New single featuring K.O.G

The story began in Chelas, a neighborhood in Lisbon, where my friend Léon Brichard (Ill Considered, Wildflower, ex-Ibibio Sound Machine) had relocated. Léon had brought his entire analog studio from London to his new home in Lisbon. I visited him a few times to write music together, and during one of those sessions, Léon came up with a captivating riff on the double bass. The moment I heard it, I was hooked. I asked him to record the same phrase on other instruments, including the Wurlitzer keyboard.

That riff stuck with me, and I eventually sampled it for the live show I created to accompany the release of my Hafa album in 2016. We used it as the intro theme for the set, and it became a signature part of the performance.

Fast forward to a gig in London, where I was opening for Afriquoi. During the soundcheck, I heard K.O.G.’s voice for the first time. He was a guest performer, and his vocal talent blew me away. After the show, we chatted, and he mentioned enjoying the beats I played that night. I sent a few of those instrumentals to him via his manager, Andre Marmot, and K.O.G. recorded vocal ideas on them from his home in Sheffield, UK.

One idea stood out immediately—his vocal take on Léon’s bass riff was irresistibly catchy. After some back-and-forth between Lisbon and Sheffield to perfect the vocals, the song felt almost complete. The final touch came from Benoit Crauste, a Parisian saxophonist and member of my live band. Benoit knew the groove inside out and improvised over the track until we found the perfect sax phrase for the bridge.

I shared the track with French producer Guts, who was starting a sub-label under Heavenly Sweetness. He fell in love with it, and I flew to Paris to finalize the mix with Mr. Gib at One Two Pass It Studios. The track was mastered that same week and released on vinyl via Guts’ imprint.

Just days after its release, the song was playlisted on Radio Nova, a French station that has been instrumental in shaping my musical influences.