Earlier this year, the compilation album Oté Maloya was met with rave reviews. For many music journalists, this was their first encounter with maloya. This music originated on Réunion, a French island off the coast of East Africa. The maloya was brought by slaves from the African mainland and is therefore the Réunion counterpart of jazz, blues and samba. Striking are the danceable rhythms and
… the question-and-answer patterns that resonate in almost all music of African origin. Jeremy Labelle proves that the maloya is alive and well and ready for the 21st century. This young Réunion producer combines electronic rhythms with the lived voices of various guest singers. The result sometimes sounds jerky and hypnotic, at other times lovely. A bit like Lucas Santtana did before in Brazil, but no less original. (PdK)more
