FELLAS - SILLAGE
Quickly emerging as France’s answer to the likes of BADBADNOTGOOD and Yussef Kamaal, Toulouse’s FELLAS are set to release their debut EP ‘NDONTI’ via Root Records on Friday 13th September.
The final single from the project ‘SILLAGE’ aims to situate the listener within the frames of Sergio Leone’s crime epic ‘Once Upon A Time In America’, seeking to capture the odour of the films opium dens in hazy musical form. Built around a haunting Rhodes loop, with skittering delays and a sleazy backbeat, the track builds into a saxophone-led cacophony, melting away into a four to the floor two-stepper. The band share: “On SILLAGE, we’ve translated scent into music, creating a warm, amber atmosphere that is both captivating and unsettling.”
The forthcoming ‘NDONTI’ EP has been approached by the band as the trailer for future LP ‘DINDI’, introducing listeners to their distinctive, cinematic nu-jazz blend. Moving between brooding trip-hop moods and boom-bap grooves, with disco and neo-soul in the mix for good measure, the compositions on the EP are centred around the concept of wabi-sabi – capturing a raw energy, complete with the unashamed imperfections that are a cornerstone of human nature.
On opening track DINDI, the band shares: “Dindi Is the main character. The song tells the story of a young man who arrives in a new city. He’s alone and delves deeper into a city that becomes increasingly crowded and dirty. We come to understand that he has arrived with bad intentions.”
Alongside bandleader Charlie Burg, FELLAS consists of Robin Safaru (drums), Séraphin Vergniot (bass), Robin Espagnet (guitar) and Léo Colman (keyboards) – a group of friends obsessed with the intersection of film, fashion, and music. Formed from the fire of the Toulouse jazz and hip-hop scene, the band cut their teeth at clubs, where they’re known to collaborate with MC’s and additional musicians to expand their sound even further. Much of their inspiration comes from Charlie’s upbringing – trips back to Italy to see his family and understand his roots – and the rich traditions of black American music, spanning the raw sounds of Pharoah Sanders and Dexter Gordon, all the way through to D’Angelo and 50 Cent.