Fatima Al Qadiri‘s Brute LP is due out March 4th, and it will be the artist’s second release for Hyperdub Records. Speaking with Mixmag‘s Deforrest Brown this week, Al Qadiri explained the title of her new record this way:
“Brute is a kind of counterpoint to the word thug, and how people over the last two years have been speaking about thugs in the media. I wanted to title the record accordingly.”
Squarely focused on the issues of social injustice which dominate current news cycles, what she calls “the atmospheres of rage and despair”, the musician goes on to explain that her forthcoming work is about, “the subject of protest”.
The album’s first single, “Power“, features the voice of Sgt. Cheryl Dorsey, a retired LAPD Sargent who speaks on issues of police violence and ethics; but the track’s most striking element is the way in which it mirrors these difficult issues sonically. Like our constantly looped news cycle, “Power” creates a tensely charged and claustrophobic environment, reflecting daily violence with sounds of shattering glass and booming percussives, while mournful synths create an atmosphere of urban melancholy and decay.
