You know you’re onto something when Carlos Santana calls your album “a work of supreme creativity.”
That’s how he referred to Nevaris‘ album Reverberations – a great album of dub, trip-hop, and world beat music put together by percussionist / keyboardist Nevaris and a great lineup of musicians including producer / bassist / legend Bill Laswell, DJ Logic on turntables, Will Bernard and Matt Dickey on guitars, Lockatron on drums, and Peter Apfelbaum on horns and additional keys.
The album had me hooked within the first twenty seconds of its opening track, “Dub Sol.” The sexy horns, panning beats, and incense smoke bass lured me into an exotic desert tent where you are sorely tempted to stay the rest of your life. “Disruption” has some of the best horn arrangements on the record from Apfelbaum, and DJ Logic gets to strut his scratching stuff as well on the track.
Laswell’s excellent dub bass returns on “Ninth Sun,” which also percolates with plenty of weird, trippy effects created by him. “Remedy” could easily fit into a mystery film set in Jamaica, while “Interference” would slide easily into a Bond film soundtrack – particularly a scene in which Bond enters an exotic casino in order to set up a trade of valuable information and ends up in a dangerous situation that’s either going to get him killed or laid.
It’s only appropriate, then, that the following track is called “Safehouse,” and we can imagine Bond making it out of the casino in one-piece and kicking back with a lovely lady in a backroom lounge at a Kingston restaurant. The track instantly puts you in a calming place with synth effects and reverberated beats that slow you down and bring you some much-needed chill.
“Frequencia” thumps and bumps in all the right places, with DJ Logic’s subtle scratching mixing well with the hand percussion and Hammond organ riffs. The closer, “Lockatronic,” gives drummer Lockatron plenty of time to show you how he locks it down and puts the whole band in his back pocket. He absolutely snaps every beat.
I love experimental, almost ambient dub albums like this. It’s solid.
Tuareg music legends Tinariwen are known for not only hypnotizing guitar work and mesmerizing percussion, but also soulful lyrics about their homeland uniting in peace – and the rest of the world with it. Their latest album, Amatssou (“Beyond the Fear”), is no exception.
The album opens with simple chords and chant-like lyrics on “Ken Arghalm,” and then the wicked, wonderful hand percussion comes in and soon you’re dancing around a fire…or your living room. “Tenere Den” crackles like sparking wood in that campfire, and the addition of violin to it is a great touch. The call for unity is strong on “Arajghiyine,” in which Ibrahim Ag Alhabib sings “Dear brothers, all rest. All leisure will always be far reach unless your homeland is liberated and all the elders can live there in dignity.”
“Tidjit” has the kind of Tuareg rhythm that no other culture can seem to recreate. It lifts you up and you feel like you’re drifting on warm wind. If you want to continue this feeling, listen to “Jayche Atark” while watching drone camera footage of the American southwestern desert (where Tinariwen recorded their last album). This happened to me when my laptop PC’s screensaver kicked on during the track and I was immediately hypnotized by the perfect blend of imagery and (North African) desert sounds.
“Imidiwan Mahitinam” makes you want to dance, or at the very least clap along to it while admiring the smooth guitar solo. “Ezlan” is perfect for morning yoga, and “Anemouhagh” is perfect for a morning run. The beat on “Iket Adjen” seems odd at first, but it makes perfect sense when the vocals, handclaps, and acoustic guitars join it. “Nak Idnizdjam” and the mantra-like outro send the album, and us, off on a spiritual high.
It’s another solid record from a band who makes nothing but solid records, and a wonderful journey across the desert of your choice.
oday singer-songwriter and composer María Mónica Gutiérrez (aka Montañera) shares another look at her forthcoming album ‘A Flor de Piel’, which is set for release on November 17th via Western Vinyl.
