From his Saint Denis apartment, and with the help of his machines, Labelle has laid the foundations of an electronic maloya, modern and deeply rooted in its home territory: Réunion.
Taken from "univers-île" released last September, Souviens-toi is the fruit of a collaboration between Labelle and Creole poet, *Hasawa*. The track sees the Reunionese slam artist engulfed into an atmospheric and gliding incantation, alongside rythmic electronic beats and a guembris (Gnawa instruments from Morocco).
About this track, Label says : Souviens-Toi is about heritage. A distant voice, like a benevolent reminiscence, whispering a message of love, of self-confidence. The sounds of the guembris that I sampled in the song reminds me of the desert, the melting-pot of backgrounds (the gnawas are the direct descendants of african slaves). Gnawa music and Maloya are actually soundalikes.
In order to revisit this song and spirit, InFiné invited two very meticulously chosen producers.
Palestinian beatmaker Muqata’a (previously heard on Jon Kennedy Federation) delivers the first remix. The song keeps the original downtempo vibe but finds itself enriched with more bass, and an unexpected trip-hop atmosphere, which fits perfectly to the track.
The second remix, produced by Norwegian producer Julia Gjertsen, closes the EP in the best possible way. The ambient musician, who composes mostly for dance choreography, adds her distinctive synth pad and a dense broken beat.
credits
released March 2, 2018
Souviens-toi was written & mixed by Labelle
Fon’ker by Hasawa (Warren Samuelsen)
Remixs by Muqata’a & Julia Gjertsen
Artwork by Kid Kreol & Boogie
A&R Alexandre Cazac
Mastering by Benjamin Joubert
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