For their debut release on French imprint label Underdog Records, Ireke, which translates from the Yoruba as "sugarcane", chose a visually stunning image of a lemur to adorn their cover art. The duo, however, neither hail from nor reside in Nigeria or Madagascar; instead, they are based in France. Whilst this may appear bemusing, there is no obfuscation regarding the album's title; Tropikadelic is the perfect summation of the music on offer here, a fusion of highlife, funk, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and electro, all embellished with dub trickery and studio sorcery.
First playing together in a group called Playtime, Julien Gervaix and Damien Tesson have an interesting pedigree. The former has played in several bands, including the Nantes-based Soulshine and the Afrobeat group Walko, which also featured Kiala Nzavotunga, guitarist for Fela Kuti and Egypt 80, whilst the latter established himself as dubmaster, guitarist and arranger with Shi Fu Mi Temple in the Vendee region, before working with leading international dub artists Jideh High Elements, also in France, and subsequently with Roberto Sanchez at his Lone Ark Studio in Santander, Spain.
Inspired by musical heroes such as Fela Kuti and King Tubby, Tropikadelic realises their desire to extend their musical aspirations and ambitions, "Above all, it was the love of the groove that brought us together, which is still today the guideline of Ireke. We wanted to go deeper exploring the sounds emanating from the Caribbean". However, they travel much further geographically on the album, crossing continents. The influence of the likes of Benin's TP L'Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou Dahomey and the Ivorian Ernesto Djedje can also be discerned by these ears.
With Julien providing alto saxophone, bass, machine, keyboards and beat-making (drums & percussion) and Damien credited with guitars, keyboards, dub & FX and beat-making (drums & percussion), the duo lay compulsive and driving foundations. Notwithstanding this, they are savvy enough to have realised the value of surrounding themselves with a list of top guest vocalists and lyricists. "Ireke is a call to dance and party. But also diversity is a central element of the project. This is reflected in the variety of artists we have invited and the messages they convey."
Having sent out the call, asking for each invitee to provide lyrics, the request was answered by Nantes soulman Jy Cooly, the Vendee-based Agnes Helene, the groove griot from Cameroon, Pat Kalla, the Franco-Laotian reggae-man Amatah Keo, and singer/multi-instrumentalist Charly Sanga, also from La Roche-Sur-Yon in the Vendee. Completing the list is the illustrious Burkino-Faso reggae singer, "The Voice Of The Voiceless", Sana Bob.
The opening track, and debut single, Petit A Petit, was one of the duo's early compositions and first saw light as an instrumental, played live at their concerts. Sent out to Agnes Helene, she not only provided the French and Spanish lyrics and silky lead vocals which appear on the version presented here but also contributed bugle, which along with the baritone saxophone of guest Maxime Brottes, creates a sun-drenched, pulsating, celebratory song built around Congolese-styled guitar figures.
After such an irresistibly infectious beginning, the pace and rhythm are immediately slowed down on Man Bo Diak. Prefaced with spoken lyrics followed by smoky vocals provided by Amatah Keo, think Curtis Mayfield, electronic squiggles and noodlings interject with the warm organ/keys to create a soulful and relaxing five minutes, laid-back almost to the point of falling over. In a similar vein is Metissage featuring a lion of Burkino-Faso music, Sana Bob, on lead vocals, with brass again creating a groove and the backing vocals a perfect complement to the lead on an effortless velvet track.
Pat Kalla, who has worked with compatriot French tropical-futurists Guts and Bruno "Patchworks" Hovart, provides the lyrics and lead vocals to two intriguing tracks. The first of these, Femme Qui Danse, is an impressive piece comprising layer upon layer of sound. Pulsating keyboard chords, quirky electronic squelches, dub beats and echo effects and a tremendous solo vocal break all contribute to what, at times, is a spacy and psychedelic feel, which, thanks also to the kora and tama contributions of Charly Sanga, nevertheless has a distinctive West African vibe. A similar complexity is also apparent on Love Is Jokin. The opening vocal harmonies and jangling, Soukous-style guitar are confounded by the electronic dabblings, bass 'riddems' and delicious brass sounds, again featuring Agnes Helene and Maxime Brottes, to create another track of great aural interest.
The aforementioned Charly Sanga also features, this time more prominently as lyricist and lead vocalist, on two further songs. The fourth track on the album, Bas Les Masques, sees him deliver a high-energy, surely exhausting vocal performance over electronic beats and percussion, which provide a counterpoint to the Osibisa-like chanting, chopping chords and what appear to be shimmering kora notes in an aural montage of sound. In contrast, Oh Ma Cherie has a much more poppy sensibility. Sharing lead vocals with Agnes on this song which is subtitled Petit à petit Part 2, they offer dreamy vocal performances before a fine funky instrumental break brings the song to a conclusion.
Kinkeliba, which features Jy Cooly on lead vocals, is nothing short of an invitation to pour yourself an Afro-Caribbean rum, kick back and enjoy the unfettered verve and energy provided by a relentlessly palpitating guitar and electro-synth solo on another track encompassing a melange of styles.
The final two offerings on the album are both pretty much instrumentals. Electro High-life is cinematic in its scope, starting again with a Soukous sound; the song develops with entrancing beats and spaced-out cross-rhythms reminiscent of Assagai, building to an engrossing crescendo. If one could imagine a Morricone Afro-dub film score, it might just resemble this.
The album's closer, T'es Haut, is, in many ways, a bit of an outlier compared to the rest of the release. Guitar effects, riveting percussion, electronic jiggery-pokery, and more enthralling, exuberant brass present a very much jazz-infused track which, whilst sounding eminently radio-friendly, is not perhaps representative of the album as a whole.
As Ireke, Julien Gervaix and Damien Tesson visit new sonic territories on Tropikadelic; you will probably not hear a better debut album this year. As balmy, sunny evenings are hopefully soon on the horizon here in the UK, Tropikadelic could provide the perfect musical accompaniment.