‘A Flor de Piel’ is a meditative journey of self-discovery across oceans, time, and the traditional confines of genre. Originally from Bogota, Colombia, Gutiérrez began the album as a way to explore her identity after a difficult move to London for school left her feeling untethered and alone in a strange new place. The daunting 5,000 mile journey over a seemingly endless ocean, sparked the beginning of a metamorphosis, imparting her with a new understanding of herself as an artist, and as a human being. Throughout the album Gutiérrez examines the immigrant’s experience through a rich sonic lens inspired by sources as disparate as traditional Colombian and Senegalese music, contemporary ambient and experimental production, and whalesong from the depths of the Atlantic.
Produced by one of the most interesting bands of the moment in Colombia, Rizomagic, and composed by Montañera, it is an album that captivates for the singularity of her voice and melodies, and for the finely crafted production. It was mixed by Joseph Shabason and mastered in Germany by Stephan Mathieu.
The only track on the album to feature percussion, today’s new single “Santa Mar“ is an atmospheric piece featuring marimba player Cankita from the band Bejuco and the expressive voices of Las Cantadoras de Yerba Buena, a group of traditional singers from Tumaco, Colombia.
Montañera comments: “It’s a song that talks about peace in Colombia, specifically with the afro pacific women. The lyrics were inspired by them after investigating their musical practice for my master’s studies. Understanding their personal and collective healing processes within the peace-building process of the country. I want to portray the importance of womanhood for peace-building in their territory and the song talks about the forces of the sea to cure and the sea as a female saint, of how these women have the power of the sea in themselves. The marimbas are played by the amazing Cankita from Bejuco, who is very close with the Cantadoras de Yerba Buena, he calls them his “aunts”, his masters. It’s a true honour having the voices of these elder women in the album, they have such a strong life story and nevertheless, so much vitality, strength, and drive in life, a true inspiration for me.”
Using skilfully restrained synths and electronic textures, ‘A Flor de Piel’ triumphs by re-contextualising traditional sounds and sentiments into something fresh, urgent, and pulsing with life. It’s a fitting representation of Montañera’s personal struggles, while also echoing universal truths, as she summons the strength of past generations, to emerge as a phoenix full of hope and potential. As she describes it, “The album has accompanied me through inner journeys of finding myself in a new territory — of redefining myself, of remembering who I am — in a strange place.” As we drift towards an uncertain future, perhaps Montañera’s ‘A Flor de Piel’ is exactly what we need: a deep well of strength, to bring us peace, and to accompany our own journey into the unknown.
Kevin Morby and The Salvation Choir are proud to present “This Is A Photograph (The Salvation Choir Version),” a new reimagining of the title track from Morby’s acclaimed 2022 album. The Salvation Choir is a Congolese rumba choir from Congo and Tanzania based in Kevin’s hometown of Kansas City. “This Is A Photograph (The Salvation Choir Version)” is a stirring iteration of Morby’s original, and is presented alongside a new website on which others can access stems, instrumentals, tutorials and templates so they can make their own family history epics. Kevin Morby elaborates:
At some point last year, a few of you reached out with the request of getting the music to my song “This Is A Photograph” so you could make your own version and tell your own family’s history. I found this incredibly interesting and had never gotten such requests about any of my other songs before. I have decided to heed the call of those few who reached out and I have made a website
In celebration of this website, and to lead with an example, I reached out to one of my favorite bands, Kansas City’s own The Salvation Choir, to see if they would want to make their own version of ‘This Is A Photograph’ and was over the moon when they agreed. They created their own version in which they reinterpreted the music in their Congolese Rumba style and reworked the lyrics to their own story and sang in both English and Swahili to provide the listener with a window into their past.
Pelo King Wilondja, The Salvation Choir’s 15-year-old drummer, states: “We met Kevin at one of our practices. I didn’t know who he was at first but then our friend played us his music and I started really liking his songs. Now he’s in my top ten. He invited us to his concert and I was actually sweating because it was so good. Kevin asked us if we wanted to remake his song to be about our family’s history and play it in our style. It was my first time recording drums in a real studio. We loved his idea because photographs are really important to our family and we’re always playing music together. There are over 20 members in the choir and everyone has their own story. The song starts out in Africa and it ends in Kansas City where we all live now. It’s about our family’s history and how we got here.”
