THE JOURNAL
llustration by Jalcalara, Colagene, Creative Clinic
If you’re familiar with London’s up-and-coming music and fashion scene, chances are you’ve heard of Mr Alex Sossah. Operating behind the scenes, he’s worn many different hats – signing A$AP Rocky, Mr Travis Scott and Theophilus London to Next Models to spearheading the marketing strategy for French collective PPP (Pigalle/Pain O Chocolat/Le Pompon) and leading Nike’s special projects. In 2017, he brought his talents together under one creative umbrella, Metallic Inc. The multidisciplinary studio, which he founded alongside Ms Grace Ladoja, has bases in London and Lagos and oversees the creative partnerships for grime artist Skepta, designer Mowalola and Nigerian collective Motherlan among others.
As the brains behind memorable parties at global fashion weeks and Art Basel Miami, Sossah’s impressive resumé comes with an extensive musical knowledge. Therefore, we asked him to curate the ultimate end-of-summer playlist – a mix to ease you back into grind mode or, perhaps, to keep you bopping on your next holiday.
“I’ve been spending my summers between Ibiza and Formentera for the past 15 years, and the two islands pretty much sum up my summer vibe. The uptempo, social and fashionable energy of Ibiza are balanced out by the hippie beach life of Formentera,” he says. “This playlist is a representation of that energy, starting with electronic songs, moving into amapiano and Afrobeats, making a pit stop with a few reggae tracks and ending on dreamy indie tracks and cinematographic R&B.”
MR ALEX SOSSAH’S TOP FIVE TRACKS
1. “Feeling” by &Me, Rampa and Mr Adam Port
“Perfect track to start vibing on the way to Circoloco at DC10.”
2. “Tanzania” by Uncle Waffles and Mr Tony Duardo
“One of my favourite amapiano track this year – Uncle Waffles is probably one of the most entertaining and talented emerging DJs.”
3. “Peace Be Unto You” by Asake
“This track remind me of Lagos’ amazing energy.”
4. “Revolution” by Mr Dennis Brown
“Nothing like a classic reggae track to feel like summer again if you’ve already gone back to work and to the city life.”
5. “Solo” by Mr Frank Ocean
“This is one of my favourite tracks of all time.”