Célia Wa - Broke

BBC 6Music radio presenter, DJ and Future Bounce label head, Jamz Supernova presents the second single from her new compilation Dance Around The World on Mr Bongo. For this second double A-side single the focus turns to the Caribbean. There’s a blend of Trinidadian drum-heavy flavours and UK Bass influences from Jus Now, alongside a fusion of traditional Caribbean rhythms with hip hop, jazz and soul from Célia Wa. First up, Trinidadian percussionist Keshav and UK producer Sam Interface aka Jus Now, present their club-driven global sound through ‘Yalode’. As part of a 2015 tour in Brazil, Keshav and Sam spent time recording at Guilherme Arantes’ legendary ‘Coaxo do Sapo’ studio, working with traditional musicians as part of the sessions. One such group was the all-female choir As Ganhadeiras de Itapuã. The collective spirit surrounding their voices is weaved into Jus Now’s track, at first delicately in the sweeping intro before the duo flip the script, chopping up the vocal to lace it between the fierce percussive flavours and heads-down driving bass. It’s a thumping UK Bass-infused production rooted in a tight conversation between Jus Now’s quintessentially Trinidadian drum palate and the Candomblé spirit of Bahia. As Jus Now state, “Both Brazil and Trinidad share deep roots in West African spirituality (Orisha-Orixa), and they call and respond powerfully in this record which is all tied together by our intense and dance-focused UK Bass sound”. Next, ‘Broke’ comes courtesy of Guadeloupean singer, composer and flutist Célia Wa. It charts a paradoxical time in Célia’s life when she was delighted to have a newborn son but also struggling with financial instability. The inspiration for the song came after an uncomfortable encounter with a dismissive social worker. The piano’s rhythm is based on beguine – a musical genre found in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyana, considered an ancestor of jazz. ‘Broke’ as Célia puts it, is “psychedelic biguine for today’s taste. I love bringing tradition and modernity together, even though for me the two coexist all the time.” An exchange between dancer and drummer, with an infectious rhythm, alongside Célia’s blistering Creole vocals and trademark flute playing. As Jamz mentions, “Célia’s album transported me to Guadeloupe and led me down this crazy wormhole. What she's trying to do is what connects a lot of the artists on the compilation, taking all the things that are her, her identity, her heritage, and then fusing it with something new. Taking elements of traditional Guadelopean music, and blending it with, hip hop, neo-soul and jazz”.