Amine Mesnaoui and Labelle - African Prayers

Format: LP, Black
Catalogue No.: LP179LP
Barcode: 5057805520399
Release Date: 01 Apr 2022
Genre: Jazz

Berlin and London based avant-pop duo Private Agenda will release their second full-length album – A Mannequin – on Lo Recordings on 22 October via digital, limited-edition LP and music box formats.

Berlin and Reunion based duo, Amine Mesnaoui and Labelle are set to release their debut album on revered London independent imprint Lo Recordings on the 1st of April 2022.

‘African Prayers’ is a collection of seven new compositions, which includes lead single ‘Bleu Noir’, that aims to bring a contemporary and fresh interpretation to the Lila Ritual of the Moroccan Gnawa masters - also known as the Ritual of the Seven Colors.

With a firm belief they can deliver a sound that finds its anchor in heritage and yet escape folkloric clichés and stereotypes, the two musicians have strived to make something that is rich in meanings, minimal but complex, simple but deep. This is a record that is universal and invites the listener to the depth of meditation, to the dance, even to the spiritual state of trance.

Mesnaoui plays a prepared piano that is modified by different objects, which are inserted into its strings while Labelle simultaneously plays electronic instruments and further processes the piano sound. These instruments are not native to the traditional context and their choice allows for a new perspective on the Lila Ritual. By pushing the boundaries of what those tools usually offer, the sound explores yet untapped territories. Each piece on the record refers to a specific color and its associated symbolic realm in the ritual.

Lueur (white : color of the religion, spiritual)
périastre (dark blue for celestial spirits)
forêt (black for the spirits of the forest and the african ancestors)
krazé muneataf (ensemble of the colors)
bleu noir (light blue, related to the ocean and the sky)
six (red : related to blood and birth)
naima (yellow : the sun symbol of feminine spirits)

They met when studying music at the University of Paris. Mesnaoui is a Moroccan pianist, who is trained in both classical music and jazz while Labelle is an electronic musician and composer from Reunion Island.

Their first encounter was on a party by the river bank of the Seine where Labelle played a Techno set. Mesnaoui attempted to swim in the stream and only Labelle saved him from drowning in the water. They soon became friends and dreamed of playing music together one day - fifteen years later and that dream has become a reality.

TRACKLISTING
A1 - Lueur
A2 - Périastre
A3 - Forêt
B1 - Krazé Muneataf Tanzen
B2 - Bleu Noir
B3 - Six
B4 – Naïma

More From This Artist: Amine Mesnaoui Labelle