Needles & Grooves AotM /// Vol. 21 - March 2021 /// Melissa Laveaux - Radyo Siwèl.

So... this record is going to take some more digestion, but I like it. I’m also fairly certain I should read the articles that @Colonel_Angus quoted. Great pick. Nothing excites me more than wanting to decipher music and feeling like learning more about an artist will help my enjoyment of their work.
 
this album arrived to my door shortly after Texas thawed. boy howdy.

guess I'm thankful the thread was solved with the quickness and I was able to place my order earlier on, because the vibe arrived on time. I've enjoyed it so much, and have found more great artists bouncing off her Instagram and elsewhere. has anyone else been able to pick up or listen to her other albums? I grabbed two when placing my order, (the AOTM and Dying is a Wild Night.) curious if any of y'all have had time to explore outside the chosen album yet.

thanks for the stellar pick, clangus babeus.
 
Colonel_Angus said:
Welcome to the shortest guess thread, ever. I'll save you the trouble of having to skim these 5 pages to find the reveal.

My pick for March is Melissa Laveaux - Radyo Siwèl.

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When deciding on what to pick, there were multiple factors in choosing. Not only did it have to sound good, or the fact that wanted it to be an artist this forum likely hasn't heard, I wanted it to be important. And in my research it couldn't have been more apparent that this was all three. I'm not going to even attempt to summarize (see: poorly) how this album came to fruition and why it meant so much to Melissa to write this. So, instead, I'm going to copy-paste from articles I found to be insightful and inspiring.

"Born to Haitian parents in Ottawa, she describes her childhood as traditional, though with one missing aspect – her parents wanted Laveaux and her sister to assimilate and speak perfect English and French, so refused to teach them Creole. “All the cool Haitian kids spoke Creole. It felt like a sorority we didn’t have access to,” says Laveaux. “It felt like something was missing.” - The Guardian.

"In April 2016, Mélissa Laveaux left for Haiti, twenty years after the last holidays she spent in the Cap-Haïtien region. She knew only a few figurative Creole expressions, mostly from her mother’s phone conversations with her aunts, when they would exchange zins (the latest gossip). In Haiti, Laveaux got a hold of recordings and notebooks, but also people’s stories. Although the memories were scattered around in bits and pieces, they were all still so alive. She listened to those constantly reinvented songs that were present throughout the long and tortuous history of Haiti. One of the periods that Mélissa focuses on is the occupation of the island by the United States, from 1915 to 1934." - PAM (Pan-African Music)

"She returned home from Haiti with a head full of sounds, melodies, moods and stories of distant times, as a track-list emerged, rich in the multi-layered allegories and symbolism that are characteristic of Haitian poetry and song, like a coded language of resistance. From these she built Radyo Siwèl , a unique album steeped in Haitian history and culture and yet which is also highly personal and intimate. Radyo Siwèl is very important to me because there's the whole part about remembering your ancestry and honoring your ancestors and elders , she explains. I'm getting reacquainted with parts of my heritage my parents left out when they were raising me." - Bonsound


RIYL: Oumou Sangaré, Lou Doillon, Leyla McCalla, Ayọ, Lhasa de Sela






Below; I've linked a few of the stores where availability wasn't a huge concern.
US:
Merchbar
Walmart
Deep Discount
Park Avenue CD's (if your local has a site, check theirs also!)
Dodax (US)

EU/UK:
No Format (Label)
Bandcamp
Dodax (UK)
Amazon (UK)

FR:
Dodax (FR)
Amazon (FR)

As I've only reached out to her recently for some involvement in this, I'm hopeful to get at least something going and will announce in thread should that arise.
Click to expand...

It's Paula!

Wait. No. It isn't. But now it makes sense why Joe posted this album on IG. I'll be adding this to my "curated by Colonel" pile. :)
 
first off the album was good.. just not my thing

second I accidentally dropped my record weight at the end of side 2 so its covered in clicks now soo oops
 
NØ FØRMAT is back! The new Needles & Grooves AotM has been revealed and it's Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal + Emile Parisien & Vincent Peirani - Les Égarés, released on the samel label as Melissa Laveaux - Radyo Siwèl.

To celebrate, NØ FØRMAT gives us a 20% discount on each album of the duo Ballaké Sissoko & Vincent Segal using the discount code NEEDLES at check-out. This code can also be used on the NØ FØRMAT pass. I have everything explained on the AotM thread. If you were on the fence last time, here is your chance!
 
I've started a new thread for NØ FØRMAT! in the Vinyl Clubs forum for pass holders to discuss our new goodies through out the year, and for all of us to discuss the label and its releases in general. Feel free to join in:

Nø Førmat!

Started up by Laurent Bizot in 2004, who was joined by Thibaut Mullings in 2007, Nø Førmat! Is now 10 years old. In the thick of the music industry crisis, the label has today made a true name for itself, just like many other “small” labels, freeing new kinds of energy and letting new and...
www.needlesandgrooves.com www.needlesandgrooves.com
 
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