From Lagos to Accra, Afropop and digital Afrobeats are still flooding the African charts. In just 10 years Juls has scored some huge hits for the genre’s stars – Mr Eazi, Wizkid, and Burna Boy to name but a few. The productions he creates from his London studio are unlike any other. Some of the guitars or saxophones might sound cheesy at times, but it’s all to soften that hard bass. His rhythms feature percussion and drums machines in unique combinations and are inspired as much by J. Dilla as by Tony Allen.
Born in 1985 to Ghanaian parents in Hackney in East London, Julian Nicco-Annan grew up between two continents and his first demos sampled C.K. Mann’s LPs. He knows his highlife roots and also borrows vibes from the British neo soul scene (“Blessed”), New York boom bap in the style of Mos Def (“Dollas and Cents” feat. TOBi), Kingston dancehall and Johannesburg kwaito. All in all he creates a powerful mix of all that is London in the 21st century. This is also his recipe for success, and has allowed the producer to establish himself as one of the diaspora’s leading lights in music as he plays with clichés in order to create his own rules.
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