tapioca: voyage
Francisco Espregueira
The Belgian duet Tapioca presents Voyage, released last friday by one of the leading European labels: Jakarta Records, via the indelible “Dubplates” Series. Composed by rapper Alessandro “Le Tagarel” Vlerick and producer and composer Simon “SiKa” Carlier, the duet draws on Brazilian culture to explore genres such as hip hop, jazz, MPB and pop-funk from the 70's and 80's. Clearly influenced by a mixture of Marcos Valle, Simonal or Emilio Santiago with Anderson Paak., Mndsgn or D’Angelo, the Tapioca demonstrate their own identity that deserves our mention.
With lyrics written and interpreted almost entirely in Portuguese, Le Tagarel tells of origins in Brazil (his mother is Brazilian), his desire to travel and escape and praises the saving role of music. In terms of musical composition, SiKa blends the beatmaking universe with the soul and funk music of the 70's and 80's, proposing sometimes playful sounds imbued with a feeling of melancholy called saudade, but always backed by organic bass lines and rhythms inspired by Boombap. Voyage, as the name indicates, is an ode to freedom, escape and the discovery of alternative cultural horizons. Available on Bandcamp.