Afriqua

Since launching the Afriqua project in 2011, Adam Longman Parker’s sound has been in a constant state of flux.

An early love affair with Villalobos-school minimal informed his initial releases, which were stripped back, traditionally minimal and utilitarian. Slowly, he grew tired of the rigid limitations of dance music, gaining confidence to draw on his formal education in classical piano and composition to create something mature, musical and accomplished.

Now settled in Berlin, he is busy riding a fertile wave of productivity, perfecting a sound that draws on the city’s 4×4 pulse whilst looking elsewhere to a myriad of sounds and international influences. This period has seen him release two standout records for legendary dance label R&S, earning him consistent gigs at festivals and clubs around the world.

His mix for us begins in downtempo mode, with rolling arpeggiators giving way to lines of polyrhythmic tuned percussion. Later, the groove settles on slow-mo house, tripping broken-beat techno and, eventually, swinging minimal. His style is reminiscent of warm-up maestros Leif and Marco Shuttle, and is the ideal accompaniment to a subdued afternoon in this ongoing sunny spell.

Afriqua plays at Waking Life Festival, Portugal, 15-19 August