Ghanaian gospel singer Linda Ayupuka performs at weddings, funerals and church services by day, but by night she makes joyous and jumpy Afro-electro hymns. God Created Everything, her debut, exists somewhere between the Malian singer Oumou Sangaré and the lo-fi-to-the-future beats heard on the Nyege Nyege Tapes label. This is turnt-up praise music that’s equally at home in church aisles and on dance floors.
Ayupuka calls « Daguna » her favorite track on the album, and it’s not hard to hear why. « Let’s all be in a hurry / Don’t delay, » a choir chants in its native Gurenɛ tongue over a trance-inducing drum loop and synth flute. In a translation provided by the singer herself, the song radiates salvation: « Our permanent home is heaven / So my brothers and sisters, be in hurry to accept Him. » Ayupuka’s piercing soprano, here AutoTuned in a way that seems to harness the power of a thousand suns, provides a blast of bright light against Francis Ayamga’s biting production, which feels equally inspired by Fra Fra ceremonial music and dancehall.
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