Haitian roots ensemble
Chouk Bwa
and Brussels-based experimental musicians
Frederic Alstadt
and
Nicolas Esterle
first met in 2016, and released the excellent collaboration
Vodou Ale
in 2020, merging distortion and dub effects with electrified rhythms and group chants. The musicians reunited after COVID-19 lockdown and performed concerts throughout Europe in 2022.
Somanti
is a studio recording of the material played during these live sets, and while the approach hasn't noticeably changed much since the first album, the result is still dynamic and powerful, and it's just as easy to recommend. The title track storms out of the gate with heavy bass, pounding drums, and passionate vocals, escalating into a faster rhythm during the second half. The following tracks generally stick to furious drumming enhanced by electronic beats and wigged-out delay effects, while
Jean Claude "Sambaton" Dorvil
leads the other members of
in rousing call-and-response chants. "Vini We M" adds an extra boom to the driving bass, and others like "Kimelem" and "Sala" carry an atmosphere of industrial dread. The shorter "Kote Nap Mete Lwa Yo" is the album's biggest diversion, mainly consisting of half-spoken, a cappella female vocals and a minimal amount of electronic drifting. Finale "Viyaya Keke" starts out with more restrained drumming, then builds repetitive vocals into an accelerating tempo, and ends in a fit of sinister laughter.
is every bit as fiery and spirited as
, and already
Chouk Bwa & the Angstroemers
seem to have established an exhilarating new genre of their own. ~ Paul Simpson