Artist: Ammoye & Rise Ashen
Catalog # BCD2010-21
Format: CD & digital
Release Date September 17, 2010
File Under: Dancehall, house, dub, electronic
On their first joint full length Ammoye and Rise Ashen conjure Haffi Win, a futuristic alchemy of dancehall, hip hop, house and dub. Released on Canada’s Balanced Records, Haffi Win is a deep, soulful journey and quest for self-actualization and empowerment. It tells the story of personal choices and their consequences, and how we can either be conquered by challenges, or we can surmount them. An ode to the momentum behind the brave decision to move on, Haffi Win celebrates honouring our own existence by believing, with humility, that we have a unique contribution to make.
Haffi Win fuses Rise Ashen’s powerful urban beats and dramatic melodies with Ammoye’s vivid narrative of growing up in Jamaica. The smoothness of Ammoye’s voice draws listeners in and the power of her lyrics enchants, as she effortlessly sings about life, love, and justice. Haffi Win is both smooth and rough, sometimes threatening and always bassy. A textured album, Ashen’s layering includes not only instruments, beats and vocals but the emotions evoked from sirens, soccer games, and street violence. Showing vulnerabilities, courage and soul, Haffi Win explores feminine strength and the human desire to manifest ones’ self through Ashen’s tight beats and Ammoye’s ill vocals, with an aftertaste of the island.
