Nikitch & Kuna Maze announce new album ‘Back & Forth’
Nikitch & Kuna Maze have annouced their new album ‘Back & Forth’ with the single “La Di F…Da” and tour dates.
France-via-Brussels duo Nikitch & Kuna Maze, aka Nicolas Morant & Edouard Gilbert, make a solid return to form with new album ‘Back & Forth’. Building on the signature sounds the duo developed on their first full-length LP ‘Debuts’ – that was praised by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6Music), and Music Is My Sanctuary – ‘Back & Forth’ is a deeper and more radically aesthetic approach to its predecessor.
‘Back & Forth’ is released on vinyl and digital, and is available to pre-order HERE
Nikitch & Kuna Maze expand on their soulful and subtle combination of jazz-flavours and the syncopated beats of broken beat and UKG; the album sees the duo working with collaborators for the first time, such as Brazilian singer-songwriter Joao Selva, while also experimenting with their own vocal material.
“At the beginning, it was quite weird and new for us, but it definitely added something special to the album. It’s not about delivering a message, but a way of adding playful elements to the grooves of the tracks,” Nicolas explains. “We were listening to a lot of 70s jazz records, where they were singing and improvising melodies without the lyrics. Originally, we recorded the vocals to get some initial ideas down on the track, with the plan of adding in other vocalists. But then we started thinking, ‘why don’t we keep it like that? It sounds cool actually!’” Edouard adds.
A direct reference to the mode and method of creation, ‘Back & Forth’ was catalysed by sketches of ideas sent back and forth online from France (Nikitch) to Belgium (Kuna Maze) before being finalised in studios sessions between Grenoble and Brussels. The concept on the record also plays on the geographical reality of the musicians’ relationship, “we have to go back and forth regularly to keep this musical journey moving, and for us to live this life making music”, Nicolas chimes in.
Lead-single “La Di F…Da” accentuates the duo’s flirtation with house music, delivering a road-tested crowd-pleaser that playful meshes dub sirens and Nervous Records-esque vocal stabs with elements of Brazilian samba and protean brit-funk energy. A reference to a Mark Wahlberg quote from the iconic Martin Scorsese film The Departed, “La Di F..Da” evolved from an in-joke on tour to a dance floor-filler at shows.
The ‘Back & Forth’ Spring Tour sees Nikitch & Kuna Maze play dates in France, the UK and Brussels.
26th March : Alta Festival
10th May : Ronnie Scotts, London https://www.ronniescotts.co.uk/performances/book/7308-nikitch-and-kuna-maze
11th May : The Jam Jar, Bristol – https://www.thejamjarbristol.com/events
12th May : Ramona, Manchetser – Free Entry – https://www.takemetoramona.com/live/
14th May : Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich https://nikitchkunavoodoos.eventbrite.co.uk
27th May : La Botanique, Bruxelles https://botanique.be/
