Slikback’s debut 2018 album was the one that launched Nyege Nyege Tapes’ sister label Hakuna Kulala, and over the last few years he has become one of their biggest breakout stars. Encapsulating Hakuna Kulala departure points from Nyege Nyege, Lasakaneku isn’t rooted in any specific regional style, but rather pulls from a wide range of global contemporary clubbing sounds like drum’n’bass, singeli, gqom, grime, footwork, and trap, sometimes in subtle and deconstructed ways. Slikback is famously prolific and his music has become more layered and complex with each release, but Lasakeneku is one for the Nyege Nyege history books.

A 2018 release which started a new series on the Ugandan Hakuna Kulala label that focused on new African electronic musical talent, Lasakaneku is a short, solid introduction to the work of Kenyan producer and musician Slikback. The layered maximalism that would soon come to define his work is not quite on display here yet – more in terms of suggestion than impact – but Lasakaneku’s five songs showcase a grasp of space, tension and dynamics throughout. The introduction of a new beat on “Bantu Zen” each time alone feels distinctly monumental.