Akinnubi Sumbola Omowunmi is developing her professional practice in the field, engaging in multivalent ways with music production and mixing, engineering, and performance. Her authorial and engineering contributions to Melakusi, Bajeola, Dance, Forever, Osha Pra Pra, Update and Format, as well as her performance in No Mad Friends in Birmingham, are all a testament to her versatility as a music creator.
It is particularly worth noting how her production and mixing work facilitate the sonic content of the performances. In many ways, mixing is the final statement of a musical piece, and Omowunmi’s contributions to Dance, Melakusi – DJ Edit and Forever, in particular, have resulted in these pieces obtaining tens of thousands of streams each. This demonstrates her significant imprint on the final product, which has provided the music with the ability to reach a large audience.
Furthermore, her production work on Update and Format indicates that she is not only invested in the technical side of music production but also has a vision for the performing aspect of her work. This versatility is what enables her to participate in the production process in various ways and gives her music a unique sound.
Melakusi, in turn, indicates that Omowunmi has a comprehensive understanding of the dance-music connection. Particularly noteworthy is the DJ edit and dance-floor-oriented production, which has the capacity to bring out the rhythmic content of the piece. Furthermore, her work on No Mad Friends in Birmingham indicates that she is also able to bring her producing and mixing talents to a live setting.
Finally, it is worth mentioning her practice in context, specifically the Nigerian–UK music scene. In her work in Birmingham, she actively engages in the diasporic context, but her music is also informed by Nigerian contemporary music and connects to a wider African music production network. It follows that her work, both in production and performance, is inherently multifaceted and multicontextual. Overall, her practice is testimonial to the contemporary African music production network.
The evidence provided indicates that her work has had a substantial impact, including her performance in Birmingham; all her work has been streamed thousands of times, and some of her pieces have received critical acclaim in the press. However, it is also evident that her work has been integral to the production of pieces that have since resonated with a large audience. Perhaps the only way her practice could be improved is by developing a more distinct sonic fingerprint, one that would allow her to have a more recognisable authorial presence.
Overall, it is evident that Omowunmi is an emerging music producer who is becoming more versatile in her production talents. She has a strong technical understanding of mixing and production and has demonstrated her aptitude for performance. Furthermore, her work resonates within a larger context and has been received favourably by critics and the public. It follows that her professional practice is one that has the potential for continued impact within the Nigerian–UK music scene.
