Revisiting Classics: Juls' Leap of Faith

Music as an art is an element of rave. A tireless scour for the perfect blend of sounds to somehow tickle the pleasure centres of the body. It is a tasking process, and in a world that has outgrown its attention span, the demand for creativity and experimentation has never been higher.

Juls’ Leap of Faith was dropped without much commercial fanfare – atleast in Nigeria -- back in 2016. Comprised of 9 songs and a delectable group of featured personalities some might argue to be the alté crowd, it cut across and beyond geographical boundaries. As is traditional Afrobeats, he drew inspiration from Ghana, Nigeria and regions circa West Africa and finds an enthusiastic audience home and abroad --- especially in the UK.

Afrobeats gained its entrance into the world’s stage with Ojuelegba, Wizkid’s ode to an iconic citadel in Lagos. Although it might be argued by some that Afrobeats’ entrance was made with Wizkid’s One Dance feature on Drake’s Views project-- but regardless of what side of the argument you fall on, it is quite definite that Afrobeats currently holds the combination that fascinates the world right now.

The EP starts with a syncopated banjo pattern on My Wave as a homage to traditional African music and the song ends with a high-life sans saxophone solo that really reflects post-colonial African music. This feel is maintained throughout the tape. In fact, his low-frequency rumble kick recurs throughout the project, providing a cornerstone of the kind of music we are getting as every track rolled into play.

Juls isn’t afraid to allow his guitars, saxophones, and trumpets usher out tracks with solos and this sprinkles a lot of colour on the project. Over the years, we have been predisposed to programmed sequences and loops forming the bedrock of our music and these displays of individuality in the songs bring quite a breath of fresh air and brilliance to the table.

Temperature Rising added a little bit of diversity to the body of work as Juls experimented with a hybrid of Afrobeats and rap. Employing a phat, resounding kick with slight Shekere and some DJ scratches expected from a New York Jockey. Kojey Radical, on this cut, delivered a befitting rap verse with a staccato flow that just brimmed of arrogance.

The songwriting would leave a lot to be desired if you are used to Post Dylan Poetry in music. However, understanding the terrain and the footsteps of legends in the past—I started to see the beauty in the simplicity of the words and topics broached. Topics which were founded in the same hedonistic or romantic roots as old African renditions -- of course, the artistes gave off a modern perspective but the foundation remained solid.

Eji Owuro also took a step away from the upbeat stride the album had hit, managing to strike a balance between Afrobeats and the traditional alternative that seems to be Moelogo’s forte.

Juls’ Leap of Faith is a deliberate body of work and it definitely shows. It features quite a delectable roster of fresh voices in the scene and he successfully plays to their strengths. Juls created an atmosphere his invited guests excelled at and then infuses elements of his sound within it, creating enjoyable experimental music, a reality only a few artistes have achieved.

Leap of Faith is a bold statement and a definitive moment in the evolution of Afrobeats--- and he did it without the popular names. With this project, he managed to perfect his sound, create a thriving environment for diverse artistes and still brought them under one genre. Truly, if ever there was a study on what modern Afrobeats sounded like, Leap of Faith should be the thesis of choice.

Buy Leap of Faith