Sinkane music — every note of it — comes straight from a generosity of spirit, and never has that spirit been on more vivid display than on the new album LIFE & LIVIN’ IT. His breakthrough album was a futuristic funk record from Space, appropriately titled MARS, that dealt with feeling like an outsider living on another planet. With his second album, MEAN LOVE, he set out to find a place for himself. And with his new album, LIFE & LIVIN’ IT, he seemed to have found it. SINKANE founder and frontman Ahmed Gallab is no longer searching for his home, he has created a home for himself. There’s a party there, and LIFE & LIVIN’ IT is playing on the stereo. You are invited.

The album draws from the best elements of Sinkane’s previous records: the slinky funk and soul grooves are there, so are the sparkling melodies with roots in sub-Saharan Africa. LIFE & LIVIN’ IT is true to its name: it’s an album about all kinds of experiences, an uplifting album about a universal feeling of soul. “My family emigrated to the United States from Sudan,” Ahmed explains, “and I grew up around a lot of folks who weren’t like me, as an outsider. That’s influenced me and my music immensely, and ultimately, this entire project is my way of connecting with all kinds of people — what better way to start a conversation with someone than by telling them a story about yourself that they can relate to?”

Ahmed Gallab and the band had spread the gospel of Sinkane to the world, playing 166 shows in 20 countries. During the same period, he had also led The Atomic Bomb Band — the highly celebrated 15-piece outfit that played the music of elusive Nigerian electro-funk maestro William Onyeabor. The band included David Byrne, Damon Albarn, members of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Jamie Lidell and legendary jazz musicians Pharoah Sanders and Charles Lloyd, and they played all over the planet, including making their TV debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “Those 14 months really changed my life,” Ahmed says. “Not only did I learn how to put on a bigger show, but all that touring rought SINKANE closer as a band.”