Mandela Effect (album)

This is his second remix album after 2010 The Caliph's Tea Party. His collaborators include underground hop-hop group Shabazz Palaces, Daddy G from Massive Attack and Nigerian percussionist Tony Allen. The album contains 16 tracks—remixes from his previous album Callus as well as several originals and collaborations.

The album title refers to the phenomenon of collective misremembering of details, facts, or events. False memories can sometimes be shared by multiple unconnected people.[5][6] In 2010, this was dubbed the "Mandela Effect" by self-described "paranormal consultant" Fiona Broome, in reference to a false memory she reported of the death of South African leader Nelson Mandela in the 1980s (who was at the time still alive), which she claimed was shared by "perhaps thousands" of other people.[7][8][9] Other such examples include memories of the Berenstain Bears' name previously being spelled as Berenstein,[10][11] and of a 1990s movie titled Shazaam starring comedian Sinbad as a genie.[5]

At Metacritic, that assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on four reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[1]

Andy Cush of Spin stated "Gonjasufi’s psychedelic blasts of bass and spiritual noise have always been disorienting–the kind of music that might impels you to check your headphone jack to make sure everything is plugged in correctly, or is it really supposed to sound like that? Now, he’s applying his off-kilter sensibility to release formats as well... The name is probably instructive in terms of how Gonjasufi wants The Mandela Effect to be received: as a relic from another reality that diverges from Callus in some ways but reflects it in others. Trippy."[12] Paul Carr of PopMatters added "It is incredibly difficult to make remix albums hang together well and Mandela Effect is no different. There is a distinct absence of flow to the album as each reinterpretation proves to be so radically different. Nonetheless, each guest adds something memorable with certain songs arguably more powerful than the originals. Impressively, the whole thing retains the angular peril and stifling claustrophobia of the original but with slightly more light and shade. As an alternate version of his Callous album, it is one well worth remembering."[4]

Paul Simpson of AllMusic commented "Mandela Effect is certainly more varied than Callus (which, like all Gonjasufi releases, is a heady mix of styles itself), and while it isn't exactly lighter or more listener-friendly, it often seems to get its messages across in more intriguing ways".[2] Nathan Westley of The Line of Best Fit noted "At its heart, Mandela Effect is an exploration of texture, something mdae most evident on the abstract hip hop which lays at the burning central core of Shabazz Palaces' reworked version of "Afrikan Spaceship" – a track centred around an intermittent bass-driven rhythm and motorcycle samples. King Britt's take on the same song however sees it arrive in a dub-touched trenchcoat. In all, it's pretty confusing. But with Mandela Effect, Gonjasufi has created a truly stimulating album that will be quite unlike any other released this year."[3]

• Gonjasufi – composer, mixing, producer
• Pearl Thompson – guitar
• Tony Allen – featured artist
• Beth Gibbons – composer

• Official website