Sinkane + Domenico | Tracks

“Runnin’”
Sinkane

Artists reach across borders for inspiration so often nowadays that it barely warrants a mention. But it’s an essential component to Sinkane, the rhythm-heavy, genre-mashing endeavor of Ahmad Gallab, a Sudan native and NYC transplant who made his bones as a multi-instrumentalist with Yeasayer and of Montreal among other indie heavies before striking out on his own and nabbing a deal with DFA. “Runnin’,” his first single for the label, collides vintage Afro-psych and cosmic funk, opening with gooey wah wah guitar flickers and what sounds like a bomb going off before a spare bass pulse enters, pushing the groove forward. Each verse ends with the same line, “Gotta keep on runnin’,” though in Gallab’s affable falsetto it sounds less like a warning, more a matter of fact. Sinister organ swells heighten the mystery, though what he’s running from isn’t spelled out. That’s no accident. Keeping the message broad makes it adaptable to any climate, geographical or political.