This morning, we welcome a joyful troupe, who live music with fervor and passion, which combine textures and melodies to deliver a powerful, universal message, or simply to distribute a few smiles and embark on an inclusive dance those who know how to open their hearts. Three continents in the same band and a smashing new album, the fifth, just released last March. So naturally, we wanted to ask them what’s lingering in their ears and where some of their sacred influences come from!
The answer is in the following playlist. You’ll find the band’s characteristic Ethio-jazz but also some sounds from faraway countries, for a tasty mix between tradition and modernity, where Mamani Keita’s voice and Mike Ladd’s rap come to sublimate the energy of the other 6 musicians. Enough to make your sound system, your headphones roar, or even better [Mail Tape tip]: go see them on stage when they pass by you, it’s crazy!
Arat Kilo’s selection
Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars - Mother In Law
Arat Kilo: ” As their name suggests, this band is made up of exiles who fled the war in Sierra Leone in the 1990s. They met in refugee camps in Guinea and started making music despite the difficult conditions. A camera followed them for three years and tells their story in a fascinating documentary, until their return to Freetown. “
Lazcar Volcano - Doudoune
Arat Kilo: ” The song of Lazcar Volcano is especially because it features a superb solo by trumpeter Olivier Miconi, a great friend of ours who was taken by cancer at the age of 33. We wanted to pay tribute to him. He played with Archie Shepp, Echoes of, Manoir, Culte… “
Sowal Diabi - Kera Kera
Arat Kilo: ” Sowal Diabi is one of our side projects with Arat Kilo, in collaboration with musicians from the Middle East (Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey/Kurdistan) and Mali. The project aims to bring together peoples and cultures from diverse backgrounds in a united effort against hatred and for dignity. “
Curator’s selection
Arat Kilo - Nahel
Anto: ” Counterpoint, it’s a slightly rough track and maybe the darkest of the album that I chose for this selection. It allows us to break the codes of the genre, often associated with the sun and light. Here we have a sound that is no less colorful, which directly tackles a subject that has stirred up the French suburbs: the death of a 17-year-old, murdered by the police during a traffic stop. This is the opening track of this wide album and I think it sets the tone, as if it’s now impossible to turn a blind eye on what’s going on in the world. Yes, we make good music, yes we have fun, yes we shake our heads, yes we dance, but we are no less aware and it’s important. “
Salin - Ma’at (มา อัด…)
Anto: ” A few weeks ago, thanks to a KEXP live performance, I discovered the prodigious Salin, a drummer and composer who distils captivating and terribly groovy rhythms. She releases a new album that is a little gem due to the multiple influences that compose it and the way in which it all blends wonderfully. This song is the perfect illustration with African and oriental sounds that combine and follow the cadence imposed by a virtuoso drums. What a pleasure! “
Rokia Koné & Jacknife Lee - Fanga
Anto: ” A slap. Here, the rhythm is more vaporous. It’s the voice that counts. It grabs us and instantly knots our stomachs. I cried the first time I heard it, without knowing why. I didn’t understand the lyrics, but I was captivated by Rokia Koné’s interpretation, delicately placed on this discreet but effective ambient vibe. We remain suspended until the song ends and the grip loosens. What is that? What just happened? “
Akoni Astrobeat – Soar
Anto: ” Finally, to conclude, the extract from an EP that should be released in a few weeks and which already gives a lot of pleasure to our greedy ears. This is the work of a group that has some similarities with Arat Kilo, starting with the East African influences and this Ethio-jazz capable of dynamiting any dancefloor as much as it takes you on a journey into ecstatic reveries. This is the case with this song which seems to be quite conducive to a swaying and voluptuous sway ”
So, that’s all for this Sunday.
Note that Mail Tape still has no plans to use AI for the episode illustrations; and anyway, who would want something artificial when you are lucky enough to have artists able to create pieces as wonderful as the one of today. Big up Camille! Incredible work to sketch the different portraits of the members of the band. And thanks to Arat Kilo for the nice songs offered.
See you soon for new adventures!
