South African multi-disciplinary artist and musician Nakhane has released their new single Tell Me Your Politik featuring Nile Rodgers and Moonchild Sanelly.
A strong departure from Nakhane’s previous work, the song leans more towards pop while fusing elements of choral music and highlife, with a hyper-percussive and polyrhythmic wall of sound incorporating the sounds of South African Gqom and kwaito genres.
Managing to somehow be political and erotic at the same time, Tell Me Your Politik is a call to action demanding that prospective lovers be ideogically aligned before partaking in sexual relations. Fierce, direct and not at all subtle, Nakhane is resolute in the idea that sex is in fact, a political act. “There had been some people I had thought very attractive, but when I got to know them, they revealed themselves to be a little too problematic for me to be intimate with,” the artist says when speaking about the inspiration for the song.
Taking inspiration from the 1999 French army film Beau Travail, the track’s accompanying visuals are set in a world that is aggressive, brutalist and appropriately reflective of the track’s political themes. Directed by Nakhane (in their directorial debut), the video follows a soldier being chastised for transgressing gender boundaries and authority while an army of soldiers are seen performing tight and intense bits of choreography.
Tell Me Your Politik is Nakhane’s first musical endeavor since the release of their second album ‘You Will Not Die’ which was released in 2018, and garnered acclaim and adoration from publications and platforms such as Pitchfork, The New York Times, The Observer, i-D, and many others.
Listen to the fresh new track below: