TOUT Z'ETOIL (vinyl)

Description

Les Pythons de la Fournaise play a magma of sega and maloya, traditional and popular styles from the Indian Ocean. This danceable and syncopated music, sung in Creole, originates from the Afro-Malagasy, Indian, and Western cultural syncretism that developed in Reunion and Mauritius. Today, the Franco-Creole band offers a unique vision of sega through its compositions, modern and infused with funk and jazz influences. Traditional instruments blend with bass, drums, keyboards, and electric guitars in a set dedicated to dance, navigating between island ballads and cyclonic grooves! As explosive as the volcano from which they take their name, Les Pythons De La Fournaise (referencing the Piton de la Fournaise on Reunion Island) find their full electricity-filled sound with 'Tout Z'étoil' (meaning 'All Stars' in Creole), a psychedelic, dancefloor-hungry mini-album. Based in the French Alps since their formation in 2007, Les Pythons de la Fournaise are a collective of Reunion Island and "metropolitan" musicians who not only share music and songs, but also celebrate a common love for the rich Creole culture of the Indian Ocean by cooking, making instruments, organizing parties... They recently produced the acoustic LP "Orchestre du Piton" where they delved deep into "Maloya" traditions (a powerful percussion-based style with African roots) and "Séga Lontan" (accordion-based Reunionese song). Well, this is still felt on this 4th effort 'Tout Z'étoil', but it's as if the songs are catapulted into a groovy and kaleidoscopic stereo-frenzy - with a warm analog quality and a modern dancey approach. The record opens with two addictive floor-shakers: 'Mo Chérie L'Amour', written by Mauritian artist Roger Lejuste about a man seeing his girlfriend practicing witchcraft rituals, magnified by hypnotic synth lines and wah-wah bursts; and the exhilarating "Cafrine" (Creole word for women of African descent), admirably sung by Clémentine Duchemann, about women preparing for the "bal poussière," a party where people dance barefoot on the ground, creating a blinding cloud of dust. 'Séga Zambrovat' is in the group's tradition of composing their own instrumental pieces; this one perfectly fits the album's identity with its sassy synth arrangements and unpredictable grooves. "Séga Socola" (chocolate sega) is a more melancholic track, led by the warm sound of a tropical guitar melody, and driven by the typical "kayamb" percussion and its gentle back-and-forth pattern. Former Pythons leader and Reunion native René Cadet makes a guest appearance on the last - but not least - track, the epic 9-minute "Sous Pieds d'Camélias," a magnificent mid-tempo Séga written by one of the band's favorite composers, Maxime Laope. This version is perhaps the most psychedelic arrangement Les Pythons have ever made, with overlapping guitars and keyboards, and a beautifully haunting female choir echoing René's voice. Once again, Les Pythons De La Fournaise have achieved a tour de force: paying tribute to the rich repertoire of the Indian Ocean, while moving forward with a fresh, unpretentious, and original approach in style and sound! "With Les Pythons de la Fournaise, love can be both sweet and witchy." --- NOVA ---. "In keeping with a certain tradition of the Reunion archipelago, the Creole songs are performed in unison by a female choir and a deep male voice, while a whole host of typical instruments like the kayamb (one of the essential instruments for maloya performance) snake around." --- NOVA ---.