Emerging from the bustling streets of Yopougon, Toto Le Banzou has quickly become a name to reckon with in the Ivorian music scene. Known for his eclectic influences, which range from Meiway's Zoblazo to DJ Arafat's Coupé Décalé, Toto's journey from a budding football enthusiast to a music sensation is as dynamic as his tunes. His 2020 breakthrough with "Faut Guncher" and collaboration with rap heavyweight...

Listening to Paul Louis Villani's new EP, The Other Side of Silence, feels less like pressing play and more like cracking open a locked diary found in a derelict building. It’s a messy, confrontational, and deeply private affair, where industrial-strength riffs grind against lyrics that feel surgically exposed. Villani doesn't write anthems for crowds; he seems to be recording the dissonant hum of his...