Category: World Music

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: DONALADA Returns with Euphoric “C BEN D’VALEUR”

Montréal-based electronic dance music duo DONALDA — Florence Lafontaine and Olivier Martin-Fréchette — derive their project’s name from the name given to the first women admitted to college in Québec in the late 19th century, and is a nod to the fictional character introduced in Claude-Henri Grignon’s 1933 novel Un homme et son péché, who, for several generations, embodied the consequences of patriarchy. 

Lafontaine and Martin-Fréchette both have an academic background in digital, contemporary mixed-media and instrumental composition, as well as in jazz interpretation. Inspired by UK garage, dubstep, left field bass and other British electronic music sub-genres as well as the queer nightlife scene, the duo take a pedagogical approach to music in order to deconstruct the boundaries of musical genres. While getting people onto the dance floor is their ultimate goal, they also seek to spark musical curiosity among their audience, something that is at the core of their inclusive, unifying philosophy. 

Through composition, sound design and creative coding, the Montréal-based duo tap into their wide-ranging experiences to bring every stage of DONALDA’s creative process to life. And fittingly, their versatility imbued their sound with a coherent and deeply personal artistic identity rooted in a celebration of diversity and inclusion, freedom and the French language. 

The duo recently signed to Bonsound, who released their debut single “C FOU” last month. The French Canadian duo’s latest signle “C BEN D’VALEUR” derives its title from a common Québécois idiom that’s used to exress the sensation — or the feeling — of lost oppotunity, but it’s a wooozily euphoric bit of house music built around Larry Levan-like, arpeggiated and twinkling keys, skittering beats paried with the duo’s soulful harmonies. Theamtically, the song explores the concept of value (valeur in French) and the balance between significance and rarity.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Yeisy Rojas Teams Up with Manolito Simonet and Ricardo Amaray on Defiantly Celebratory “LATINO”

Yeisy Rojas is a Cuban-born, Oslo-based, classically trained, jazz violinist, singer/songwriter and composer. In her native Cuba, Rojas received a classical education and performed as a violinist with the National Opera Orchestra in Havana. Her passion for jazz led her to relocate to Norway, where she pursued her Masters studies in jazz violin at Kristiansand-based University of Agder‘s Conservatory.  The cross-cultural experience allowed Rojas to deepen her understanding of the African influences in Cuban music. 

‘Rojas’ latest single “LATINO,” feat. Manolito Simonet and Ricardo Amaray is an upbeat tune built around twinkling keys, big brassy horns and driving, Afro-Latino polyrhythm inspired by 1990’s Cuban timba energy that manages to be simultaneously thoughtful and dance floor friendly. As a native New Yorker, “LATINO” reminds me of listening to Mega 97.9 in the 90s and teenaged house parties in and around Corona — but at its core, is a defiantly upbeat message of unity and belonging.

“LATINO” was written as a response to the increasingly divisive rhetoric that has dehumanized and villainized migrants and Latino communities across the US and elsewhere. Informed by her own experience, the song reminds listeners of a profound yet simple truth: every person on Earth deserves respect, dignity and respect while being an anthem for Antone who has felt judged because of their origins, their heritage, their accent, their food or anything else. And in turn, the song serves as a celebration of the things that are both universal and unique about all of us. In our incredibly divisive times, it’s a deeply humanistic reminder of all the things we should be celebrating and cherishing.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: La Sécurité Returns with Breakneck and Defiant “Nah Nah”

Acclaimed Montréal-based JOVM mainstay collective La Sécurité — Éliane Viens (vocals, synths, percussion and drums), Félix Bélisle (bass, synths, percussion, piano and production), Kenny Smith (drum, guitar), Laurence Anne Charest-Gagné (guitar, percussion, vocals) and Melissa Di Menna (guitar, synths, vocals, percussion and artwork) — just released their highly-anticipated Emmanuel Éthier and Félix Bélisle co-produced sophomore album Bingo! today through Mothland in Canada and the States, and Bella Union for the rest of the world.

Bingo! sees the band continuing to meander in and around the fringes of punk, New Wave, krautock and dance punk while mischievously floating stylistic form every chance they get. Interestingly. while anchored around their usage of polyrhythm, counterintuitive chord changes and subtle melodic and harmonic dissonance, the album’s material sees the band incorporating more New Wave, no wave, noise rock and even shoegaze elements of the sound that has quickly won them international acclaim.

