The artist residency that brought together the band Topium, Klod Kiavué and Djenmbi at the Habitation La Ramée in Sainte-Rose and then at the Fort Fleur d’Épée in Le Gosier in October 2019 around the concept “Electro-Ka” first had as result the single “Bo Bay Lanmen”, in February 2021. This Friday, February 25, 2022, after postponements due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will take place the long-awaited release of the album of Topium feat.Klod Kiavué &Djenmbi, produced by the Montreal label Nuits d’Afrique and distributed by Believe. Beforehand, on Thursday, February 24, don’t miss the live launch concert on Facebook.
Resulting from this artistic meeting between Guadeloupe and Quebec (Canada) which gave birth to the “Electro-Ka” fusion, this opus has 8 tracks. After “Bo Bay Lanmen” (Kiss, shake hands), the second track “Woulé” “refers to the Woulé, one of the seven traditional rhythms that make up Gwoka. The word “Woulé” means “to roll” in the Kréyol language, but also “to work”, depending on the context. It is a three-beat rhythm, a kind of very energetic and catchy waltz (…)”, explain the artists, especially to the audience that discovers Guadeloupe through Gwoka music and the Creole language.
The other tracks, written and composed by the four musicians, are called : “Ti bedon”, “Filles de la place”, “Flying Boys”, “Église”, “Rayon vert” and “Québec-Guadeloupe”.
“Topium feat Djenmbi & Klod Kiavué ensures that cultures meet and intermingle. This album, a true artistic bridge between two cultures, undoubtedly opens new horizons both for traditional Caribbean music and the world, jazz and electronic scene”, these Caribbean and Canadian musicians want to believe.
The Quebec band Topium was created in 2016 following the meeting of multi-instrumentalist Jérôme Dupuis-Cloutier and programmer-drummer Jonathan Gagné. Since its creation, the duo has released several tracks – where it explores and fuses house music and some elements of jazz – accompanied by music videos. It has performed in several festivals around the world, including Reunion, Cape Verde, Mexico, Japan (Tokyo). About the two Guadeloupeans : Jacques-Marie Basses (aka Djenmbi) is a songwriter, keyboardist and singer. He is nicknamed “The Master of Gwoka Keyboards”; Klod Kiavué is a percussionist and singer also very well known in the gwoka scene. He has performed all over the world, especially with American saxophonist and jazzman David Murray.
Tomorrow, Thursday, February 24, during the event “Les nouveaux visages de l’afro-Jazz” (The New Faces of Afro-Jazz), the four artists will give a live launch concert for their album on the Facebook pages of Nuits d’Afrique (8:00 pm, in Quebec) and Guadeloupe Electronik Groove (9:00 pm, in Guadeloupe).
“Woulé” – “Québec-Guadeloupe”
