Scene and Heard – CCXCVIII : Bad Gyal – Sarah Musayimuto (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Let’s start with some generalisations. Music isn’t concerned with cultural or geographical boundaries any more. We live in a post-genre world. The best music ignores rules and regulations and mixes and matches its sounds and style as it choses. It is why you find artists such as Sarah Musayimuto, a Copenhagen based, Ugandan artist who draws on everything from the Carribean sounds of reggae and zouk, western pop and R&B and the sensual and sassy grooves that come from her African heritage.

The result is music which is truly global, taking African beats and western vibes, sultry rhythms and infectious carnival spice, you can see exactly what ingredients go into the mix but would be hard pushed to say exactly where its spiritual home is. And that is the era that we are finally embracing, one where cultures are merging, where styles, fashions, sounds and creative juices have become so fluid and wonderfully embracing that soon all we will be able to say is …that is music…and find that no other qualifiers necessary.

This isn’t Ugandan dance, or Danish pop, or Jamaican reggae or world music, it is all of those things and none at all. All that matters is that as soon as the music starts you ask yourself does it make you want to hit the dance floor, move your body, cut loose and get lost inits sultry splendour. And the answer to that is a resounding yes.