X3M Ideas Exhibits Unusual Talents at ‘The Xperiment’ Listening Party

Iyke Bede

As the sun dipped below the horizon, with a build-up of traffic along Admiralty Way, Lekki Phase 1, scores of music lovers and critics streamed into the Mood Lagos, a fancy rooftop bar, evincing palpable excitement in anticipation for the listening party of a one-of-a-kind album, ‘The Xperiment’.

While most album listening parties have a common defining feature — a traditional artiste or band, this unusual album assembles a team of young creatives culled from the staff directory of creative agency X3M Ideas. Although perceived as rookies with over 70 per cent of the contributing act making their recording debut, they managed to woo and impress guests with the final body of work.

A compilation of eight tracks that runs for 24 minutes, ‘The Xperiment’ features nine creative minds who traverse the expansive scope of the modern-day afro-fusion genre, to deliver pockets of head-bopping bangers paired with laid-back mid-tempo songs that showcase authentic penmanship. 

Throughout the album, they were able to express different emotions: ‘Broken No More’ is a deeply introspective track that alludes to melodic Rap of the ‘90s that is often backed by female vocalists. On an edgier note, the upbeat, 2000s-esque ‘Flex’  served as the night opener. It follows a similar path as ‘Broken No More’, except with more torque. 

Touted as the night’s best, ‘Soco’, a feel-good, traditional afrobeats joint with a catchy chorus rendered in pidgin, could easily fit into the discographies of the likes of Davido and Wizkid. 

However, nothing comes close to mirroring the spirit of millennials and Gen Zs present than ‘Tanana’. It had them mouthing, and singing to the satirical lyrics reminiscent of afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. More specifically, it bears the signature style of Falz, who has also capitalised on the artistry of the Kuti to produce music for the contemporary palate.

The writing process was deeply personal, as revealed by each contributor. To express the communal spirit that informs the culture of  X3M, the house was shut down with a cypher performance of ‘X Cypher’, marking the close of the listening party. It was the sole performance.

Seated in the crowd witnessing the entire expression were Kennis Music Boss, Kenny Ogungbe, and Steve Babaeko who doubles as CEO of X3M Ideas and producer of ‘The Xperiment’. Babaeko recalled the year-long journey of producing the album seeded by the idea of initially producing one track. He also noted that the plug on the album was almost pulled on different occasions as it was put on the back burner in favour of servicing clients.

Regardless, Babaeko asserted that the drive to put out the album never died, especially with the outfit’s imminent 10th anniversary. “Creativity is the only thing we know how to do. That creative energy can take any turn and any direction,” he concluded.