Born from Peckham’s tangled streets and an imagination keen to distort, discomfort and entice is the sound of Sam Akpro. Sparked equally by the borderless sonic contortions of Yves Tumor as he is the extreme post-rock manipulations of Slint and the kitchen-sink observations of Hak Baker, there is a depth here – and a sense of discernment – that belies his twenty-four years.
Dive into his 2021 debut EP, Drift, and you will hear propulsive post-rock that’ll grab you by the collar, a mutant orchestra of strings and distorted electronics that pass like a dark, unsettling cloud. The scale of Akpro’s ambition caught the ear of Wu-Lu, Shame and 404 Guild who welcomed him to open their performances across South London, inheriting new listeners and a burgeoning reputation with his fusion of no-wave, jazz and funk.
Lauded last year as Best Acts of The Great Escape (NME) and a Rising Star of 2024 nomination (The Face), Sam Akpro kicked off the new year on his new worldwide label home ANTI- with his A-listed BBC radio hit ‘Death By Entertainment’. With a performance on the last edition of Pitchfork Festival Paris, Green Man Festival and Outbreak Fest where he shared a bill with Death Grips and Denzel Curry, Sam Akpro is raring to shift his momentum into a new gear. His debut album will be out in January 2025 on ANTI.