Recorded with the band playing live off-the-floor, using rare ribbon microphones and vintage compresses, the album’s recording sessions added to the material’s free-flowing feel and vibe. Many of the album’s hooks were improvised through jazz-tinged musical flights during recording sessions. And much like its critically applauded predecessor, many of the Bingo’s! songs saw the group improvising lyrics in the studio, effectively catching lightning in a bottle. 

The album’s songs tackle knotty themes like mental health, the the autonomization of women, and dysfunctional relationships with their custom moxie. Other songs playfully muse about food or address everyday mundanity with sarcasm and irony. There’s a song that celebrates unsung heroes, like the elderly.

Bingo! features the previously released  “Detour,” “Ketchup,” album title track “Bingo,” “Snack City,” “‘Deny,” and it’s latest single “Nah Nah.” “Nah Nah” is a breakneck and defiant DEVO-like punk ripper with French lyrics spelling out boundary etiquette for the less perceptive folk out there with a “don’t-fuck-with-me” attitude. Their sophomore effort’s latest single continues to showcase the band’s unerring knack for crafting catchy, unforgettable hooks, the song sees the band playfully implementing a switcherroo with Charest-Gagné taking on lead vocal duties while Viens bashes the living shit out of the drums and Smith contributes slashing guitar attack.

The band explains, “On ‘Nah Nah,’ Éliane played the drums and Kenny the guitar. The lyrics are by Félix and Laurence Anne, dealing with the feeling of wanting to be left alone while communicating a certain madness. Meanwhile, Éliane—with a joint in her mouth—and Melissa were writing ‘Snack City,’ as the band was finalizing the demos for the album.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Jonathan Personne Shares Mesmerizing “Superstar”

New Audio: Jonathan Personne Shares Mesmerizing “Superstar”
@bonsound @bonsoundpromo @corridormtl

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Yerilis Shares Gorgeous “Me Levanté”

Yerils Villamediana Hernández is a Venezuelan-born and-based singer/songwriter and musician, who performs with monoym Yerilis. She can trace the origins of her career to her childhood: She started writing her first songs when she was nine. By the time she turned 16, she joined the C.U.A.M. Choir, which strengthened her technical rigor. She complemented that with advanced training and signing under the tutelage and mentorship of Raif, the host of La Magia del Mundo Infantil y Juvenil. Hernández’s multidisciplinary background allows her to approach interpretation and stage presence with a technical precision and professionalism.

The Venezuelan artist has established a reputation as a versatile singer/songwriter, capable of bouncing between traditional Venezuelan rhythms, like the pasaje and more contemporary sounds across various styles and genres.

Her latest single “Me levanté” is a gorgeous blend of Venezuelan folk with a contemporary arrangement — in this case, a shimmering, dexterously finger plucked guitar accompanying by Hernández’s proud delivery. At its core, is a much-needed message of perseverance in difficult and uneasy times, which gives the song a timeless feel.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Alewya Shares Cinematic Visual for Dancehall-like “Maktoub”

JOVM mainstay Alewya is an acclaimed London-based singer/songwriter, producer and visual artist. Her highly-anticipated full-length debut, ZERO is slated for a June 26, 2026 release through Because London Records. The album reportedly embodies years of artistic growth into an effort that’s both deeply personal and sonically expansive. But the album also marks a significant milestone, as it sees her boldly stepping into a new creative era, defined by fearless experimentation and cultural fluidity. 

ZERO will include the previously released “Night Drive,” feat. Dagmawit Ameha and “City of Symbols,” “Eshi,” the Busy Twist-produced “Selah” and its fifth and latest single “Maktoub.” Anchored around dancehall reggae riddims, skittering industrial trap triplets, “Maktoub” continues a remarkable run of genre-defying and sweaty global club music that’s expansive yet urgent, accessible yet forward-thinking and remarkably catchy. Over the song’s dancehall riddims, the JOVM mainstay’s reggae-influenced vocal sings lyrics that touch upon themes of resistance, destiny and self-determination that are fiercely feminist and defiantly pro-Black and pan-African. 

