Chromesthesia: The Colour of Sound Vol. 1
From Rio to Cairo, Miami to Kampala, Chromesthesia explores the audiopolitics of diaspora, tracing the migratory soundscapes of The Global Mangrove Archipelago. Dancehall, Baile Funk, Amapiano, Dembow, Mahragan, and Raptor House—these intergenerational sounds of displacement and resistance define today’s global rhythms.
Founded by British-Egyptian historian Hannah Elsisi, Chromesthesia—”the colour of sound”—maps afro-diasporic music across centuries of migration and creolization. Its debut compilation assembles global icons like Sho Madjozi, Nick León, Deena Abdelwahed, Kelman Duran, LYZZA, and others, charting the influence of African-descended musicking on contemporary electronic music.
Over the past two decades, genres like Afrobeat, Dancehall, Reggaeton, Baile Funk, and Mahragan have dominated global charts, their roots embedded in migratory histories. From the Caribbean mangroves to the Mexican Gulf and across the Atlantic, African rhythms evolved through forced and voluntary migrations, shaping the music of the world’s colonial metropoles.
Chromesthesia connects these rhythms to the shared global experiences of war, climate change, economic collapse, and displacement. It questions who controls these sounds, how music intersects with rights, and what belonging means in a globalized soundscape.
Elsisi frames politics through sound: “Chromesthesia examines the power to be heard—singing, drumming, dancing—as a form of resistance. Music, beyond permission, archives political power, joy, and liberation.” The project amplifies the mangrove world’s rhythms as a testament to resilience, demanding they be heard LOUD.
