RADR Premiere: Toyin Ores’ New Project, Anesthetic, Is A Seamless Dance Between Genres

Toyin Ores is an Afro-fusion artist who grew up in Lagos, spent his college years in the United States, and is now based in Ikeja, Lagos.

A mixture of backgrounds in the realest senses of the phrase – Toyin Ores who is half-Nigerian and half-Ghanaian was born and raised in Lagos with influences from Nigerian, Ghanaian, and British culture. Now he is a self-proclaimed “ Baby Boy ” whose style is best described as ”Naija Boy wey go Cali”.

Before starting college on the East Coast his first stop was on the West Coast, in Tracy, CA. While in Cali, he started producing for artists like OG and the BAND collective, and by the time he was a first-year student at Penn State University, he had gotten fully immersed in music production and sound engineering.

When anyone interacts with Toyin Ores, they are able to feel a fun, electric atmosphere around the

25-year old sound bender. One that is true to his life and being. It is plain to see that he views music as an extension of himself, his freest form of expression, and his safest space. 

One thing he spoke about during his interview with Radr was how he releases music when it feels right. The artiste shared that he made Quick Splash in about two hours but it took more than a year to make the  Sequels track. 

 Through Anesthetic, his newest project,  you are able to get a glimpse of just why that is.

Anesthetic, aptly titled, is Toyin Ores’ first full-length release under AMG x EMPIRE. During his interview with Radr, the ariste also talked about how he tried to make songs not just from the male perspective but also from the female perspective.

The project shows the listener the aesthetic of Toyin Ores’ life as he has returned from the states and is now based on the Lagos Mainland. Pursuing his dreams with the special constraints that the city can put on a dreamer.

On the other hand, it serves as a sort of anesthesia for anyone who presses play on the project and takes in the full dose from start to finish.

Toyin Ores creates music with a unique blend of drill influences, street music influences and traditional rap to create the afro-fusion excellence that is his own sound. 

The opening song, Quick Splash, gives the listener a taste of exactly the kind of versatility Toyin Ore will be bringing to this project. The artiste moves seamlessly on the drill beat between British style rap and a Yoruba hook. The beat and pacing of the song is a guaranteed hit.

Sequels, another song on this project is a club banger with fast-paced beats and strategic beat drops. Toyin Ores draws influence heavily from quintessential afrobeats music and dancehall reggae. The result is a song that will leave listeners bobbing their heads.

FANTA. Ft NU, is an addictive track with its fast hook and steel drum beats. The artiste’s raspy, deep voice makes the song a relaxing, yet delightful listen, capturing the attention of any listener. 

Another interesting listen on this project is the interlude, What happens in Senegal. The entire shot song is a phone conversation in French between two women, which will be hard for us English speakers to understand. In his talk with Radr, the artiste explains how the conversation is about him, the caller’s love interest, and how she doesn’t think it’ll work out because he goes to school in Dubai but she lives in Senegal. The foreign language basically wraps their interaction in mystery making listeners more aware of the exoticness of their love connection. 

The ending song, Toxic ft Shalom Dubas, incorporates the same seamlessness between music styles. However, this song is steeped in emotion, punctuated by ad-libs and the harmony of the voices of both artistes. Shalom Dubas’ vocals are smooth and full, a pleasant contrast to her rap on the same song. While talking with Radr, Toyin Ore shares how this song is about knowing someone isn’t good for you and having to choose yourself in that situation even though you really want them. It’s a relatable song about the complexities of relationships. 

One thing that stands out about this project is that though the songs explore different areas of afro fusion, the project does not lack replay value, in fact, every listen is just as pleasant as the first.

Toyin Ore’s does not accomplish this feat on his own. Ushering in some underground artists from his Penn State days such as: Gaël, Angie On Mars, and Yoshi; Coupled with stand out tracks like Fanta (feat. NU), Conflict, Calling (feat. Yoshi), and the idiosyncratic closer, Toxic (feat. Shalom Dubas); Toyin Ores creates a project exploring many facets of not music itself but also the extent of his personal sound. 

Anesthetic is a project that will unfailingly capture ears and eyes for the rest of this precarious year and more time to come. 

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Betty Godson

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