This month will also see the release of More Photographs (A Continuum), Morby’s companion piece to last year’s This Is A Photograph. Here, Morby returns to his landmark album’s bottomless themes with new wisdom, new imagination, and the winking, looping callbacks that tie his full body of work together in uniquely special ways. “With every collection of songs,” says Morby, “I feel I have to cast them out of me before moving onto the next project, and here I knew that what I had begun with This Is A Photograph was not finished. Releasing this collection is me tying a bow on that time and place in my creative life.” With a luxurious nine tracks – three re-imaginings and six brand new songs – More Photographs (A Continuum) is prequel, sequel and primer to an already rich and generous record from one of our most luminous modern songwriters. More Photographs (A Continuum) will be available on vinyl in the fall and is available to pre-order now.
KEVIN MORBY TOUR DATES (NEW DATES IN BOLD) Fri. June 2 – Aarhus, DK @ Northside Festival Sat. June 3 – Malmö, SW @ Plan B Mon. June 5 – Manchester, UK @ New Century Tue. June 6 – Bristol, UK @ SWX Wed. June 7 – London, UK @ Roundhouse Fri. June 9 – Gent, BE @ Vooruit Fri. June 9 – Sun. June 11 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Mon. June 12 – Zurich, CH @ Dynamo Saal Tue. June 13 – Milan, IT @ Giardino Della Triennale Wed. June 14 – Ferrara, IT @ Ferrara Sotto Le Stelle Thur. June 15 – Munich, DE @ Strom Fri. June 16 – Sun. Jun 18 – Vilnius, LI @ 8 Festival Fri. June 16 – Dresden, DE @ Beatpol Mon. June 19 – Warsaw, PL @ Proxima Tue. June 20 – Poznan, PL @ Tama Wed. June 21 – Berlin, DE @ Columbia Theater Fri. June 23 – Vienna, AU @ Akzent Sat. June 24 – Krakow, PL @ Kwadrat Sun. June 25 – Budapest, HU @ Akvárium Klub Tue. June 27 – Ljubljana, SL @ Kino Siska Wed. June 28 – Geneva, CH @ Usine Fri. June 30 – Paris, FR @ Days Off Festival Sat. July 1 – Petit Couronne, FR @ Theatre de Verdure Sun. July 2 – La Rochelle, FR @ La Sirene Mon. July 3 – Toulouse, FR @ Le Bikini Wed. July 5 – Lisboa, PT @ LAV Thur. July 6 – Porto, PT @ Hard Club Fri. July 7 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival Sat. July 8 – Six-Fours-les-Plages, FR @ Pointu Festival Aug. 25- Aug. 27 – Tisbury, MA @ Beach Road Weekend Sun. Aug. 27 – Rockville Centre, NY @ Madison Theatre at Molloy University Wed. Sep. 27 – Auckland, NZ @ Hollywood Avondale Thur. Sep. 28 – Wellington, NZ @ Meow Sat. Sep. 30 – Sydney, AUS @ Factory Theatre Sun. Oct. 1 – Sapphire Coast, AUS @ Wanderer Festival Tue. Oct. 3 – Melbourne, AUS @ Northcote Theatre Thur. Oct. 5 – Eltham, AUS @ Eltham Hotel Fri. Oct. 6 – Brisbane, AUS @ Princess Theatre Sat. Oct. 7 – Adelaide, AUS @ Summertown Studio Sun. Oct. 8 – Perth, AUS @ The Rechabite Sat. Dec. 2 – Riviera Maya, MX @ Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky
Tinariwen, the pioneering, Grammy-winning Tuareg collective, unveil their enthralling new single, “Anemouhagh,” from their forthcoming album, Amatssou, out next Friday, May 19th on Wedge. “Anemouhagh” continues along Tinariwen’s electric trail of singles — the “anthemic” (Paste) “Kek Alghalm” and lead single “Tenere Den,” which was praised by The FADER as “a continuation of both the desert blues sound they pioneered and the revolutionary message they’ve always held close” — and offers another captivating glimpse into Amatssou.
