoruba chants provided by Karice for a proper mysterious intro. "Night And Day" is next, and it really kicks the things off with tight bass drums, lush pads and ethereal vocals, making you dive into a vortex of late-night cosmic vibes. On "She Is Not For Me" Yaya goes raw and direct with an excellent swirling groove above some naughty reverbed synths and housy chords for a super flowing state, while "Trust Me" is more stripped-back and goes rumbling and growling with deep pads beamed in from space which meet the bulbous pulse of an unceasing bassline, providing the right dose of drama. On "Be Yourself", Yaya calls in Karice once again, playing with whirring synths and infectious groove elements, while "Black Mamba" rolls with Yaya's trademark groove of percussions, bongos and toms, all together with deep strings for a vast sonic exploration that culminates into an epic dancefloor burner. Thus, "Ebi Awon" is about flashings synths, elegant organs and a serious rough-edged rolling bassline, with the astonishing Yoruba vocals by Karice being the real deal. Then, on "One Way", Yaya chooses spacious kicks and refreshing funky synths for a full high-octane track, whilst "Lost Beach" is a heady and rapid dancefloor brew with scattering percussions, slapping claps and unusual dark synths. Up next, "Love And Hate" features downsampled and digitalised pads with thoughtful bass strokes and gently swaying drums, suspending you in a smooth and seductive lo-fi space over its 7+ minutes ride. Rounding out the package, "In My Head" rotates around an old-taped vocal sample that gets you in the loop for a hypnotic deep journey of electronic weird sounds and foggy synths. On the outro, the mysterious Yoruba chants make their return, sanctioning, like an ancient prophecy, the end of this journey.