Lapaz EP, by Isaac Birituro & The Rail Abandon

Lapaz EP

by Isaac Birituro & The Rail Abandon

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1.	Shine Up 03:33	lyrics	buy track
Loba yee youro nii biir Birifor yee youro nii biir It’s easy to see the dark And count the times it breaks our heart Thing envy is all that green Forgetting grass beneath our feet The coin is the same on the other side Shine up! Loba yee youro nii biir Birifor yee youro nii biir It’s harder to do than die To count the cards than roll the dice Look up for a hand me down But who did you help off the ground It wasn’t complete but you had control
2.	This Gift 03:13	lyrics	buy track
Naamwin na Kuma bon, Birituro yaa This gift that’s a sonorous dream is beaten and faded now I play it I followed the tune Pulled me under Conducted by distant sounds I’m here now I’m one of the few On the Tundra Digging at frozen ground This gift that Sounded so sweet Is bitter in another mouth I’m here now
3.	Mhantaar 03:46	lyrics	buy track
Si nibe yaa si mhantaar We’ve come to watch Through holy blocks Obruni’s play with their robots that Hover round a working crowd As children shake to unusual sounds What can you make this? Si nibe yaa si mhantaar Why are you here? Si nibe yaa si mhantaar What do you hear? Si nibe yaa si mhantaar Where do you feel it? In cloud machines To canvas seas He beats our tale On wooden keys Here in time A school bells chimes As picture stream To cooler climes Look what we’ve made from this How have we done it? Si nibe yaa si mhantaar Why are you here? Si nibe yaa si mhantaar What do you hear? Si nibe yaa si mhantaar Where do you feel the one?
4.	Maal La Jie 03:03	lyrics	buy track
Yi suunsi maal a jie wee Yi suunsi choor a jie wee Yi suunsi maal a jie wee …

about

This year sees the return of one of our most beloved projects, a collaboration between Ghanain xylophonist Isaac Birituro and UK singer-songwriter and producer Sonny Johns AKA The Rail Abandon.
Having won hearts and minds with their 2019 album Kalba, where proceeds were put towards building a school in the Ghanain village of the same name, the project also received radio play and DJ support from Gilles Peterson, Huey Morgan, Cerys Matthews, Tom Ravenscroft and many more on BBC 6Music as well as a host of DJs and tastemakers worldwide.

Despite the hurdles of pandemics, war and excessive bureaucracy, Sonny and Isaac have continued to make music together throughout the past couple of turbulent years. The first offering from the pairs recent lockdown recordings is the Lapaz EP, as Sonny explains:

"In 2019 Isaac applied for a visa to the UK to launch his album and play his music from the small village of Saru in north Ghana, to the UK. The UK government however had different ideas, for a number of vague reasons. Apparently having a large extended family isn’t enough for them to think you’re going to return. We got the impression that being a self-employed musician also counted against him - something I know many UK musicians would understand. But we refused to let distance get in the way of us making music.

Tim, the projects executive producer, was in Ghana on a trip and so via the internet and WhatsApp voice notes (some of the vocals were recorded that way) we wrote an EP based on the the negative experiences and difficulties we’d faced, but also about how we can work around them, overcome them, and sometimes just plough on through them regardless - I wouldn’t recommend that method for passport control though!

In 2017, we set out to build a school in Kalba, North Ghana, with the album Kalba. Despite the UK governments disapproval, we did it. Lapaz is the area of Accra, Ghana where Isaac lives and builds his xylophones. It also means ‘peace’ in Spanish, the language that brought Tim and Sonny together in the first place. So it seemed a fitting title for an EP about being at peace with that which we cannot change.."

Wise words and some inspirational music to warm us up for more to come from Isaac Birituro & The Rail Abandon this summer when their second full album is released.

credits

released April 29, 2022

Drums/drum machine - Yuval Wetzler
Percussion - Simon Arthur
Xylophone/Lead Vocal - Isaac Birituro
Electric Guitar/Bass Guitar/Lead Vocals - Sonny Johns
Piano/keys/Trombone - Raphael Clarkson
Tenor Sax - Mark Lockheart
Trumpet - Laura Jurd
Backing Vocals - Helen Dompkier, Emmanuel Dery Kussani, Yolanda Eyama, Tim Becker

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about

The Rail Abandon London, UK

therailabandon.com

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