When Sinkane appears on a Zoom call to discuss his new album, “We Belong,” a psychedelic background behind him makes it appear he’s floating in space. The Brooklyn-based musician, born Ahmed Gallab, jokes that he’s phoning in from an abyss — one that only he knows exists. Listening to Gallab’s Afrofuturistic album, the idea that he can occupy multiple worlds at once doesn’t seem so far off.
Over the course of his career, Gallab hasn’t shied away from using art to untangle his identity. In his 2019 album, “Dépaysé,” he wrote songs in Arabic inspired by his homeland’s roots. For his eighth studio album, he departs from his narrative of immigration and leads listeners on an expedition of the artistic culture built by the wider Black community.
“I was exploring only one part of my identity,” Gallab says when we meet over Zoom. “I grew up in Sudan and the United States, and people like me — third-culture kids and children of the diaspora — are so obsessed with identity because we don’t feel at home here, or wherever we are from. You have this profound existential crisis with yourself about who you are and where you belong, and I spent so many records writing about that.”
With the help of therapy, Gallab did some soul-searching and felt that there was more than just his own personal experience with Blackness to be explored. The Black experience as a whole contained a beautiful trove of community and collaboration, and the realization that he could work outside of himself lit a fire under the artist.
The result is the ’70s funk-infused 10-track LP “We Belong,” a salute to the vast contributions of Black musicians, lyrically inspired by the authors and poets of the Black Arts Movement. “It’s been a journey, and there are a lot of feelings and emotions,” Gallab says. “The music I make is something I want to hear and [yet] don’t hear on the radio or Spotify. So I like listening to what I made, and I’ve been so proud of this one.”
Hoping to write something completely different from his past seven studio albums, Gallab decided to return to school in the fall of 2021 at SUNY Purchase. He hadn’t thought about college since graduating in 2006 and had spent every year since touring. It was time for a change of pace. His curriculum was mostly virtual due to the coronavirus pandemic and loaded with as many music theory courses as he could take.
Gallab spent his time analyzing Afrobeats, David Bowie hits, and anything else that moved him. The process involved dissecting songs, examining each component in search of what made the music pop, and then challenging himself to use what he learned in making his own music. This process greased the gears of the creativity he was searching for, and before he knew it, the core tracks of “We Belong” were practically manifesting themselves.
“It was one of those moments when I felt like rocket boosters had been turned on,” he says. “It was like every week was gangbusters, and in Spring 2022 in particular, I found myself writing so much.”
The music features aspects of Afrobeats, reggae, jazz, gospel, disco, and ample amounts of funk. The yin to the album’s yang is undoubtedly the lyrics influenced by the Black Arts Movement when artists and activists of the ’60s/’70s created unflinching and full-ranging examinations of the Black experience in America.
Gallab read the work of literary luminaries Audre Lorde, Nikki Giovanni, Sonia Sanchez, Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. To him, the value of these poets and authors who put pen to paper — articulating Black pride and pain — was a continuation of community tools passed down from generation to generation, a lesson he took into “We Belong.”
“I don’t think there’s anyone more equipped to understand the struggle of being Black than a Black woman, and the way that those women did what they did to express themselves and were able to find beauty in the struggle is just the most inspiring thing ever,” he says. “I was able to read and take it with me to find ways to be a part of that conversation.”
The spirit of the album is not only inspired by collaborations of the past but also melded with some exceptional vocalists of today, including Bilal, Hollie Cook, Tru Osborne, and Stout. Tracks like “Another Day,” where Sinkane, Bilal, and Stout join forces, emphasize the unifying tone of “We Belong.” The funky disco beats with sporadic horn sections driven by the soulful Stout, along with the delicate verses powered by Bilal and Sinkane, hammer out precisely what Gallab set out to do: embody the culmination of past, present and future of Black artistry to transcend time.
The message of Black perseverance and pride is heard beyond the varying genres of music the album pays homage to, such as the Afrofuturist funk influences of Parliament Funkadelic and George Clinton. It is also accomplished lyrically with songs like “The Anthem,” with its chorus explicitly singing, “I love being Black,” and “Come Together,” where searching for one’s identity is a common cause of unity.
Sinkane’s music is no stranger to hopeful messages and feel-good rhythms. The “Life & Livin’ It” album released in 2017 features a track titled “U’Huh,” which includes the Arabic phrase “kulu shi tamaam,” meaning “everything is great,” and is followed by the English lyrics “We’re going to be alright.” Gallab doesn’t disagree with the assessment that his music is positive but said it is only one component of the many intricacies that make it whole.
“If you listen to some of the lyrics, they’re not really uplifting and are very personal and real,” he says. “You write what you know, and I’ve known a balance of struggle, perseverance and resilience my whole life. I don’t like to feel sorry for myself or sad for too long. It’s a terrible feeling to have, but it’s there. It’s something that I have to deal with, and I think that comes out in the music. I try to strike a balance between those two things, and I think it comes out positive because inherently, I’m a positive person.”
Gallab says that although he enjoyed the magic of recording this album, he’s most excited about performing it live. He and his band will perform new songs from “We Belong” at The Independent in San Francisco on Friday, June 7, at Zebulon in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 8 and Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown on Sunday, June 9.
“There is nothing like performing for me,” he says. “I’m able to express myself and express the idea of community, which is at the core of what Sinkane is about. People can expect an amplified version of this record and a very honest display of community. I don’t sing every song and make it about myself, because there are five other people with me that helped me elevate this into something greater than I could have ever imagined. Together, we create this fun party, and it’s an exciting time where everyone gets their time to shine. If you feel a sense of hope and joy by listening to the record, just wait until you come to see the show.”
Sinkane
Where: Zebulon, 2478 Fletcher Drive, Los Angeles
When: 7 p.m. Saturday, June 8.
Tickets: $37.99 at zebulon.la. The event is 21 and older.
Also: 8 p.m., Sunday, June 9, at Pappy & Harriet’s, 53688 Pioneertown Road., Pioneertown. $31.99 at pappyandharriets.com and 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 7 at The Independent, 628 Divisadero St., San Francisco. $25 at ticketweb.com.