Kiteky

This latest album from the French four-piece Electric Vocuhila, comes hot on the heels of a residency spent in Madagascar last year (a collaborative exchange with Malagasy group, Behaja, who are touring in France with the quartet this autumn). It is inspired by the time the band spent with musicians in Toliara, home of the frenzied, guitar-driven style known as tsapiky. While the sound of jubilant vocals heard over wildly duelling guitars makes up the backbone of tsapiky music, Kiteky is entirely instrumental, incorporating instead Maxime Bobo's seductive sax riffs which bind seamlessly with the more classic tsapiky textures, putting their own twist on the music. Used to electrifying effect on the title-track, Bobo plays alongside Arthur Delaleu's dazzling guitar and François Rosenfeld on bass, held together by Etienne Ziemniak on drums. A highlight of the album, ‘Kin’, mellows things down a little from the dynamic first few songs, alternating between leisurely guitar passages and the arresting harmonies of the sax. Kiteky is a sincere and well executed dedication to the tsapiky sound, embracing the style while bringing something new to the mix.