The song features a sample from legendary Ethiopian singer/songwriter Teddy Afro, which was chosen by Alewya for sentimental reasons, as several generations of Ethiopans and Eritreans have listened to him growing up, much like she did.

“Maktoub,” which derives its title from the Arabic word “it is written,” reflects ZERO‘s recurring themes of faith, instinct and roots woven throughout. Led by feeling, rather than prescribed formula, “Maktoub” showcases the JOVM mainstay’s intuitive creative process in which rhythm and emotion guide the music before lyrics. “Sometimes songs take time to reveal themselves but ‘Maktoub’ felt immediate and effortless from day one,” Alewya says.

Directed by Lee Trigg, the accompanying video for “Maktoub” was shot in Afar, Ethiopia and follows the JOVM mainstay and a crew of friends riding motorcycles across the plains — and running. The video captures Alewya as a magnetic, carefree presence.  For the video, Alewya and the local filming crew flew two hours from the nation’s capital Addis Ababa and then drove eight across the country to reach the region, camping and hiking through its volcanic landscape along the way.

Afar lies at the junction of three tectonic plates — the Arabian, Nubian and Somali — and is one of the hottest and lowest places on the planet, where temperatures regular exceed 122º F with the land sitting at 410 feet below sea level. Despite the extreme conditions, the nomadic people of Afar have developed an unparalleled knowledge of survival and a fiercely independent culture. Historically, the Afar people have resisted colonization by neighboring empires and European powers.

“Afar is where my worlds meet — where three tectonic plates converge; Arabian, Nubian, Somali,”  says Alewya. “It is the birthplace of humanity, and a land where a new ocean is forming beneath my feet. The Afar people are warriors who have lived on their own terms for centuries, and the women carry a grace that makes me feel close to God. For ‘Maktoub,’ with Teddy’s vocals blessing the track, it felt right to create from the closest place to the beginning.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Montréal’s DONALDA Shares Woozily Euphoric “C FOU”

Montréal-based electronic dance music duo DONALDA — Florence Lafontaine and Olivier Martin-Fréchette — derive their project’s name from the name given to the first women admitted to college in Québec in the late 19th century, and is a nod to the fictional character introduced in Claude-Henri Grignon’s 1933 novel Un homme et son péché, who, for several generations, embodied the consequences of patriarchy.

Lafontaine and Martin-Fréchette both have an academic background in digital, contemporary mixed-media and instrumental composition, as well as in jazz interpretation. Inspired by UK garage, dubstep, left field bass and other British electronic music sub-genres as well as the queer nightlife scene, the duo take a pedagogical approach to music in order to deconstruct the boundaries of musical genres. While getting people onto the dance floor is their ultimate goal, they also seek to spark musical curiosity among their audience, something that is at the core of their inclusive, unifying philosophy.

Through composition, sound design and creative coding, the Montréal-based duo tap into their wide-ranging experiences to bring every stage of DONALDA’s creative process to life. And fittingly, their versatility imbued their sound with a coherent and deeply personal artistic identity rooted in a celebration of diversity and inclusion, freedom and the French language.

The duo recently signed to Bonsound, who released their debut single “C FOU.” Meshing elements of dubstep, drum ‘n’ bass, alternative R&B and Larry Levan-era house, “C FOU” sees the duo pairing glitchy beats, broodingly atmospheric synths, soulful harmonies, catchy danceable choruses and hooks, The result is a woozy, drunken euphoric feel of freedom — but with a bit of grit, sweat and grime.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Alewya Returns with Defiant, Dancehall-Inspired “Maktoub”

JOVM mainstay Alewya is an acclaimed London-based singer/songwriter, producer and visual artist. Her highly-anticipated full-length debut, ZERO is slated for a June 26, 2026 release through Because London Records. The album reportedly embodies years of artistic growth into an effort that’s both deeply personal and sonically expansive. But the album also marks a significant milestone, as it sees her boldly stepping into a new creative era, defined by fearless experimentation and cultural fluidity. 

