- Nazar shows his softer side.
- Like many of us, Alcides Simoes, AKA Nazar, has spent the past year in a meditative mood. This has partly involved "preparing myself for a post-Guerilla journey," he says, referring to his 2020 album on Hyperdub. Enter Yaera, a new, less aggressive alias. Today's debut single, "Elavoko 1," has some recognisable markings—distortion, cocking guns, a general wooziness—but the atmosphere, at least to begin with, is calm, almost soothing. Coarse synths disturb the peace towards the end, a sign, perhaps, that the coast isn't entirely clear. But the overall message is bright. "Elavoko," after all, means "hope" in Umbundu.