REVIEW | VISAKA 'MULAN ROUGE: THE RETURN OF THE DRAGON' LISTENING PARTY

Walking down the streets of Chinatown, celebrating the Chinese new year, beautifully set the scene for the listening party I was about to attend. The new year was in full affect and at the corner of Chinatown we find the door to a little Vegan restaurant called Vantra.

Greeted with the sweet smell of Ital food, i entered this basement restaurant already full with what looks like delighted diners. As flutes are blown on intro, this calm setting provided high quality vegan meals.

Up steps the driving force behind the night Dj Snuff who started the night off with the ever blessed voice of Garnet Silk. After a medley of vibes provided by Dj Snuff and Mighty Moe, the moment had come to digest the food for thought on offer.

Visaka graced the Mic to explain the EP about to be presented. She begins with a story of the carpe and the Dragon. Describing herself as a Carp swimming upstream. Ready to take on the final leap and transform into a dragon. A mission thru adversity to become the grand dragon that represents her.

The intro track Mulan Rouge 2, gives those great tones of dub, with her distinct voice resonating powerful words of revolution and change. As heads nodded along to what was being played, this was a good start for my earful of goodness.

Next my ears are blessed with the soothing sounds of the marimba. Senegalese sounding drums and singing is the backdrop for the track Skully and Bones. Displaying Visaka’s diverse roots and melodies.

The diversity and range of production in this album is tremendous. Full variety of Flavas and flows. Half way thru the EP we get the track Via Judah. This sounds like the club banger on the track. Special mention goes out to Vice Vic on this EP. Displaying an absolute range of quality, providing a perfect soundtrack for the album.

Praise The Lord is where we get what I would call the track for streets. The beat bangs harder than a Jack hammer on the pavement. My misses said it gave her Billie Eilish vibes, if Billy was a righteous black woman from Brighton. Visaka provides dope flows and content of righteousness.

I was fully fulfilled with the range of variety, then drops The Kingdom, giving another sound of quality and vibes. Real Rasta vibrations echoes from this Royal Queen.

All in all if I was to give a comparison to the feeling of this album, I’m left feeling like I’ve heard an English version of Ibeyi with righteous vibes and a world of variety. Visaka is definitely one to watch for the future and long live the carpe evolving into her Dragon self.