Later this month, Tinariwen will embark on their first US tour since 2019, beginning on May 27th at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music and including stops in Los Angeles, New York and more. A list of full dates are below and tickets are on sale now.
For decades, Tinariwen have remained ambassadors for the Tuareg people, a way of life in tune with the natural world, which is under threat as never before. Throughout Amatssou — the legendary collective’s ninth studio album — Tinariwen set out to explore the shared sensibilities between their trademark desert blues and the vibrant country music of rural America. Recorded in Djanet, an oasis in the desert of southern Algeria located in Tassili N’Ajjer National Park, with additional production on two tracks by Daniel Lanois (Brian Eno, U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson), Amatssou finds Tinariwen’s signature snaking guitar lines and hypnotic grooves seamlessly co-existing alongside banjos, fiddles and pedal steel.
Though Tuareg culture is as old as that of ancient Greece or Rome, the songs of Amatssou speak to the current and often tough reality of Tuareg life today. Unsurprisingly, there are impassioned references to Mali’s ongoing political and social turmoil. Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. Tinariwen’s message has never sounded more urgent and compelling than it does on Amatssou.
Tinariwen Tour Dates Sat. May 27 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music Tue. May 30 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Wed. May 31 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Fri. June 2 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater Sat. June 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theater Mon. June 5 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Tue. June 6 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair Wed. June 7 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre Sat. June 10 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival Mon. June 12 – Rubigen, CH @ Muhle Hunziken Wed. June 14 – Florence, IT @Ultravox Thu. June 15 – Milan, IT @ Triennale Garden Fri. June 16 – Turin, IT @ Hiroshima Mon Amour Sun. June 18 – Dublin, IE @ Body & Soul Festival Thu. June 22 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg Sat. June 24 – Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival Mon. 26 – Lille, FR @ Splendid Wed. June 28 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel Thu. June 29 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique Sat. July 1 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival Sun. July 2 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyran Tue. July 4 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Fri. July 7 – Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival Tue. July 11 – Arles, FR @ Les Suds Arles Thu. July 13 – London, UK @ Somerset House Sat. July 15 – Bristol, UK @ SWX Mon. July 17 – Glasgow, UK @ St Lukes Wed. July 19 – Bermingham, UK @ Institute 2 Sat. July 22 – Cheshire, UK @ Bluedot Festival Tue. 25 – Vigo, SP @ Terraceo Festival Sat. July 29 – Luxey, FR @ Musicalarue Festival
For one thing, the influences abound. Spencer, an Englishman, was born in Peru, also has Swedish roots, and now lives most of the time in France. I think he speaks at least four languages. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to learn French and stuttering through English half the time. As a result of his multi-cultural upbringing, Spencer’s album combines a lot of styles ranging from surf rock to torch songs, and he especially shows off his love of French music (Spencer calls the album “…a love letter to France”) from the 1960s through the 1980s by collaborating with famous French musicians on the record. The mix of influences and styles is one he pulls off with ease. I don’t know how he kept track of all of it, let alone made it sound effortless.
“Hail Caesar,” with guitar assists by French rock icons Gilles Tandy and Jean Felzine, launches the album with a wild surf guitar rocker before taking a turn down a dark cobblestone road in Angers, France for “Get Out into the Pigs” – which reminds me a lot of some of Julian Cope‘s work with Spencer’s vocal style and his rumination on things past that linger in his memory.
“Isn’t That What Jimi Said” is both a lovely look back on Spencer’s childhood days in Sweden (“Sometimes the breadth of my emotion’s not covered.”) and Jimi Hendrix‘s influence on him (and everyone else, really). As if Spencer wasn’t cool enough, the next thing you know he’s singing a duet, “When I Whisper in Your Ear,” with singer, actress, and former “Miss Tahiti,” Mareva Galenter. The two of them team up for a sultry, and somewhat spooky, song that even includes siren-like sounds from opera star Aurélie Ligerot.
