Sinkane

Sinkane is the alias of Ahmed Gallab, a Sudanese-American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose eclectic, percussion-heavy style of music draws from a wide range of influences including free jazz, Afrobeat, pop, reggae, and shoegaze. With albums like 2014′s Mean Love and 2019′s vibrant Dépaysé, he continued to refine his distinctive sound and earn a more widespread audience. Released by the City Slang label, Sinkane’s 2024 album, We Belong, was a celebratory and highly collaborative project that included guests like Stout, Bilal, Money Mark, and more. Born in London, Gallab also lived in Sudan for several years before he and his family moved to the United States. He made his debut in May 2008 on Emergency Umbrella Records with the EP Color Voice; the same year he toured as the drummer of Caribou and Of Montreal. A self-titled album was released in May 2009. He later signed to DFA — an ideal home for his trippy hybrid sound — and released a second album, Mars, in November 2012, following it with the eclectic Mean Love in 2014. That same year, Gallab formed the Atomic Bomb! Band, a world music supergroup dedicated to playing the songs of Nigerian funk master William Onyeabor. Returning to work as Sinkane, he entered the Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso in 2016 to record his fifth album. The resulting Life & Livin' It, which drew inspiration from life’s joys and struggles, appeared at the beginning of 2017, this time on Berlin’s City Slang label. He returned in 2019 with the full-length Dépaysé, a collection that explored themes of displacement, immigration, and self-discovery. Aside from a collaborative cover of the Turtles’ ’60s classic “Happy Together” with the Spacebomb House Band, little was heard from Sinkane until late 2023 when he released “Everything Is Everything.” Featuring guest vocalist Tru Osborne, the song doubled down on his deep soul and funk influences and kicked off the promotional cycle for his next album. An array of ambitious singles followed in early 2024 including the celebratory “How Sweet Is Your Love” and the title track “We Belong” featuring R&B singer Stout. Written as an exultant “love letter to Black music,” We Belong moved through various elements of the Black diaspora, from gospel and Afrobeat to Sudanese rhythms, and featured a range of guests including producer Money Mark, saxophonist Casey Benjamin, singer Bilal, and many more. ~ Jason Birchmeier