Tika Riot

Tika Riot (TEE-ka) is a rock band from Osarius, known for their fusion style which integrates elements of punk, thrash, and hip hop, while also incorporating various elements of Cobre musical styles – such as Djelibeat, and Rigogo – into their music.

The band's lead singer, Kenezi "Kenny" Cironesi, explains the name as an expression meaning "imminent revolution", as "tika" in Cobre creole can mean something is not far away in terms of time or space.

Background and History

Kenny Cironesi and Daniele Scarponi attended the same school in Galata, Fourge, and met in music class, where Kenny played keyboard, and Daniele played the drums. The two later formed a hip hop duo, known as Assassini Bicolore, and would release their music independently on the streaming site SkyTunes. During the course of their activity on SkyTunes, they struck up a friendship with Francesco Broglia, a semi-popular guitarist on the platform, from Pareille. The three all went on to study at Firewood Technical College, where they met Christian Carbonnier, a bassist, and the quartet formed a rap-metal band known as Rivolta.

The band had a little local success, playing small venues in Firewood – mostly student bars and other colleges and universities – before being signed to a deal with local independent label, Bleeding Ear Records. According to Cironesi, though, the record label paid them very little, and provided no facility for recording an album; only financing the recording of an EP, and then "going silent" when the response was lukewarm. Eventually, the band managed to get out of the deal thanks to Daniele's lawyer uncle, Gianni. Now in their final year at Firewood Tech, the band returned to the local gigging scene under a new name (RdM, or "Rivolta delle Masse"), with a new, more varied sound. During this time, the band began writing specifically for an album, with the intention of self-producing, before being approached by Teppista Records.

Under Teppista, the band worked with experienced producer Alex Grand, who put the finishing touches on their debut, self-titled EP – largely consisting of original tracks they played at their gigs. Grand further encouraged them to explore more different sounds as a means to "stand out from the crowd", while preparing their first album. To that end, Cironesi began weaving more Cobre elements into the band's music and when crowds responded favourably to these changes, the band leaned into it. It was Grand who proposed that they rename prior to releasing their first full-length album; and with the band keen on retaining the connection to revolutionary action, Cironesi suggested "imminent revolution". When the label determined that this would be a tougher sell commercially, Cironesi reworked it to "Tika Riot", and Scarponi suggested using "Imminent Revolution" as the name of the album.

The album debuted at number one on the Osarian rock music chart, and charted at number seven in Cobrio, earning the band a new, three-album deal from Teppista.

Style and Influences

The band describe themselves as a "punk metal" band. Their style is rooted in the heavy industrial sound of northern Fourge – characterised by distorted guitars, a dense bass-and-drum sound, and aggressive vocals – drawing heavily from the sound originally popularised by Nessuno Dormirà, and later Osarian bands such as Entierro, Première Grève, and Steel Jaguar. Loudness and aggression are key factors of their music, along with a generally higher tempo beat, and a sense of "righteous indignation" in their lyrics.

Lead singer Cironesi is of Cobre descent, and his maternal aunt is a well-known djeli in Cobrio. As the primary songwriter for the band, he often incorporates djeli-inspired storytelling elements into the lyrics, often speaking of the various struggles for independence and self-determination among the peoples of the multiverse.

The band also cite popular Cobre bands from their own childhood years, such as Assegai Sisun, Iyika, and Igwe Obi as formative influences, while Cironesi cites Wisdom Khumalo and Zenzile Ramapolo as his greatest songwriting influences.

Discography

• Sparo (EP) – as Rivolta
• Rivolta delle Masse (EP) – as Rivolta delle Masse
• Imminent Revolution
• Warriors of Ominira
• No Mercy for the Merciless
• Never Defeated
• Righteous Indignation