Video: Ibeyi, ‘Mama Says’

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The evocative, minimalist music of Ibeyi (say “ee-bey-ee”) is testament to the simple power of the human voice. It’s the work of French-Cuban twins Naomi and Lisa-Kaindé Diaz, daughters of the late conga master Anga Diaz, whose debut album “Ibeyi” (out Feb. 17 on XL Recordings) follows up a digital EP the duo released in August. Lisa contributes piano and Naomi percussion to the songs, which deftly combine elements of hip-hop, electronica and Afro-Caribbean music. The album was directed by XL chief Richard Russell, and the emotionally stark videos for “Mama Says” and “River” were directed by Ed Morris. The duo is headed to the U.S. to perform for the first time; let’s all be polite, rapt listeners, shall we?

||| Stream: “Oya”

||| Live: Ibeyi make their West Coast debut on Nov. 20 at the Hotel Café.

||| Also: Watch the striking video for “River” below:

ibeyi