Windowlicker

Wah Wah 45s present the second of two very special cover versions from our beloved Afro-electronic duo, Raz & Afla. Having recently released their sophomore LP, Echoes Of Resistance, to great acclaim and support ranging from Nick Grimshaw on BBC 6 Music to Tash LC on BBC Radio 1, the pair then delivered their unique take of the Richie Havens & Odyssey classic Going Back To My Roots, which received huge praise and support from DJs and tastemakers including Lauren Laverne and Craig Charles on BBC 6 Music.

"It's just one of those ones that you've got to dance when you hear it! It's definitely gonna be in my DJ sets this year, I'll tell you that!" Craig Charles (BBC 6 Music)

"They say, 'We want to give it our own flavour.' Job done!" Lauren Laverne (BBC 6 Music)

The follow up is something of a left turn, tackling Aphex Twin's sleazy and sinister turn-of-the-century dance floor bomb Windowlicker and taking it somewhere completely unexpected, as Raz explains:

"We wanted to go to a different place from our influences for this one. When we told people we will cover this tune everyone said 'but how?!' In Raz & Afla style. We had an idea of what elements to recreate from the original and how we can reference it within our spectrum of sounds. It was so much fun to do and really kicks off at our live shows."

It's a heavily percussive reinterpretation, replete with spooky wordless vocals, funky guitars and spine tingling synths that builds into something of a future Afro-house anthem, whilst respecting the genius of the original recording. And it's not only the music that is paid tribute to, with graphic designer Michael Sallit once again coming up trumps and here using the inspiration of Chris Cunningham's iconic artwork to deliver an equally tongue-in-cheek thing of beauty.

And there's more to come from Raz & Afla in 2025 with an album of remixes and reworks, entitled Remixes Of Resistance, due out this summer.