Swahili for ‘gifts,’ Zawadi is the title of Kimyan Law’s breathtaking new release, and marks the welcome of a new era for the 21-year-old producer. This sophomore album chronicles Kimyan Law’s range of experiences as a Congolese exile, including everything from racism to displacement due to civil war, and with such impeccable attention to detail and unexpected beauty, Law’s finished product has left me near-speechless.
To say that Zawadi is a stroke of brilliance is a gross understatement. While it may fall within the realm of electronic music, the arrangements present themselves as a cinematic composition, or a soundtrack to the happenings front of you at this very moment; and it’s no wonder, considering Law’s inspiration.
“‘Zawadi’ became the title of the album because there are so many things I’m grateful for. ‘Gifts from above’ like family, music, nature… Dreams are one of them as well.”
The stringed pizzicato elements add sensations of refined jungle excursions, and ominous brass sections zap listeners back to the fluorescent streets of a 1920’s Chicago. The aqueous vocals of “Magic” are the epitome of serenity, while dribbling ambience fills out the space. allowed for each track to breath mounts. Each track on the album endeavors to elucidate Law’s vast array of dreamscapes, exploring rich juxtapositions between surreal eloquence and primitive urgency.
“Having had the idea of trying to translate dreams I’ve had into music, I wanted to make an album that elucidates the varieties and differences within each dream. Now that it’s out, it feels relieving and I’m very excited about it. Most of the emotive aspects of the LP go hand in hand with the types of dreams and scenery that the different pieces/songs are set in. Some resemble reveries, some are more ambiguous, vivid dreams.”
You could certainly call this drum and bass, but Kimyan Law has diced up everything I thought I knew of the genre, distilling its essence and crafting an auditory story with truly revolutionary vision. Simply put, this is one of the most innovative records I’ve had the pleasure of hearing, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Listen to Kimyan Law’s masterpiece below, and add Zawadi to your own collection, available now via iTunes.