Ariwo

Ariwo’s first EP is truly a mesmerizing listen. With a mix of electronic atmospheres and organic instrumentation, the Cuban-Iranian quartet blend Yoruba rhythms, Persian melodies, and hints of Cuban rumba to create extended, enveloping soundscapes. Band leader and composer Pouya Ehsaei beautifully mixes different textures, from dubby electronics to Latin percussive workouts and wistful trumpet lines, and on all four tracks (all close to or over the 10 minute mark) the results are cinematic and powerful. The band formed in 2015 in London (with Ehsaei, trumpeter Yelfris Valdesand and percussionists Oreste Noda and Hammadi Valdes) and caught people’s attention with their Boiler Room Set, which foreshadowed the intensity and hypnotic force of their debut EP two years later.