The thick bass on “Jane Loves the Highway” will have you tearing away from the curb as you leave the bank in a hurry with a lovely lady in the back seat holding a heavy bag and a handgun. “Everything I ever did was bad,” he says on “Requiem,” making me wonder if he and Jane are to regret their roadtrip. It has a bit of a 1960s R&B girl group sound to it (particularly in the drum beat) that’s a nice touch. “Cult of Personality” is not a cover of Living Colour‘s classic hit (although it would be interesting to hear Spencer do this). It’s rather a song of hope (“There’s an angel passing over you.”) hidden among somber piano chords and lonely western guitars.
The uplifting messages, and his passion for so many different types of music, continue on “Broken By the Song,” with Spencer telling us, “You can be beautiful…There will come a day.” Things can always turn around and change. Sorrow, like joy, will pass away like everything else. “Waiting for Sorrow,” his first single from the album, features an intro from French pop icon Jacqueline Taïeb and has Spencer’s boldest vocals on the record. I mean, he absolutely belts the chorus and bounces it off the back of the concert hall to lodge deep in your chest, and the bright, jangling guitar riffs only help it settle there.
The title track has slithering snake-like guitar and percussion and Spencer’s witty lyrics (and David Vanian-like vocals) about his complicated relationship with an ex-lover, and perhaps even with England. The way the album fades out with sparkling synths on “Knew That One Day” is a neat way to send us out on a levitating note.
The album is multi-layered, like Spencer himself, and I suspect will reveal more of itself with multiple listens. Vous devriez l’entendre.
Mong Tong 夢東 is a Taiwanese psychedelic music band formed by brothers Hom Yu and Jiun Chi. The name “Mong Tong” is derived from the brothers’ childhood nickname, which can mean something totally different in different languages from Burmese, Cantonese to Chinese. Today they are announcing their new album ‘Tao Fire 道火‘ is set for release June 30th via Guruguru Brain and are sharing the first single from the record “Forest Show”.
Mong Tong’s music is heavily influenced by Southeast Asian culture, including its mythology and folklore, as well as 60s and 70s psychedelic music. Their sound is characterized by hypnotic rhythms, dreamy melodies, and otherworldly atmospheres.
Their latest album, “Tao Fire 道火”, not only continues the idea behind their previous work, “Indies 印”, but also incorporates more local elements such as gamelan music, phin guitar, tabla drums, and Taiwan sisomi.
While sampling more sounds from the street of Southeast Asia, including weddings, funerals, and traditional celebrations, Mong Tong again explores different folk sounds around Austronesia.
Different their last Guruguru Brain release “Mystery 秘神”, “Tao Fire 道火” will take us to a land that is both familiar and fresh. Feel the hot, the crowd, humidity, and ecstasy. This time, welcome to Mong Tong’s subtropical world.
Mong Tong has been described as part of a new wave of Taiwanese music that draws on the country’s rich cultural heritage while pushing boundaries and exploring new sonic territory. They have also been noted for their visually striking album artwork, music videos and special outfits. Overall, Mong Tong is a unique and exciting addition to the global psychedelic music scene, offering a fresh perspective and a fascinating blend of musical and cultural influences.
Tinariwen—the legendary GRAMMY-winning Tuareg collective—present their new single, “Kek Alghalm,” from their forthcoming album, Amatssou, out May 19th on Wedge. Following lead single “Tenere Den,” an “understated tribute to the desert and to the Tuareg revolution in the highlands of Mali” (WNYC), “Kek Alghalm” opens Amatssou as a call to the Tuareg tribes to unite against present threats, its lyrics calling out complicity in silence: “So where are the Touareg? // And why do they remain silent // In the face of so much disrespect // Perpetrated shamelessly with uncovered face.” Featuring Nashville’s WesCorbett on banjo, “Kek Alghalm” is a longtime live favorite amongst Tinariwen fans and it’s presented here in its recorded form for the first time.
