Today we are debuting a mesmerising new remix of ‘Bleu Noir‘ the lead single from Amine Mesnaoui and Labelle‘s forthcoming debut album African Prayers, by Hong Kong-based trio Blood Wine or Honey. Listen below.
The duo display a thrilling dexterity and adventurousness with cut-up rhythms, inventive percussion that jags from Latin flavoured to organic techno, jazzy pianos and radiant melody, ‘Bleu Noir‘ is a refreshingly remixed by Blood Wine or Honey. They create distinctive hypno-tropicalia sound in the industrial warehouses and hidden rural settlements of Hong Kong, surrounded by the low-end throb of heavy machinery, the lingering scent of hand sanitiser and the humidity of the South China Sea.
Amine Mesnaoui and Labelle’s debut Long player African Prayers is a collection of seven new compositions 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 colour and its associated symbolic realm in the ritual.”