ZERO will include the previously released “Night Drive,” feat. Dagmawit Ameha and “City of Symbols,” “Eshi,” the Busy Twist-produced “Selah” and its fifth and latest single “Maktoub.” Anchored around dancehall reggae riddims, skittering industrial trap triplets, “Maktoub” continues a remarkable run of genre-defying and sweaty global club music that’s expansive yet urgent, accessible yet forward-thinking and remarkably catchy. Over the song’s dancehall riddims, the JOVM mainstay’s reggae-influenced vocal sings lyrics that touch upon themes of resistance, destiny and self-determination that are fiercely feminist and defiantly pro-Black and pan-African.

“Sometimes songs take time to reveal themselves but ‘Maktoub’ felt immediate and effortless from day one,” notes Alewya. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Super Plage Teams Up with Virginie B on Summery “POOL PARTY”

Jules Henry is a Montréal-based singer/songwriter, electronic music producer and creative mastermind behind the acclaimed, JOVM mainstay recording project and Super Plage. Founded back in 2019, Super Plage sees Henry crafting slickly produced, dance floor friendly electro pop that draws from house and nu-disco. He frequently collaborates with local French Canadian artists to create a playful, fun-loving and escapist universe, where it feels good to party.

Since 2019, Henry has released four albums, including 2023’s Magie á minuit, which received an ADISQ Félix Award-nomination for Electronic Album of the Year. Building upon a growing profile, Henry has made a run of both the provincial and international festival circuits, playing sets at Francos de Montréal, FME and Festival d’été de Québec, SXSW, Wide Days and others. He has opened for Miel de Montagne, Juilen Granel, Bon Entendeur, MYD and more.

Last year’s GROOSE MAISON featured a sleek and daring blend of house, disco and French touch anchored around catchy, downright funky grooves, much like on album single “Tip Top.”

The French Canadian JOVM mainstay’s latest single “POOL PARTY” continues his longtime collaboration with Virginie B. Sonically drawing from classic house music, “POOL PARTY” is a breezy and summery, dance floor friendly bop that showcases Henry’s unerring knack for sleek production and razor sharp, catchy hooks paired with a sultry, pop starlet performance from Virginie B. It’s a much-needed, early blast of summer.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Live Footage: MHUD Performs “Ô Calypso” at Mastoid Studio

The mysterious Strasbourg-born, Paris–based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, publicly known as MHUD initially began his creative career as a painter before turning to music as a creative outlet relatively recently. And within a relatively short period of time, the Strasbourg-born, Paris-based artist quickly established a genre-defying approach to his music that thematically touches upon humankind’s spiritual, emotional and intellectual split from itself.

Released last year, the Strasbourg-born, Paris-based artist’s sophomore album was largely conceived in the morning and at home with co-writer Felipe Sierra (guitar, synth). The pair wrote with the album’s material with the common thread of giving all their musical influences a chance to shine. Thematically, the album touches on consciousness and the unconscious, the chaotic noise of information overload, the lack of nuance, the inability to find a quiet moment to think or to process anything, and how easy it is to lose the thin thread of time that seems to barely hold everything to together. 

NONO features the previously released, bruising “Toucher le sol,” and its latest single “Ô Calypso.” “Ô Calypso” is a shuffling and furiously unhinged bit of Bossa Nova that simultaneously seems to draw from Osees, Population II and VICTIME, Thematically, the song asks a deeply existential question: Will the 21st century man attain happiness or merely a nauseating madness?

The accompanying live footage, filmed at Mastoïd Studio by Nicolas Giraldo sees MHUD with a backing band featuring Felipa Sierra, Pedro Barrios (percussion), Biscuit (saxophone), Thomas Chalindar (drums) and Paul Dussaux (bass, modular synth).

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 74th Birthday, Sly Dunbar!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 74th anniversary of the birth of Sly Dunbar.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: George Aletras Shares Shimmering “Τώρα”

George Aletras is a Greek singer/songwriter and musician, whose work sees him moving between indie rock, post rock and cinematic soundscapes, frequently blurring the boundaries between them. At times, his work leans into experimental territories, not as a statement of style, but a a natural consequence of exploration, where form isn’t followed but discovered,

Aletras’ latest single “Τώρα” is a shimmering, hook-driven bit of 80s-inspired post punk and New Wave that’s cinematic while channeling Heaven Up Here-era Echo and the Bunnymen and contemporaries like PLOHO.