EXPLORATIONS

Description

"A superlative child of French cultural cross-pollination, SUPERGOMBO's Afro-funk probably also descends from Tout Puissant Orchestre Poly-Rythmo and The Headhunters. Nourished by Senegalese Mbalax, Congolese Soukous, US funk, and global jazz, the sound played here is inherently from elsewhere. Yet, they won't talk about ""world music"" with them. From the world, SUPERGOMBO primarily retains the rhythm, frantic and uncontrolled. Even if this group of 7 musicians knows that sometimes they need to slow down, wander, take their time. SUPERGOMBO thus quietly goes about its super-market from Bamako to Ouaga, with an obligatory detour through La Guillotière, a district of Lyon known for its diversity. Making everyone travel and making crowds dance is the dual objective Supergombo has set for itself. As the starting point of the journey, Etienne Kermarc chose the sounds of West Africa, those his father brought back from his years spent in Africa, and which the bassist was keen to confront with his own jazz culture. His bandmates - Aurélien Joly and Nacim Brahimi on winds, Romain Nassini and Riad Klai on harmonies, Réunionnais David Doris and Burkinabé Wendlavim Zabsonré behind the drums and other percussion - each contribute to the writing or arrangement of ideas and sounds. For the production, the Z Production label entrusted the task to Vincent Taurelle, Etienne Meunier, and Benoît Bel. In the hands of these collaborators of Tony Allen and Daft Punk, the invitation to dance finally transforms into an imperious injunction. From Bikutsi rhythms (Faraphonium) to Mandingo scales (Nâ Kuima), between fiery grooves and iridescent colors, Supergombo orchestrates an African suite that unreservedly looks to the west as well as the east, towards the Antilles or the Far East! And as if to push the journey a little further, the group takes mischievous pleasure in slipping in a few nods to cinema here and there: Blaxploitation films, Bruce Lee cinema, blockbuster soundtracks à la Lalo Schiffrin... And of course, chaotic melting pots à la Tarantino, as on the emblematic ""Marquis Warren,"" where the arid imagery of the Western brazenly rubs shoulders with the sugary codes of coupé-décalé. Without a doubt, this music knows how to surprise. But above all, it knows how to settle in, take root. In the head, to better conquer the whole body. It's no wonder, then, that Supergombo thrives on tireless repetition and sometimes flirts with electronic trances in this respect. But at no point does this music forget its roots. Nor the intoxication of storytellers."