Space Afrika

Mist, sirens, and concrete from the northwest

This is not waterfall or retreat ambient. Space Afrika builds inner-city atmosphere: sirens, static, Manchester rain, and half-heard voices, an emotional dub techno that translates the concrete of northwest England. The duo—childhood friends for over twenty years—began releasing in 2014 on Where To Now? with Above The Concrete / Below The Concrete, an initial map of post-industrial architecture filtered through smoke, delay, and club music.

From hypnotic loops to urgent mixtapes

Primrose Avenue (2015) and Somewhere Decent To Live (2018, sferic) refined that abstraction into glitch and obsessive loops. The turning point came in 2020 with hybtwibt? (have you been through what I’ve been through?), a collage of drones, protests, and monologues born in the heat of the George Floyd murder. Pitchfork and Bandcamp placed it among the best ambient releases of the year; proceeds were donated to causes linked to Black Lives Matter, Black Minds Matter UK, and the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust.

Honest Labour, the record that opened the map

In 2021 they signed with Dais Records and released Honest Labour: nineteen pieces of strings, guitar, rap, and cosmic downtempo. The title recalls a patriarch from the Nigerian branch of the family. Resident Advisor named it album of the year; DJ Mag, album of the month. The Guardian, Crack, and The Quietus backed it. With Blackhaine, Bianca Scout, or LA Timpa, the duo—now split between Manchester and Berlin—moved beyond their initial dub-techno framework. DJ Mag nominated them for Best Live Act and Best Album; Mixmag placed them among the top fifteen live acts of 2022.

Dancefloors, museums, and cinema

The live scene took them to MUTEK, Unsound, Berlin Atonal, Southbank, HKW, Gladstone Gallery, and Lafayette Anticipations. On NTS Radio, they maintain a monthly show of ambient, dub, and leftfield. In 2023 they signed with Warp Publishing, scored Dior's haute couture for Spring-Summer 2023, and released A Grisaille Wedding with Rainy Miller, featuring Mica Levi and Coby Sey. Cinema became another stage: the short film Untitled (To Describe You) with Tibyan Mahawah Sanoh; Pacific Club by Valentin Noujaïm, mentioned at CPH:DOX and nominated for a César; and Opera Omnia, premiered at the Fondation Cartier and taken to Factory International and the ICA in London with the Manchester Camerata. In 2025, they showcased visual work at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the CCA Berlin, and Armani Silos.

Quiet Storm, at the gates

On September 25, 2026, comes Quiet Storm (Dais), their fourth studio album: trip-hop, jazz, contemporary classical, and techno, with cover art and title by artist Glenn Ligon and guests such as Axelle Fanyo, Klein, Tony Njoku, and Deuén. The single If This Is Hell opens the cycle. Today, the duo is available as a LIVE / DJ act with the Berlin agency Higher Ground, pushing British Black music toward dancefloors, museums, and venues where it wasn't previously taken for granted.