WATCH / SHARE “HEARTBEAT” (FEAT. ANAIIS) HERE
BUY / STREAM “HEARTBEAT” (FEAT. ANAIIS) HERE
NEW ALBUM, JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE, OUT APRIL 29, 2022 ON ARTS & CRAFTS
PRE-ORDER JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE HERE
“ 'Papa Wemba' adds electronic clout to the soukous beat — it sounds like it’s being punched out on a Teletype — and stirs up a rhythmic vortex with echoing guitars, gruffly sung and chanted vocals and a twin-saxophone riff that approximates the horns saying 'Papa Wemba.’” — The New York Times
"Since his 2014 debut LP Le Dernier Empereur Bantou, Pierre Kwenders has been an invaluable force in Canadian music with his experimental and playful approach to Congolese rumba.” — The FADER
Photo Credit: Kim Yang // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES
Congolese-born, Montreal-based musician, songwriter, and DJ Pierre Kwenders presents new single, “Heartbeat” (feat. anaiis), from his forthcoming album, José Louis and the Paradox of Love, out April 29, 2022 on Arts & Crafts. Following lead single, “Papa Wemba”, praised by The New York Times as “a rhythmic vortex with echoing guitars, gruffly sung and chanted vocals,” “Heartbeat” features French-Senegalese artist anaiis, and is an infectious sequel to the Branko-produced “Amours d’Éte” which Kwenders performed for the preeminent music platform COLORS. The melancholic “Heartbeat” pivots sonically and aesthetically, illustrating Kwenders’ emotional and stylistic breadth. His captivating multilingual chorus is bolstered by anaiis’ lithe vocal accompaniment.
“‘Heartbeat' represents the paradox of love,” says Kwenders. “Love can manifest itself in many and the most unexpected ways. I've been a fan of anaiis' for a while now. The tenderness that breathes through her voice was the perfect match to this story. While our hearts are beating hard, we're surrounded by the beauty of nature which keeps us calm and happy. All in tenderness, on a farm of love!”
The song’s striking music video was made by BLANGUAGE and directed by Daniel Omoakoh, the same team that created the video for lead single "Papa Wemba".
WATCH / SHARE “HEARTBEAT” (FEAT. ANAIIS) HERE
BUY / STREAM “HEARTBEAT” (FEAT. ANAIIS) HERE
Following MAKANDA at The End of Space, the Beginning of Time, Kwenders’s 2017 sophomore album, and Le Dernier Empereur Bantou, his 2014 debut – both of which earned Kwenders nominations for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize – José Louis and the Paradox of Love finds the artist arriving at a new juncture: a moment of resonance, carefully wrapped in freewheeling tapestry, hinged in reverence to its diverse heritage, yet reveling in the inventive combination of its elements.
WATCH / SHARE “PAPA WEMBA” HERE
BUY / STREAM “PAPA WEMBA” HERE
Seamlessly working across Congolese rumba, contemporary electronic music, pop-R&B, and jazz-infused progressions with a range of global collaborators including Tendai Maraire (Shabazz Palaces), Branko (M.I.A., Buraka som Sistema), Win Butler (Arcade Fire), Michael Brun (J Balvin), and Uproot Andy (Poirier), José Louis and the Paradox of Love is both an embrace of African musical tradition and an evolution of it. Singing and rapping in Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba, and Kikongo, Kwenders similarly weaves his stories across the boundaries of language and geography. Written and recorded while traversing the globe with his Moonshine Collective — holding nearly 100 lunar-based events including a Boiler Room party in his native Kinshasa or performing for COLORS in Berlin — Kwenders has taken his Afro-electronic soirées from Los Angeles to Santiago to Paris and beyond, building a truly international grassroots community of fans and peers.
PRE-ORDER JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE HERE
JOSÉ LOUIS AND THE PARADOX OF LOVE TRACKLIST
1. L.E.S (Liberté Égalité Sagacité) (Feat. Win Butler, King Britt)
2. Your Dream (Feat. Ngabo)
3. No No No
4. Imparfait (Feat. Sônge)
5. Papa Wemba
6. Religion désir
7. Makambo Ya Gaga (skit)
8. Heartbeat (feat. anaiis)
9. Kilimanjaro
10. Coupé
11. Sahara
12. Radio trottoir (interlude) (Feat. Babel Bukasa)
13. Church (Likambo) (Feat. Africa Intshiyetu Choir)
PIERRE KWENDERS LIVE
May 4 - Toronto, ON - The Music Gallery | Tickets
May 6 - Montreal, QC - Phi Centre | Tickets
July 30 - Montreal, QC - Osheaga Festival
