Ahmed Gollab is a Sudanese ex-pat, who writes, records and performs under the moniker of Sinkane, with his frequent collaborator and childhood friend Greg Lofaro, along with bandmates jaytram (drums), Ish Montgomery (bass) and Jonny Lam (guitar). And as the group has developed a reputation for slickly produced, danceable synth pop with subtle nods to his native country that in some way would put Gollab and his band in the Afro-futurist movement with acts that include Kenya’s Just A Band and others. 

“Hold Tight,” is the first single from Sinkane’s forthcoming DFA Records  release, Mean Love possesses a sensual and slow-burning, soulful groove that brings to mind both Sade and WBLS’s Quiet Storm-era R&B of the 80s, as Gollab’s vocals express an achingly, urgent vulnerability and need – and in a way that evokes  tangled bodies in crumpled sheets; of skin upon skin and fingers tracing your lover’s name on their skin as they sleep.