Qobuzism

Les Amazones d’Afrique is a pan-African supergroup created by singers Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia in 2014: their agenda on this second album is both to fight for women’s rights and overturn the patriarchy. Amazones Power brings together divas from Mali (Mamani Keïta, Rokia Koné, Ami Yerewolo), Benin (Fafa Ruffino), Guinea (Niariu), Burkina Faso (Kandy Guira) and Algeria (Nacera Ouali Mesbah), and puts their vocal expertise together with modern arrangements concocted by Liam Farrell, better known under his alias Doctor L (Mbongwana Star, Bantou Mentale…). Hip-hop, afrobeat, dub and electro rhythms host ancestral and synthetic percussion, with both vintage and electric keyboards, frenzied guitars and powerful bass. Recorded between Bamako and Paris, mixed in Dakar, this bouncing and soul-filled manifesto also sees a few male sympathisers take to the mic, such as the rappers from the Parisian trio Nyoko Bokbae (Douranne “Boy” Fall and Magueye “Jon Grace” Diouk) on Heavy or the Malian reggaeman Koko Dembelé who features alongside Mamani Keita on Timbuktu and Dogon. A 5-star cast which produces a variety of ambiances, further reinforcing the militant purpose of Amazones Power. ©️ Benjamin MiNiMuM/Qobuz

Malik Djoudi’s second album (after Un in 2017) forms a perfect summary of French electronic music, with beautifully bare arrangements (Essentiel) often combined with an up-tempo rhythm (Aussi Jolie, Belles Sueurs), as well as intimate and poetic lyrics revealing the various sides of the singer’s temperament, while also addressing the anxieties and hopes of a generation. With his androgynous voice, Djoudi sings about the night (Épouser la nuit), an imaginary journey (Train de nuit) and madness (Folie douce), all on captivating melodies only he has the secret to. While neurasthenic guitars and synthetic, icy and hypnotic layers are the singer's favorite sounds, he sometimes invites other instruments into his little world, often in the form of familiar and comforting samples (the brass of Dis-moi que t'y pense).

A flamenco guitar and a cello... a father and his son. Barlande is a demonstration of the talent that runs deep in the veins of this family fusion... it is a musical lava. The fire of Pedro Soler's flamenco embarked in Gaspar Claus' four tense strings is far from clichés and far from preconceived ideas. The discussion between the two men is colourful, powerful yet both calm and furious. An atypical duo for a hypnotic record. © MZ/Qobuz