Byron Biroli

Ugandan-born, London-based songwriter Byron Biroli takes inspiration from old and new music from across the African continent. Biroli developed his sound on a return trip to his native Uganda, where he took traditional music lessons from Albert Ssempeke, one of the last royal Ugandan musicians playing traditional Baganda music before the rise of Idi Amin, who would outlaw it.

This important background helps to understand what emerges—gorgeous melodies and a curiously warm, vulnerable vocal sit upon flighty, glitchy electronic instrumentals with flecks of East African guitar. His productions and instrumentals compellingly mix this legacy with experimental time signatures and soul music—a new iteration of the soul genre that Byron terms Noir Wave.

Incorporating phrasing and rhythms adapted from his time learning music in East Africa, Byron conjures a metropolitan cynicism with a gloriously freeform musical palette. His songs are occasionally immediate and sometimes more hard to reach as they often don't sit in a recognizable genre.

Byron’s influences and music live in a resurgent lane of Western musicians exploring global music: Major Lazer, Tune-Yards, Petite Noir, Vampire Weekend. With his soaringly inventive and beautiful first offerings, Byron cements his new sound and status as a searing new talent.