Burning Desire features contributions from Earl Sweatshirt, Liv.e, Crumb’s Lila Ramani and more.
American hip-hop fixture MIKE has released a new full-length album.
Burning Desire arrives through the praised MC’s own 10k imprint and boasts contributions from a noteworthy cast of collaborators including Earl Sweatshirt, Liv.e, Crumb singer/guitarist Lila Ramani and more. The album received no official announcement prior to release beyond the appearance of a number of cryptic billboard advertisements that surfaced throughout London and New York City in recent weeks. A blurb describing the newly released album reads:
“Burning Desire by Michael J. Bonema: a dark romantic horror with comedic twists. It tells the tale of a fire deeply rooted in revenge and devastation, masked with an intricate beauty. It begins somewhere along the borders of Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire, the home of the Dan tribe. A mediocre mask carver, kin to the tribe, hails the weight of lackluster dexterity. His masks bring him ridicule amongst the community. With days and months of a building desire to make an impressive mask and to only be met with failed attempts, he grew vengeful. The ceremonial masks are used for dance and are said to be spirits that have manifested themselves as masks. Different masks possess different responsibilities. One day the low self-esteemed mask carver awakes and treads into his living room to be met by a delightful surprise: a very finely carved, wooden mask. One with eyes wiped with white clay. A color that says it is beautiful. Around the chin are leopard teeth. They aren’t real. They’ve been made out of a metal called brass. The teeth remind everyone that the forest where it’s from… is a fierce place.”
Aligning with the album release MIKE has also announced plans to embark upon a comprehensive international tour in 2024 spanning live performances in Europe and North America. Among the dates are concerts held at London’s Cafe OTO, Los Angeles’ Echoplex and New York City’s Webster Hall.
MIKE’s last full-length solo effort Beware Of The Monkey released digitally to widespread praise in 2022. The project received a long-awaited physical release last month. This year also saw MIKE team with Wiki and The Alchemist for the release of a full-length collaborative album entitled Faith Is A Rock.
Stream Burning Desire and view MIKE’s full 2024 tour schedule below.
MIKE 2024 tour dates
27/02 – Dublin, Ireland, The Sound House
28/02 – Lisbon, Portugal, ZDB
29/02 – Braga, Portugal, Gnration
01/03 – Barcelona, Spain, Laut
02/03 – Berlin, Germany, Panke
05/03 – Aarhus, Denmark, VoxHall
07/03 – Stockholm, Sweden, Nalen Klubb
08/03 – Oslo, Norway, Bla
09/03 – Copenhagen, Denmark, DK Rust
12/03 – Tilburg, Netherlands, Hall of Fame
13/03 – Amsterdam, Netherlands, Paradiso Tolhustuin
14/03 – Cologne, Germany, Veedel
15/03 – Brussels, Belgium, Botanique
16/03 – London, England, Cafe OTO
19/03 – Leeds, England, Belgrave Music Hall
20/03 – Glasgow, Scotland, Rum Shack
21/03 – Manchester, England, Band on the Wall
22/03 – Bristol, England, Strange Brew
23/03 – Paris, France, Bourse du Commerce
17/04 – Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer
18/04 – Boston, MA, The Sinclair
19/04 – Montreal, QC, Fairmount Theatre
20/04 – Toronto, ON, Lee’s Palace
21/04 – Cleveland, OH, Grog Shop
24/04 – Detroit, MI, Sanctuary
25/04 – Chicago, IL, Metro
26/04 – Milwaukee, WI, TBA
27/04 – Minneapolis, MN, Underground Music Venue
28/04 – Kansas City, MO, recordBar
30/04 – Denver, CO, Bluebird Theatre
01/05 – Salt Lake City, UT, Soundwell
02/05 – Boise, ID, Treefort Music Hall
03/05 – Seattle, WA, Crocodile
04/05 – Vancouver, BC, The Pearl
05/05 – Portland, OR, TBA
08/05 – San Francisco, CA, The Independent
09/05 – Santa Cruz, Catalyst Atrium
10/05 – Los Angeles, CA, Echoplex
11/05 – Pomona, CA, The Glass House
12/05 – San Diego, CA, Voodoo Room
14/05 – Phoenix, AZ, Crescent Ballroom
15/05 – El Paso, TX, Lowbrow Palace
16/05 – Austin, TX, The Parish
17/05 – Dallas, TX, Sons of Hermann Hall
18/05 – Houston, TX, The Secret Group
19/05 – Baton Rouge, LA, Chelsea’s Live
21/05 – Atlanta, GA, The Masquerade Hell Stage
22/05 – Carrboro, NC, Cat’s Cradle
23/05 – Richmond, VA, The Broadberry
24/05 – Washington, D.C., Union Stage
25/05 – New York, NY, Webster Hall
Words by Sam Wilkinson.
Like this article? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more.
Fruit and Grooves Collective 