In front of an almost empty room, at least from 10.15pm to 12.15am, the artists of Club Sagacité, an extension of Moonshine, still allowed us to devote ourselves to them. Listening attentively for lack of atmosphere. Whether it was a question of context or timing, the content was clearly not attractive to the current Nuits d’Afrique market.
Whatever the case, Club Sagacité is not to be missed. DJs San Farina and Fanella, the first two artists on the program, offered convincing selections of the present and future of Afro-descendant DJing. Completely global, with some very special peaks.
Club Sagacité, as we understand it, is a Moonshine school club, a successful concept developed by Pierre Kwenders, Hervé Kalongo and other Afro-descendant leaders such as San Farafina.
We heard afrobeats, soul/R&B, jazz groove, konpa, excerpts from Creole songs, Central African music, reggaeton and more, all melted into a notorious electronic melting pot. The diversity and integration of references is a fascinating reflection of the trends currently marking this generation of twentysomethings and thirtysomethings who find themselves consuming the content emanating from such collectives.
It’s more global than Western, less focused on American or European musical production – which is nonetheless very present in the vibe. In short, our musical world is changing, and all these Afro-electro waves are shaping the Montreal landscape. And for the better. Thank you Club Sagacité.