José Louis and the Paradox of Love

Pierre Kwenders’ name resonates in many circles. The Kinshasa native, who has been living in Montréal since his mid-teens, has proven himself as an accomplished instrumentalist, songwriter, singer and DJ. His work as a selector, in particular, is abundantly clear on this latest record.

Geared towards the club, these tracks are beguiling, moving and eminently danceable. Opener ‘LES (Liberté Égalité Sagacité)’ enlists the talents of US pedagogue-producer King Britt for a marauding venture through sound. Its opening collection of bleeps and bloops is soon joined by alluring percussive interjections and textural vocal lines from Kwenders. A deep undulating bassline kicks in at six minutes, with solace offered through twinkly indie guitar lines that provide a welcome, dreamy contrast. Elsewhere, ‘No No No’ draws on soca and dancehall, featuring a deliciously catchy vocal and firecracker rim shots, while ‘Heartbeat’ showcases French-Senegalese soul artist Anaïs, whose voice soars atop a stilted swing. Love takes many forms on the record. Its lead single, ‘Papa Wemba’, pays a touching tribute to the late-forefather of rumba rock. And while some of the songs passed me by – ‘Your Dream’ is lugubrious and unmoored – the record as a whole demonstrates the ease with which Kwenders works in multiple idioms, while remaining cognizant of tricks to make the body move.