A State Of Flo Vinyl & CDs

Review: Described as a "deeply personal and a reflection of the journeys I've taken-both literal and musical," by its creator, veteran producer Brian d'Souza, Auntie Flo's latest travels from Nairobi to Mexico City, Havana and Waiheke Island and celebrates migration, freedom, and connection. Free is certainly the word you'd used to describe his groovy, instinctual but hard to classify sound, fusing the electronic with the organic on the sound palate and utilising everything from loose deep house grooving to Afrobeat, jazz and most things in between. From the YMO-esque 'Nighthawk' to the lush, jittery synthpop of 'Bird's Eye View', the juddering groove of 'Walk DF' - imagine Kraftwerk with an African lilt to the rhythm section - it's varied, quality-packed and transformative.

Review: Contemporary Afro-house producer and record procurer Auntie Flo tops up his flux-satisfactory A State Of Flo label with a re-pressed bleary-eyed house number, 'Green City', a track first released in 2024 and which paid homage to the Afrobeat legend and activist Fela Kuti. First debuted in a revelrous setting at 2019's We Out Here Festival, the track has since evolved into a staple of Flo's live sets, building on the contemporary folktronic fervour for records built out of obscure sample sources. In this case, the track evolves around a field recording captured in Nairobi, his motherland. East African Ambassa Mandela from the band Sarabi resounds on vocals, while contributions from Yohan Kebede of Kokoroko on keys, Ziggy Funk on guitar, Laurie Pitt from Golden Teacher on drums, and Glasgow's Joe Howe (Ex Ben Butler & Mousepad) on saxophone follow. 'Aker The Lion God' contrasts to the A's rather grand spirit crescendo with a downbeat deep house digestif.