{"title":"Aho Ssan","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"simulacrum","title":"Simulacrum","description":"\u003cp\u003eInspired in part by French sociologist Jean Baudrillard’s influential text “Simulacres et Simulation,” the record plays with synthesis and simulation, picking apart notions of modulatable, subjective veneers of reality. Informed by his experiences growing up while black in the French suburbs, Niamké, turns a critical gaze towards facades of inclusivity and equality, and how they diverge from lived experiences of discrimination and racism in France. Sonically, \u003ci\u003eSimulacrum\u003c\/i\u003e departs from ventures through Sun Ra and Afrofuturist music, as Aho Ssan dreams up new journeys and visions. Wanting to collaborate with a jazz musician but unable to find one, he turned to building patches in Max\/MSP to create simulations of them. The Mensah Imaginary Band features on tracks “Blind Power” and “We Don’t Have to Worry Anymore.” Taking shape across Max objects and patch cables, the ensemble takes its name from Niamké’s trumpet player grandfather Mensah Antony, who led a Ghanaian band in Ivory Coast in the 1950s and acted as a conductor at the country’s famed Abissa Festival. Aho Ssan, who never met Antony and has no access to recordings or information about his musical career, speculates on his musical heritage. Aho Ssan debuted \u003ci\u003eSimulacrum\u003c\/i\u003e at Berlin Atonal 2019. After studying graphic design and cinema, he started composing electronic music and creating his own digital instruments. Shortly thereafter Niamké went on to win the Foundation France television prize for his soundtrack to the 2015 film “D’Ingha Mago,” and has since worked on several projects affiliated with IRCAM. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Subtext Recordings","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50466463908171,"sku":"1133614","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/bc80fb1b-e975-4bb1-809b-1990dff15c99_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727313997"},{"product_id":"the-sun-turned-black","title":"The Sun Turned Black","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAho Ssan is the stage name of Désiré Nianké. Based in Paris, Aho Ssan has been active for 10 years and has established himself in recent years as a key figure at the crossroads of experimental electronic music, sound research, and contemporary music. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eActive for a decade, Aho Ssan first won the France Television Foundation Award for his soundtrack for the film Ingha Mago in 2015. He subsequently worked on several projects related to IRCAM\/GRM in France. In 2020, he released his first LP, \u003cem\u003eSimulacrum\u003c\/em\u003e, on the British label Subtext Records, followed by \u003cem\u003eLimen\u003c\/em\u003e (2022) in collaboration with the artist KMRU, and \u003cem\u003eRhizomes\u003c\/em\u003e in 2023 on Nicolas Jaar's Other People label, featuring prestigious names such as Moor Mother, Angel Bat Dawid, clipping., Blackhaine, and others. In 2025, he created the collaborative project “Ego Death” with cellist Resina, again on Subtext Records. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHe has performed on numerous stages across Europe and the United States, including Lincoln Center (New York), La Maison de la Radio (Paris), Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), and Krakow Philharmonic (Krakow). He also participates in festivals such as Atonal Berlin, CTM, Hyperweekend, Rewire, Sonic Acts, Musica and more. In 2024, at the request of Autechre, Aho Ssan opened for the British duo at Le Trianon in Paris. On April 11, he will perform at the Philharmonie de Paris as the opening act for Caterina Barbieri. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAho Ssan's practice could be defined as a highly precise sound sculpture, where massive flows of digital synthesis disintegrate into raw textures to explore the themes of identity and chaos.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Sun Turned Black\u003c\/em\u003e is the result of research initiated during Aho Ssan's recent trip to Ghana, the land of his origins. Deeply inspired by this environment, the musician experimented on site using raw sound materials and field recordings. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTwo sensations left a lasting impression on Aho Ssan. First, the Ghanaian experience appeared to him, in his own words, as a magnificent organized chaos, in the splendor and majesty of noise. This saturation fuels and confirms the noisy, grainy aesthetic that Aho Ssan has cultivated since his beginnings. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSecond, this trip brought the artist's questioning of identity to the forefront. The feeling of not having an obvious place in the world is reflected in his music through a rejection of polarity, of a center of gravity, of a fixed system. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn the months following his trip, Aho Ssan received a commission from Maison de la Radio for the “Hyperweekend” festival and met violinist ASIA, with whom he created the immersive work “100 Soleils,” the first draft of “The Sun Turned Black.” \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAho Ssan, by imposing technical constraints on himself, has crafted a free and original album at the crossroads between ambient and electroacoustic music. Among other things, he has banned percussive elements and offers a sonic dialogue with ASIA's violin. This framework allows the artist to subvert the codes of the genre with a certain jubilation. An attitude that is as much playful as it is commentary. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith \u003cem\u003eThe Sun Turned Black\u003c\/em\u003e, the artist abandons all reference to a philosophical concept and chooses a more poetic evocation to let the music speak for itself. The titles of the successive tracks metaphorically evoke the trajectory of the sun, from its rise to this ambiguous event: the sun has turned black. Eclipse, twilight, or metamorphosis? \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ici D'Ailleurs \/ Subtext Recordings","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56919905599819,"sku":"R9127-2157","price":31.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":56919905632587,"sku":"R9127-0744","price":17.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Screenshot_2026-03-30_at_21.35.13.png?v=1774903001"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/aho-ssan.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}