“This debut album fore-grounds sequencers, syn-drums, 80s synths with Mwamwaya’s vocals stacked and processed into ziggurats of elated harmony, shunning world music cliché en route to equatorial pop nivnana”
MOJO – 4 Stars ****
“an uplifting, gospel-tinged hybrid that recalls the big African crossovers of the 1980s”
Uncut – 4 Stars ****
“refracting Esau’s love of ‘80s anthemia through a kaleidoscope that throws together synth washes, the beats of kwaito, Caribbean soca, African gospel, tribal a cappella and indie-pop. The result is a twinkling, sweaty, euphoric thing that veers between a John Hughes soundtrack for the Southern Hemisphere, tropi-pop guilty pleasure ‘Ketchup Song’ and grimy, pan-African dance music.”
NME – 8/10
“a dizzyingly lovely, cockles-warming triumph that strikes at both the heart and the hips.”
Time Out – 4 Stars ****
“one of this year’s most uniquely inspired LPs”
DJ Magazine – 4 Stars ****
“as superlative as their name, the trio devise a fluid mix of African harmonies and indie-dance beats.”
Financial Times – 4 Stars ****
“this year’s most joyful pop record… blends the richness and personality of African pop with the dynamism of cutting-edge dance music.”
The Telegraph
“it’s a remarkable project, a highly original collision between northern and southern hemispheres that is also one of the year’s great pop records.”
The Observer
“one of the most exciting and diverse collaborations to have surfaced in a while… the result is unrelentingly joyous and carries a carnival spirit… a perfect summer soundtrack”
The Sun – 4 Stars ****
“manages to be at once challenging and immensely light and enjoyable… Presented before us throughout this blistering record are the very tenets of a successful collaboration project – sympathy, and a sense of the joy of learning.”
The Fly – 4 Stars ****
“this album defies all preconceptions and never settles into a genre that you could name and locate on the shelves or download menus… From the minute is starts, there’s an authority to the production, as if it knows what its doing and where its going”
Observer Music Monthly – 4 Stars ****
“an eminently danceable record that features some inspiring vocal performances and eclectic production that mixes Afrobeat, electro and pop influences to heart-warming effect.”
Clash – 8/10
“their beats and the Southern African harmonies will delight anybody already won over by Amadou & Mariam”
The Times – 4 Stars ****
“a joyous slice of Afro-European ghetto pop… Together, Mwamwaya and Radioclit blend southern African rhythms and vocals with electronic dance beats in thrilling and uplifting fashion… This kind of gatecrashing, border-smashing cultural hybridity is surely the sound of the future… utterly irresistible”
Songlines – 4 Stars
“a forward-thinking and organic meeting of ideas and flavours… Superb production and the joy you hear in Esau’s voice becomes utterly infectious… Easily good enough to give even Hackney Council hope for inter-borough relations.”
Stool Pigeon – 4 Stars ****
“a triumph of probing minds and a deft touch.”
WORD
“Warm Heart of Africa is an undeniably good album… “brilliant, fun and intricate…”
Loud & Quiet – 8/10
“Warm Heart of Africa is full of charm and technicolour moments… Joyous”
Artrocker