Nothing to do with the famous cabaret Le Chat Noir in Paris, the artist was christened “El Gato Negro” during his stay in Latin America, as he was described as “a nocturnal animal, an alley cat, slightly brigandish on the edges”. This name has never left him, even some twenty years later.
He begins with vocals, then starts dancing, before adding a huge flute with a black tip. He then returns to his console to throw us a fusion of African, Latin American and electro rhythms, all nicely arranged.
My favorite is clearly Mundo Cae, a duet with Assane Mboup, a Senegalese artist he praises. Taken from the album Tigre qui pleure, released in 2024, we notice his penchant for felines. What’s more, he masters the art of staging, embodying a character during his performances, combining theater, dance and song.
In impeccable Spanish, he addressed the audience in that language, which many seemed to understand. In between songs, he paid tribute to the Colombians in the audience.
“You look strange, Montreal, and I like that!” he asserts before playing a song that advocates difference.
A highlight of the evening was during Bombon de canela, from the 2019 album Ouvre la porte, on which he includes the famous line “Como si fuera esta noche la ultima vez” in Besame Mucho. He gives us a feint at the end of the song, remaining motionless for almost 2 minutes, before returning with the danceable rhythm.
In Marie-Claire, the woman who “shoots bad husbands”, we savor a blend of ancient Latin rhythms, but brought up to date with electro and other ambient sounds added by the artist. In a way, this is El Gato Negro’s universe: Afro-Latin rhythms, revisited by electronics, but with the addition of sounds such as the balafon, the kora or the tama.
Special mention was made of Cosmovision, the label behind the invitation. This label demonstrated the breadth of its network, helping us to discover a number of nuggets during this edition of Nuits d’Afrique.
Photo Credit: André Rival
