You Are Essential is the inaugural release by record label No Sé discos which is founded by Chicago Latinx genre blurring art pop group Allá. Allá achieved critical success with their 2008 masterpiece Es Tiempo (Pitchfok 7.9) released on legendary Belgian label Crammed Discs. Crammed Discs also released the EP 2009 Digs which Allá took on The Residents, Terry Riley and Kanye West. Next they appeared alongside Animal Collective, Juana Molina and Boredoms Eye on the remix compilation Tradi-Mods vs Rockers. They performed with artists from all over the musical spectrum St. Vincent, Ximena Sariñana, Ana Tijoux and performed at 2010s Pitchfork Music Festival. Even with all the glowing reviews and opportunities abound, Allá felt the pains of the record industry, their music too ahead of its time possibly, too anglo for latinx audiences to Latinx for Anglo audiences?

Since then Allá have tirelessly experimented with their follow up to Es Tiempo recording hours worth of material while blending back to everyday life as grocery workers as they did before. Then 2020 came and Allá found themselves in the front lines of the pandemic. Tired, exhausted, exposed and isolated feeling the searing inequality of being Latinx essential workers as well as feeling less connected with what they love the most, creating. Deciding on the independent path after zero interest from record labels and knowing the only way to truly feel they are being represented authentically is by representing themselves. But they would soon find out if they were not alone. Longtime friends rapper Chicago CHEBAKA and London’s Nayfo were in the exact same place. They were people of color who were artists, independent artists and essential workers. They were all at different levels in their artist lives, some had released music, some hadn’t, some toured, some only played locally or never at all. But what they had in common was a shared sense of purpose to share their craft, their work amongst so much uncertainty to create a community. A community of artists jus like them, free of privilege and full of effort. So, Allá went to work, deciding they would return to music not alone but a part of a growing collective of black and brown essential artists. Thus, No Sé (don’t know) was born.

As an artist-run label No Sé Discos is committed to releasing and empowering black and brown art. Naturally it made sense to introduce No Sé as a compilation You Are Essential featuring two songs from avant soul artist Nayfo (UK), Chicago shapeshifting rapper CHEBAKA as well as the first new music from Allá in over 10 years.

Artists

Nayfo - London born multi-instrumentalist, producer and pop deconstructionist Nayfo creates uncompromising music that’s both challenging and inspiring. His range and commitment to his art is breathtaking. Nayfo caught the attention of producer Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio and was invited to write and perform on Siteks 2010’s Maximum Balloon which featured David Byrne and Little Dragon. Still relatively unknown (for now), Nayfo’s art and vision is fully-formed. He has been incredibly prolific and sits on a Prince-esque horde of tracks waiting to see the light of day. Drawing comparison to the likes of Scott Walker, David Bowie and AR Kane. Nayfo’s mastery of melody and groove make his jaunts into weirdness more satisfying. Music nerds will wonder “who is this? And how have I never heard of it?” Well get prepared, you’ve heard of him now.

Allá - pronounced (ah-yah) Chicago’s Latinx shape shifting, avant-pop trio, whose trail blazing debut album Es Tiempo (released on legendary Belgium label Crammed Discs, 2008) garnered worldwide acclaim and a growing cult following are back and re-energized with a new sound and a mission. The sonically ambitious trio have launched their own record label No Sé Discos.

CHEBAKA - An emotional luchadore on the west side of chicago, the masked Chicano rapper and children’s author is a brown man on a mission. A veteran of the Chicago hip hop scene having lent his verses on dozens of releases as well as his own self-released albums. In February 2021, Chebaka premiered Everything Will Be Streamed, an hour-long visual album in conjunction with the National Museum of Mexican Art Mini Concierto series. Everything Will Be Streamed, produced in collaboration with kindred spirits Allá, is a modern, urban, lo-fi, psychedelic journey through his songs shot guerilla style all around the southside of Chicago. Chebaka is currently working on his first album for Allá’s label No Sé Discos. .