Led by producer, Iss 814, Splice Sessions: Afro Dancehall Volume 2 is the final release in our Senegal series. It explores the regional take on Afro Dancehall. ISS 814 created a collection of Afrobeats samples with the rhythms and instruments of Senegal, such as the ngoni, kora, talking drum, and balafon, while also borrowing the sounds of its neighboring countries: Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and more.

Afrobeats (also known as Afro-pop or Afro-fusion) is an overarching term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that developed in Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a musical style and more of a descriptor for a fusion of sounds resulting from the diaspora. Gathering influence from trends in the U.S., Jamaica, and Trinidad, Afrobeats became an international sensation. Today, Afrobeats dominates airwaves and computer speakers in the Western world.

After taking us on a sonic journey through West Africa with the Splice Sessions label, producer Ismaila Talla - aka Iss 814 - shares his first Splice Originals contribution: Afro Dimensions. While demonstrating his signature Senegalese Afrobeats sound and adding vocals from female Dakar-based vocalist, Waaw Coumba, he infused Afro-Cuban influence by enlisting help from Rene Shalom, the guitarist from the famous West African Afro Cuban band, Orchestra Baobab.

Afro Dimensions is the result of ISS 814's long journey of musical research in Senegal. He pulled from a diverse pool of inspiration, allowing the producer - you - to use these sounds in different and unimagined ways. Enter into a new Afrobeats dimension with this new pack.

For this pack, we collaborated with the Senegalese singer Leycha Diop, who has sung with some of the great Senegalese acts such as Youssou N'dour. She lent her unique vocals with adlibs, hooks, riffs, and more. Additionally, this collection dives into the different rhythms of West Africa from countries like Senegal, Gambia, Nigeria, and the Ivory Coast. It was also influenced by Caribbean and Afro-Cuban music to bring a holistic perspective of the transatlantic conversation happening within the Afrobeat genre, as well as a nod to its roots.

Iss 814 returns with his fourth Splice Sessions pack, this time putting the Senegalese twist on the modern Afrobeat and Afropop sounds that have taken Nigeria and the world by storm. This pack was crafted with today’s R&B, hip hop, and pop producers in mind, offering them expertly executed Senegalese rhythms and ancient instruments like the ngoni, kora, and talking drum (tama).