Genre – Afro-Pop, Afro-fusion, Highlife
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On January 22nd, Oyo-bred multi-talented act, Olamilekan Abideen, known popularly as Sustain released his anticipated debut studio Extended Play, “Afrosus“.
Growing up in the Iseyin parts of Oyo state, Sustain grew up deeply rooted in traditional music history. Indigenous Genres including Fuji, Highlife, Juju and Sakara are the musical elements that have made Sustain the kind of artist he is today. One who has made sure not to ignore his roots and has cited legendary acts such as Lagbaja and Pasuma Wonder as important inspirations in the way his blended style of Afrobeats is portrayed in these modern times.
Hovering around the music scene since 2012 via blended traditional-laden covers and freestyles. It wasn’t until 2017 that he finally made his mark with an official debut single which-as you would expect, oozes of Sustain’s artistic brilliance as he managed to blend subtle synths, modern afrobeat sounds, backdrop bass lines and traditional sounds from the Talking Drum and Sekere, with rich Yoruba lyrical renditions to go with. Sustain had arrived and made a statement!
A series of timely singles, covers and 3 years after, Sustain is here with his debut studio project in form of a 7-Track EP, titled ‘AfroSus‘.
Speaking to the Afropop star himself, he had this to say about his new body of work:
The Afrosus Ep is my debut body of work. It’s a 7 tracks amazing body of awesomeness, I feel I’m blessing Africa with originality; proper afrosounds. You know the type that connects you with the root and at same time place you in the present. Electronic elements; great vibes and amazing music
Sustain
Sustain is quite something. His originality and dexterity in blending Afro sounds is his superpower and going by his quote above, He knows it!
Afrosus is a talented bundle of blended afrobeats madness oozing with quality. Sustain is that new kid on the block that paints an old picture of the arrival of Adekunle Gold in 2015, but this time with a modern sound blend.
The 7-track EP, features distinct but similar act, Yusufkanbai and production credits from veteran producers including Phantom, Finito, Kashbeat and Spyritmix. Important to point out the great ambition from Sustain in gathering such an experienced production/engineering team as this. The first step to creating amazing music is having amazing production.
Track-By-Track Review of ‘AFROSUS‘ EP
When a project opens with a track produced by Phantom, you expect it to do no wrong. Situationship is a mid-tempo tune set to put you in a groove as Sustain pours out about an unrequited love. The bass and acoustic mix is world class production. Faaji is such a beautiful tune. A personal favourite for a lot of reasons. The simple theme—Enjoy your life. The traditional highlife elements engraved in the instrumentals. The silk vocals of Sustain. It’s perfect.
It’s no news that Yusufkanbai has got an overflowing amount of talent. He brings it and more as a featured act on To Love as he teams up with Sustain to deliver a mid-tempo banger. This track started in such a beautiful manner set to have you hooked, a must-listen. Pre-released lead single, Build With You, is a smooth love tune encompassing Sustain’s entire feelings for his significant other.
Lady Sussana is the shortest song on the EP and it deserved more length because it offered a different sound. It gave a hint of Afro-House and that just gave a unique feel. Get set to book Sustain for your Owambe events. More is a song set to get your crowd on their feet at any given ceremony. Sustain’s smooth traditional-laden vocals mixes brilliantly with the highlife inspired production from Phantom.
The tape closes with a track fit for ending a project. Sustain feels he’s a Celestial Being on a low-tempo soul-hitting tune. It ends on a thankful note. Goes on to prove there’s nothing Sustain cannot do.
On Afrosus, Sustain is a mixologist. He knows how and when to mix things up to come out in a soothing way. His lyrics, the sound, the groove– Everything about this tape breeds a versatility second to none amongst the current wave of emerging acts.
With Afrosus, Sustain aimed to help the audience visualize the resulting product when he mixes his deeply rooted love for traditional elements and new school Afrobeats. Greatness is what happens and it’s there for all to see.
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