The Sound of Faith: How Urchman Found Soul in the Studio

By Joey Akan

Some producers chase attention. Urchman chases feeling.

That’s the first thing you notice when you listen to Kojo Sam’s recent run of gospel songs “Ancient of Days,” “Amen,” “Believers Jara,” and “Lord I’m in Your Hands.” The production doesn’t just sit under the vocals; it carries the message like a heartbeat. Every drum pattern, every synth note, every silence feels intentional designed to make you feel something, even if you can’t quite name it.

Born in Nigeria and now based in the UK, Uche Benjamin better known by his studio name Urchman is quietly rewriting what African gospel can sound like in a global context. He’s part of a new class of producers who understand that spirituality can coexist with sonic experimentation. His beats are clean, his arrangements cinematic, and his mixes layered like emotion itself. There’s church here, yes, but there’s also London rain, Lagos rhythm, and the soft melancholy of homesickness.

On “Ancient of Days,” the opening chords bloom slowly, almost shyly. There’s no rush to get to the hook. The track builds from the inside out a patient swell of pads, a subtle rhythm, and then Kojo Sam’s voice cutting through with clarity and conviction. Urchman doesn’t overproduce; he trusts the listener. The song becomes less about structure and more about surrender.

Then comes “Amen.” It’s minimalist gospel sparse percussion, warm bass, space everywhere. You can hear the air in the mix, the kind that gives a song depth. There’s something deeply human about it the way the instruments seem to breathe in time with the lyrics. It feels like you’re inside the music rather than in front of it.

But “Believers Jara” flips the mood. Suddenly, there’s rhythm, bounce, color. Urchman pulls from Afropop, highlife, and funk yet the gospel core stays untouched. The percussion is joyous, the guitars shimmer, and the groove feels like Sunday afternoon sunlight. It’s praise music that moves the body as much as it moves the spirit. That’s what Urchman understands: gospel doesn’t have to be solemn to be sacred.

Then comes “Lord I’m in Your Hands” the emotional anchor. It’s cinematic, almost orchestral. Strings rise and fall, drums roll in waves, and the production feels like the soundtrack to someone’s private prayer. There’s a tenderness to the sound design, the kind of detail that reminds you Urchman isn’t just producing tracks; he’s translating emotion into frequency.

What’s most striking across these songs is the consistency of vision. Urchman doesn’t chase commercial templates. His sound doesn’t imitate; it invites. You can tell he listens as much as he creates. Every texture feels lived-in the residue of someone who’s studied both gospel tradition and global sound trends.

It’s tempting to compare him to his peers in the UK Afro-gospel scene, but Urchman stands slightly apart. His music doesn’t try to blend in. It expands the conversation proving that gospel can be spiritual and stylish, devotional and deeply modern.

There’s a certain peace that sits in his work. You feel it even after the music stops. That’s how you know you’re listening to something more than production. You’re listening to a perspective a belief in sound as a vessel for something bigger.

Urchman doesn’t just make music for church walls. He makes music for the soul, wherever it happens to be listening.