Artist: Drift Album: At The Party Label: Animal 63 Link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hg9UnQk1oPM Style: Electronic, Funk, Pop
Attached to Ferber Studios, notably Studio B where he has set up shop, while providing sound for Jean-Michel Jarre’s concerts, engineer and producer Renaud Letang has worked with an impressive number of musicians, including many of the most important artists on the French scene. In the particularly long list of albums he has produced, he has embraced a multitude of styles, but alongside these achievements, he has also been quietly working on personal compositions, which he is finally releasing. The artists featured on the album are as numerous as they are diverse in their backgrounds and horizons, sometimes very distant from one another.
Under the pseudonym Drift, Renaud Letang delivers music that is uniquely his own. It draws on influences from disco and funk, but it’s as if these styles weren’t meant to make you dance, daring instead to blend with lounge and even easy listening. Given the number of guest artists, the tracks seem to be the result of a collective effort, and depending on the participants, they take on a style closer to electronic music or hip-hop. To stay in keeping with the mood of the album, even the troublemaker Philippe Katerine offers lyrics that are less absurd and divisive than usual.
This album, produced by Renaud Letang himself, is a bit like a dish worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant, served to us with Grandma’s portions when she found us anemic. The atmosphere is perfect for relaxing on a rooftop, but audiophiles will appreciate the balance across multiple criteria, never excessive. All the instruments and other electronic sounds are very clear and manage not to sacrifice the connection between them. The soundstage is not the widest, but everything finds its place naturally between the speakers. The overall sound also maintains a balance between instrumental warmth and precision.
Artist: Dominique Fils-Aimé Album: Live At The Montreal International Jazz Festival Label: Ensoul Records Link: domiofficial.com/fr Style: Jazz, Soul, Funk
Quebec singer Dominique Fils-Aimé grew up in a family where music was very present, listening to soul and jazz classics and training in classical piano and singing. She was part of several bands before releasing an EP and participating in the TV show “La Voix.” She then participated in numerous festivals and her releases were noticed, cited by the press and in award selections, including the JUNOS and the Félix, which she won. Each of the albums in her first trilogy explores a style of African-American music such as jazz or blues, and her latest studio album, Our Roots Run Deep, delighted our turntables.
No stranger to concerts and captivating stage presence, the singer has finally released her first live album. Inspired by Nina Simone and Billie Holiday, she masterfully blends genres without resorting to intellectual pretension. This concert feels more substantial and expansive than her studio albums, giving her compositions a more direct and physical impact. The gospel and soul influences are still present, but funk takes on a more prominent role, without being too intrusive, as the artist knows how to draw us into this moment of sharing without a single moment of boredom.
Her firm and composed voice is totally mastered, but she knows how to be playful at times to introduce a touch of fantasy. Like the singer, the accompaniment defies categorization, offering a wide range of acoustic and electric instruments. The quality of the sound recording is equally impressive, highlighting the energy of the electric bass and the subtlety of the brushes on the cymbals. The strong bond between the musicians is often palpable, and the feel of the venue contrasts with listening to an album recorded in a studio. As with any live performance, this is particularly noticeable and appreciable during audience participation, which immerses us in the concert with the artist.
