Hot Pot Totto

WaqWaq Kingdom’s album Hot Pot Totto is a joyous and defiant response to ecological anxiety. The album is a brew of dub, techno, Super Nintendo sounds, Japanese min’yō folklore and, maybe surprisingly, African-style polyrhythms, including traces of the hi-speed urban singeli music from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; it turns out that WaqWaq Kingdom’s Shigeru Ishihara undertook a residency at the Nyege Nyege Villa in Uganda, and Nyege Nyege is the home of some singeli artists, for instance DJ Duke and MCZO. And in some tracks I hear singers and instrumentalists who might be from Uganda.

The opening track, ‘Hakke Yoi’, is a thumping anthem whose lyrics call for action on climate change. WaqWaq Kingdom refers to humanity’s sacrifice of our planet for material gains, but the track’s driving beat and uplifting mood convey that there is still time to act. On YouTube there is a fantastic accompanying clip for ‘Hakke Yoi’ with high-end animation.

The title of ‘Dopamine Dance’ refers to our body’s own feel-good ‘drug’, in fact a hormone, in line with the album’s call for a high-energy but unharmful life outlook. ‘Okame & Hyottoko’ is another wizardry amalgamate of Japanese electronics, African music and complex Western electronic dance music rhythms, which at the same time makes you feel like you are in techno heaven and in a warm, gritty urban environment. Four stars for the music and the beautiful clip as well as the message.