Atropolis had envisioned the release for several years, but it only finally came about after a bit of serendipity. He met Yacouba initially at Northeastern University, where Yacouba was a guest performer, and Atropolis was an ethnomusicology student. Five years later chance would bring them back together, when they both performed with Dub-Stuy Soundsystem at a show in Brooklyn. It was there that they agreed to work on this collaboration that melds the traditions of West Africa with the electronic sounds coming out of New York City.