Africa / Afrobeat / Haitian Vodou / Voodoo

PAN M 360 at Nuits d’Afrique – Afrovibes Opens the Ball

by Michel Labrecque

On this Tuesday afternoon, very hot but cloudy, the public space of the Nuits d’Afrique Festival was still in the making. The African village was finishing filling its displays, a Brazilian woman was giving dance lessons to a very small, but very attentive, audience.

On the Esplanade Tranquille, around a hundred people were seated, in the ambient humidity. It’s not easy to be the first group to launch the free music programming of the Festival Nuits d’Afrique. 

This thankless task was that of Afrovibes, the voodoo-afrobeat ensemble from Montreal, led by percussionist Emmanuel Delly. Eight musicians, one singer, in front of a largely deserted audience, at the start. Ungrateful, I told you. 

But it started to groove very quickly; the group is tightly woven. A trio of percussionists, facing a battery of three guitars, a keyboardist and a flawless bassist. And the singer who wraps it all up in a sensitive way. Everything was pretty tight. 

I didn’t expect anything from this group. It was a cover assignment, in other words PANM360 asked me to go. I was pleasantly surprised. Not that Afrovibes is reinventing music, but he delivers a solid and super danceable performance. The three guitarists, one black, one white and one white, are hyper complementary between the solos and the riffs. The mix between Haitian and African influences is richly integrated, with a touch of America. 

I enjoyed listening. 

Little by little, people came to dance. An audience of all ages and colors, fascinating for a journalist to observe. 

Afrovibes would have deserved a better niche. But someone has to start the festivities. The group will tour a lot in Quebec this summer. To monitor.

In closing, I ask a quick question: why is this type of group, from Quebec, so rarely present in the variety shows on our TV? 

Publicité panam

Latest 360 Content

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Cyrille Dubois; Tristan Raës – Dupont : The Complete Songs

Cyrille Dubois; Tristan Raës – Dupont : The Complete Songs

Nic Ferron Trio – Multiverse

Nic Ferron Trio – Multiverse

Hayti Lives by Vox Sambou, “Duty to Reflect His Times”.

Hayti Lives by Vox Sambou, “Duty to Reflect His Times”.

Subscribe to our newsletter