Afro-Brazilian Polyrhythm!
Press
Ubalafon
"Hailing from Salvador de Bahía, Felix takes elements of bossa nova, samba, reggae, Afrobeat and more to mould them smartly into a polyrhythmic distillation of the Afro-Brazilian experience. Recorded in Stockholm and Bahía with an international cast of musicians drawn from three continents, his relaxed, warm voice perfectly suits the smooth dance grooves on these seven sunkissed songs that might be dismissed as easy listening, although in the best possible sense of the term. The opening track surfs on a burnished horn riff and a bubbling balafon rhythm and ´Depois que o Ilê Passar´, with its infectious female chorus, was written by his compatriot Milton Souza as a tribute to the ground-breaking Afro-Brazilian percussion group Ilê Aiyê. ´Mairê´ is a sparkling Afro-pop gem while in the gently swaying rhythms of ´Pai Pirou` and ´Vento Que Leva´ we are transported effortlessly to the heart of Bahía carnival.
Songlines #Dec 24
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It's soft, it's danceable,
it smells of samba and cachaça,
it comes rolling on
Congolese guitars,
it borrows here
from Angolan music,
there from
Nigerian music,
it starts from Bahia
to end up in Kenya
​
"His music makes, with great grace and balance, it must be said, elegant leaps and gaps between cultures. Well, it must be said that his satin voice glides wonderfully over the rhythms and melodies, and carefully and poetically coats his simple stories that tell us about humanity and its African roots.
"The lead single, “Mairê,” pays tribute to the resilience and cultural vitality of the African diaspora. Combining bossa nova, samba, reggae, and afrobeat, the song showcases Gil Felix’s signature style that blends influences from Brazil and Western Africa. “Mairê” celebrates the enduring adaptability and expressive richness of African descendants, emphasising the depth and joy of their cultural contributions.”
A delicious afrobeat! It's a dance track, with lyrics full of ancestry and rich in its sound and voice. It makes you want to get up and go out singing the verses of the song while you dance.
This Afro Highlife is straight up dope! The vibes are lit and the rhythm is addictive. The energy is contagious and the melody is pure gold.
Man, what a groove! Bahian music is awesome and you use its elements to your advantage! And the Nigerian influence in the beat gives it an air of modernity that embraces us.
The music is really good, it's so Brazilian! It's a great beat, it's impossible to listen to it
and not stay still.
"The album’s title and first track, Ubalafon, honor the balafon, an ancestor of the piano developed in Mali, West Africa. With this word, Gil Félix celebrates the African roots of all music while expressing his hope that the African diaspora will shape the future both artistically and politically. The album artwork, created by pyrography artist Djibril N’Doye, titled Balafon Beats, further embodies this connection to Africa’s rich cultural history.”
"Depois Que O Ilê Passar, recorded by renowned artists from the Brazilian scene, such as Rosa Emília Dias, Leci Brandão, Aline Muniz, Carla Cristina, Caetano Veloso and Margareth Menezes, to name a few, composed by Ilê Aiê, the first Afro-cultural group in Brazil. The song went from a striking carnival march from 1984 to something more intimate and percussively delicate in Veloso's version. Compared to Gil Felix's version, the composition gaines more charm, more body, more sensuality and even more harmony. Furthermore, Felix's sensitivity made the work more sweet and in touch with Afro culture through the female backing vocals, which enhanced the lyrical and harmonic layers.”
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