ÌFÉ‘s full-length debut album ‘IIII+IIII‘ is available now. ‘IIII+IIII’ (pronounced “Edgy-Og-Beh”) is a 9 song album which is equal parts blessing, adoration, and manifesto.
New single “Bangah (Pico y Palo)” is a literal one word war cry for freedom in the here and now – a musical declaration of independence. Built around Otura Mun’s reflections on the Orisha Ogun (the Yoruban “God of War”), “Bangah” is the relentless sound of the machete, the face of determination, and the flat out rejection of fear on any personal level.
From its opening track to its closing prayer, the new album conveys a deep sense of spiritual intent, a sureness in its voice and purpose that is both brave and bold while maintaining the vulnerability and unsureness that the most intimate and honest of conversations always require. Serene and floating at times, determined, erotic, and raw at others, the music is as improbable as it is natural, a youthful knowing sound, aware of the weight of its voice, the ground that’s been traveled, and the urgency and uncompromising fierceness needed to meet the day.
ÌFÉ is a bold new musical project created by polymath Otura Mun. Mun, an Ifá priest or ‘Babalawo’ in the Yoruba religion, has been at the vanguard of the Puerto Rican music scene since arriving from Indiana in the late 1990s, producing critically acclaimed albums and songs for many of the island’s most important musical voices, including Mima, Cultura Profetica and Calma Carmona. ÌFÉ is his first solo project.
ÌFÉ is the Yoruban word for “Love” as well as “Expansion.” Both are pivotal themes in the group’s music. “I wanted to make something that made me feel like when I’m playing, my soul is flying,” Mun says.
