Space Afrika X Crack Magazine

An artist portfolio for CRACK magazine focused on rising star Space Afrika.

On a huge increase in popularity of the music created by enigmatic duo Space Afrika, we were approached by Joshua Inyang to pull together a full production for CRACK MAGAZINE in just under a week. His motivation for the project was to pay homage to some of his more less documented grime musical influences, whilst maintaining the futuristic, progressive style found within their sound. In anticipation for the release of the duo’s new LP ‘Honest Labour’, an experimental genre-spanning collection of cryptic transmissions, interludes, and asides (Pitchfork, 2021), this feature served as a way for the group to announce their musical identity in a way that much like their music, keeps the audience guessing.

With all of this in mind, we scouted locations around the outskirts of Joshua's home city Manchester, searching for gritty landscapes and disused buildings that we could manipulate and transform into the client's vision. It was decided for the project that we would exclusively use natural light to ensure we did not displace the subject from the surroundings.

The project was shared both in print and online in issue 121 of CRACK Magazine in July, 2021. Due to the boundaries posed by covid, the work was accompanied by photos taken in Berlin off of the other half of Space Afrika by Kurt Heiter. The client also shared the work via numerous instagram posts and used the photos for additional magazine features before and after the LP release.