Tinariwen, composed of founding members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Touhami Ag Alhassane and Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni, plus bassist Eyadou Ag Leche, percussionist Said Ag Ayad and guitarist Elaga Ag Hamid, single-handedly invented a guitar style that has captured the world’s imagination. They call it ishumar or assouf (“nostalgia” in Tamashek) but the rest of the world has come to know it as the Tuareg or desert blues. It is music that is imbued with sorrow and longing but it’s also music to dance to, to forget our cares.
Throughout Amatssou, the band’s ninth studio album, they set out to explore the shared sensibilities between their trademark desert blues and the vibrant country music of rural America. Recorded in Djanet, an oasis in the desert of southern Algeria located in Tassili N’Ajjer National Park, with additional production by DanielLanois (Brian Eno, U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Peter Gabriel, Willie Nelson), Amatssou finds Tinariwen’s signature snaking guitar lines and hypnotic grooves seamlessly co-existing alongside banjos, fiddles and pedal steel. Lanois’ haunting pedal steel and crystalline production add a soaring ambience to Tinariwen’s trance-like desert blues.
For decades, Tinariwen have remained ambassadors for the Tuareg people, a way of life in tune with the natural world, which is under threat as never before. Amatssou is Tamashek for “Beyond The Fear,” and it fits, as Tinariwen have always been characterized by their fearlessness. Though Tuareg culture is as old as that of ancient Greece or Rome, the songs of Amatssou speak to the current and often tough reality of Tuareg life today. Unsurprisingly, there are impassioned references to Mali’s ongoing political and social turmoil. Full of poetic allegory, the lyrics call for unity and freedom. There are songs of struggle and resistance with oblique references to the recent desperate political upheavals in Mali and the increasing power of the Salafists. Tinariwen’s message has never sounded more urgent and compelling than it does on Amatssou.
Beginning May 27th at Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, Tinariwen’s US tour will see them bringing their cherished songs to cities including NewYork, LosAngeles, and more before they head overseas for a run of EU/UK dates. All shows are on-sale now with tickets available here.
Tinariwen Tour Dates Sat. May 27 – Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music Tue. May 30 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom Wed. May 31 – Seattle, WA @ Showbox Fri. June 2 – Berkeley, CA @ UC Theater Sat. June 3 – Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theater Mon. June 5 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall Tue. June 6 – Boston, MA @ Sinclair Wed. June 7 – Washington, DC @ Lincoln Theatre Sat. June 10 – Hilvarenbeek, NL @ Best Kept Secret Festival Mon. June 12 – Rubigen, CH @ Muhle Hunziken Wed. June 14 – Florence, IT @Ultravox Thu. June 15 – Milan, IT @ Triennale Garden Fri. June 16 – Turin, IT @ Hiroshima Mon Amour Sun. June 18 – Dublin, IE @ Body & Soul Festival Thu. June 22 – Berlin, DE @ Festsaal Kreuzberg Sat. June 24 – Glastonbury, UK @ Glastonbury Festival Mon. 26 – Lille, FR @ Splendid Wed. June 28 – Paris, FR @ Salle Pleyel Thu. June 29 – Brussels, BE @ Ancienne Belgique Sat. July 1 – Roskilde, DK @ Roskilde Festival Sun. July 2 – Stockholm, SE @ Slaktkyran Tue. July 4 – Oslo, NO @ Rockefeller Fri. July 7 – Bilbao, ES @ BBK Live Festival Tue. July 11 – Arles, FR @ Les Suds Arles Thu. July 13 – London, UK @ Somerset House Sat. July 15 – Bristol, UK @ SWX Mon. July 17 – Glasgow, UK @ St Lukes Wed. July 19 – Birmingham, UK @ Institute 2 Sat. July 22 – Cheshire, UK @ Bluedot Festival Tue. 25 – Vigo, SP @ Terraceo Festival Thu. July 27 – Sines, PT @ FMM Sat. July 29 – Luxey, FR @ Musicalarue Festival
Pierre Kwenders, the “arresting Congolese Canadian musician whose scramble of genres, languages, and worlds sounds like the future” (The New Yorker), last year released his deeply personal and innovative album José Louis And The Paradox Of Loveon Arts & Crafts, going on to win the coveted 2022Polaris Music Prize awarded to the Best Canadian Album. Fresh off two stints of touring North America in support of the album, including a stop at KEXP, Kwenders today announces a deluxe edition of José Louis And The Paradox of Love, out June 30th on Arts & Crafts, and presents its lead single, “SMT.” José Louis And The Paradox of Love Deluxe features three brand new songs—“SMT,” “Niata,” and “Good”— along with “Vibraçao,” a reworked version of original album standout, “Heartbeat,” this time featuring Sarah Kalume. In conjunction with today’s announcement, Kwenders also announces a run of festivaldates in North America and Europe. A full list of dates are below.
