Few projects fall into their natural rhythm as easily as
Juls' debut album,
Sounds of My World. The British-Ghanaian producer has always known how to build an irresistible beat -- look no further than
Mr. Eazi's "Skin Tight" or
WizKid's "True Love" -- but the album format is a different benchmark entirely, one where those vibes need to last not just five minutes, but upwards of 50. Luckily,
SoMW needs no time to adjust: from the first confident bars of
Agent Sasco (
Assassin) to the woozy outro of "Chance," the project holds listeners in its head-nodding orbit.
Working within the contested umbrella of Afrobeats,
Juls' productions are organic expansions of West African rhythms, slick drum patterns laced with searching horns, and nocturnal synths. The beats here are some of his most economical to date -- the skeletal "My Size" bases its melody on a single note -- but each holds immense nuance, bursting into jazzy, vibrant fragments at precisely the right moments. Across its 15 tracks,
SoMW keeps listeners wrapped in its intoxicating vibe: jubilant in the familiarity of its rhythms yet consistently forward-thinking in its execution.
At the album's pre-release party in London,
Juls described
SoMW as offering "the opportunity to connect with people from different spheres"; the album's identity, much like Afrobeats itself, is forged in collaboration. The crossroads that built the genre -- Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK -- are naturally given the most time to shine: standout track "My Size" features Ghanaians
King Promise,
DarkoVibes, and Joey B, while Nigeria's
WizKid,
Fireboy DML, and
Niniola have impressive showings throughout. The U.K. talent here is equally potent: Sam Wise,
Knucks, and
Kadiata are in their bag on the immensely quotable "Wicked," and
Jaz Karis adds a poignant depth to the mellow "Summer in the Ends." Further strong appearances from across the globe -- among them
Dreamville's own
Bas, Kenyan four-piece
Sauti Sol, and the instantly identifiable
Agent Sasco -- build an intercontinental tapestry of melodies, which
Juls threads into his vision.
With so much of the Afrobeats industry riding on hit singles, there's been little focus on crafting a thoughtful, well-sequenced, and cohesive full-length.
Sounds of My World begins to set the story straight. ~ David Crone