Live Review: Petite Noir 'Best' (Official Video)
You might not be able to dance to this one, but Petite Noir's work has to be some of most powerful in the global electronic/alternative scene.
It's time to embrace Noirwave. Don't know it? Let PETITE NOIR show you.
Yannick Ilunga aka Petite Noir is the Belgian born, Cape Town raised and London based artist behind Noirwave.
"Noirwave is about being yourself and combining all of your influences, which sounds super simple and clichéd but most people find that really difficult. So everyone cannot be Noirwave. For me, it's blending where I was born in Europe with my African heritage and ethnicity... I am what I am and the output is through my music. I'm influenced by metal, screamo, jazz, kizomba music… there's no loyalty to any existing genre." - Petite Noir via iD.
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Aurally, Noirwave finds itself falling somewhere between dance, punk and pop all wrapped up a New Wave mood. But as above, Petite Noir explains it as more of a concept than a sound. It's inspired by innovators like Mos Def and legends Fela Kuti and Tabu Ley - and because of the importance placed on culture and heritage - Petite Noir's Noirwave encompasses a ‘new African aesthetic’.
'Best' is the latest to come from his debut LP, La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful. The previous single 'Down' is a balearic dance tune, full of life and soundtracked with worldly grooves and rhythms - but 'Best' takes a more aggressive approach. Although there are inklings of the beats encompassed in 'Down', the structure takes them into darker territory with sharp horns and percussion surrounding the emotionally vocals from Ilunga.
Explained via PR, the video for 'Best': "The video explores the modern day ‘Noirwave’ Africa. It examines the perception of Africa as a ‘dark continent’, largely unknown, exotic and distant. It shows the forward-thinking, progressive Africa and illustrates what Ilunga calls the ‘Noirwave’ movement. It looks at how only through visiting the continent can anyone gain a sense of one of its most fascinating features, that of its split identity; how incredibly and indescribably beautiful it is on the one hand, yet on the other hand, how raw and unforgiving it can be."
You might not be able to dance to this one, but it's essential - Petite Noir's work has to be some of most powerful in the global electronic/alternative scene. Ilunga provides a voice for so many who don't and is telling incredibly important stories for a society that needs to hear them.
La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful is out September 11 via Domino Recordings.
Words by Tom Hutchins
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