Sinkane
A vibrant collision of Sudanese pop, motorik krautrock, and deep funk. High-energy, soulful music that feels like a global celebration of identity and rhythm.
A vibrant collision of Sudanese pop, motorik krautrock, and deep funk. High-energy, soulful music that feels like a global celebration of identity and rhythm.
Sinkane sounds like a sun-drenched intersection where the rhythmic precision of 1970s Lagos meets the hypnotic repetition of West Germany. It is music that feels physically impossible to stand still to, characterized by rubbery basslines, interlocking percussion, and shimmering guitar work that draws directly from East African traditions. Ahmed Gallab’s voice often floats above the groove in a silky falsetto, providing a melodic lightness that balances the heavy, driving foundations of the rhythm section.
What makes the project distinctive is its refusal to settle into a single geographic or generic home. While many artists 'blend' styles, Sinkane treats krautrock, disco, and Sudanese pop as a single, unified language. The 'motorik' beat, usually associated with cold European highways, is here infused with the warmth of the Sahara and the grit of Brooklyn. It is a sophisticated, polyrhythmic sound that manages to be intellectually dense while remaining fundamentally celebratory.
Start with 'Mean Love' for the most accessible entry point into his soulful, psych-inflected songwriting. If you want to dive straight into the high-energy, global-funk fusion that defines his live presence, 'Dépaysé' offers a more aggressive and politically charged exploration of his Sudanese-American identity through the lens of heavy afrobeat and rock.
Sinkane (born Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab c. 1983) is a Sudanese-American musician who blends krautrock, prog rock, electronica, free jazz and funk rock with Sudanese pop. He is signed to City Slang Records. Born to college professors in London, he lived in Sudan, then moved to the US when he was five, and lived for some time in Provo, Utah, before moving to Kent, Ohio, in 8th grade and graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent in 2002. He then moved to Columbus to attend The Ohio State University. Prior to embarking on his solo career, he worked with Eleanor Friedberger, Caribou, of Montreal, Born Ruffians, and Yeasayer as a session musician. Ahmed Gallab is the vocalist and music director of the Atomic Bomb! Band which plays the music of Nigerian funk musician William Onyeabor. The group includes David Byrne (of Talking Heads), Money Mark (of the Beastie Boys), Damon Albarn (of Blur and Gorillaz), Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange and Lightspeed Champion), Alexis Taylor (of Hot Chip), Charles Lloyd, Amadou and Mariam, Jamie Lidell, Pharoah Sanders, Joshua Redman, among many many others. Gallab composed the music for Roald Dahl's musical adaptation of his book "The Enormous Crocodile". It debuted at Leeds Playhouse in Leeds, UK in December 2023 and made its London debut at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre on May 22, 2024. Gallab was nominated for Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer by the Stage Debut Awards for his work on this production. On 10 February 2017 Sinkane released their sixth album Life & Livin' It on City Slang. On 18 December 2008 Sinkane made their late-night television debut on David Letterman, playing drums with of Montreal. On 6 March 2017 they made their television network debut as a solo artist on Conan. On 16 September 2019 Sinkane made their aquatic network debut on FishCenter Live.
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