Zero is a record that’s simultaneously pointing in every direction at once, and could only have come from London, not because it sounds like any specific scene, but because London is the only city in the world that’s multicultural, connected and creatively restless enough to produce an album this eclectic that also feels coherent. Alewya is based in London and Ethiopian-Egyptian by heritage, and her debut album is a musical tapestry drawn from Middle Eastern modes, African instruments, Jamaican dancehall tradition, trip-hop and classic R&B, all filtered through the subtle and moody club-textured underbelly of the city.

This is some of the most organic and considered club music you will hear this year. The album opens with Simian Mountain which is extremely downbeat, fading away when you expect it to explode, before City of Symbols arrives as the first full song, earthy and gorgeous. Runner is led by the kora with wonderful percussion and an extremely engaging vocal performance while Maktoub is a complete stylistic shift to sparse dancehall, just drums, vocals and loads of attitude. Red Clay Luv is silky, gorgeous R&B, and Night Drive returns to that subtle club music quality. You can nod your head and dance to the music on Zero, but it never quite explodes. Selah has a really insistent groove and a murky bassline, and Gutter has a guitar riff that could have been lifted from Santana. Cairo FM sounds like a disco in the desert, and the beautiful Lingo is built on absolutely stunning flutes. The title track Zero closes the album with enormous power, and a vocal influenced by Jamaican MC tradition with gorgeous strings enveloping everything. Throughout all of this, Alewya’s incredibly proficient voice is the constant. Subtle club music that’s considered and serious but still groovy and great to dance to.