Lifted from the recording sessions of José Louis, “SMT” is an infectious dancefloor track that is both a love letter to and an intervention with social media. An acronym for Social Media Therapy, “SMT” sees Kwenders calling out the magic and the pitfalls of total connectivity. Kenders sings in his signature blend of English, French, and Lingala over a minimal soca-inflected beat with melodious flourishes courtesy of the international production trio of PEDRO (Portugal), ESQO (Chile), and CarloMarco (Chile).
“‘SMT’ calls for a reflection on our use of social media networks and rather good or bad we must question its effects,” says Kwenders. “At this moment in time, social media has taken an important place in our day-to-day lives. As beneficial as it may be, we can find ourselves trapped – what happens online also affects us in real life. Nonetheless, it has become a problem solver, an outlet for joy, pain & communication. It makes us laugh, cry, support, look down upon, and apologize endlessly. After all that we do it all again. The online wailing wall or maybe the Goliath of our generation. Social media therapy is what we need. Social media therapy is a necessity.”
Born in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kwenders borrows his stage name from his late grandfather, a widely respected businessman and community figure. Following his mother’s footsteps, in 2001 Kwenders immigrated from Congo to Montreal. José Louis and the Paradox of Love is a culmination of personal growth and the musical dexterity Kwenders has honed over the years, converging his strong songwriting capabilities with the bravado he possesses as a DJ. The album explores an ongoing search to grasp the universal complexities of romance, sometimes through the lens of Kwenders’ own intimate experiences. The songs were written and recorded over the span of four years, and the album is symbolically titled after his birth name, José Louis Modabi. Through different moments of tension and release, romantic narratives of beauty and disaster are packed into powerful poetic musical vignettes.
saxophonist, composer and ethnomusicologist DA Mekonnen of the renowned Ethiopian funk/rock/jazz unit Debo Band is announcing the debut self-titled album from his monumental new project called dragonchild, out April 21st, 2023 on FPE Records.
Featuring collaborations with claire rousay, Sunken Cages (aka Ravish Momin), and Ethiopian Records, the dragonchild debut takes Mekonnen’s exploration of Ethiopian music they began with Debo Band and explodes it into vivid, three-dimensional space. Where Debo called back to the sounds of 1970s Addis and added original material along those same lines, dragonchild shatters traditions and boundaries, incorporating sampled material, field recordings, experiments in high and low fidelity, and the through line that unites the diverse sounds, layers of Mekonnen’s rich and ecstatic saxophone.
Out today and premiering in The Fader is lead single “The Source,” a collaboration with Philadelphia-based percussionist and producer Sunken Cages. Mekonnen tells us the song “is about our Power coming from the Ancestors––both living and transitioned. The track includes a sample of Hailu Mergia’s debut solo cassette played in reverse on a US Library of Congress Tape Deck. We were influenced by South African gqom music (at least in regards to the sonic reference) and went for a banger EDM dance floor vibe.”
The dragonchild debut comes in two forms: It will be released as a full digital album, and a vinyl 4-LP set, titled BLACK,containing one 20-minute piece of music revealed when the four albums are played simultaneously. The physical release imagines a vinyl record as an art piece, with photography by Ethiopian photographerMichael Tsegaye, depicting an active volcano in Eastern Ethiopia. Each vinyl record is translucent, with music on one side and an engraved topographic map of the lava fields on the reverse.
