Whenever a Nu Genea track plays, the world seems to float in a state of lightness. The groovy, Mediterranean beats have everyone wrapped around their little finger: the elderly gentleman who, in the music video for »Sciallà«, tap-dances through the disco as if he’d discovered the secret to life, as well as the otherwise rather laid-back party crowd at Finest Friday. Following on from their acclaimed previous albums Nuova Napoli and Bar Mediterraneo, the Italian duo Nu Genea – known for their cross-genre collaborations – present their new album People of the Moon, true to the motto ‘more is more’.
The up-and-coming Andalusian singer María José Llergo opens the album with flamenco sounds that first meet funky guitars and later blend with Afro-Cuban rhythms. Whilst London’s jazz favourite Tom Misch provides Brit-funk vibes with basslines à la Pino D’Angiò, the Arabic vocals of the French-Lebanese musician Celinatique blend with bossa nova rhythms. Fabiana Martone, whose voice is familiar from L’Impératrice’s ‘Danza Marilù’, evokes Nu Genea’s original sound with the psychedelic-tinged track ‘Puleza’, whilst Brazilian percussionist Gabriel Prado rounds off the album with his vocal debut. People of the Moon has a great deal to offer. But it is precisely this ambitious approach – mixing as many languages, genres and rhythms as possible – that means Nu Genea’s typical charm is partially missing.
People Of The Moon
