Working on Guts' Album "Philantropiques"

I grew up listening to the French rap hits he produced in the '90s with his band Alliance Ethnik. Later, I fell in love with his solo albums and his Beach Digging compilations, without realizing the same person was behind those projects. That was until one day, he showed up in Lisbon and reached out.

He had been listening to my debut album and offered to collaborate. We connected immediately on both a human and musical level, sharing a hip-hop-nerd-meets-globe-trotter spirit.

Our first project together was a single by K.O.G. and me, which he released on his label Pura Vida. We mixed the song with MrGib at OneTwoPassIt Studios in Paris. From Guts, I learned the importance of this stage in the process. Coming from a DIY laptop-producer background, working within a traditional studio framework was a revelation.

Our collaboration deepened with his 2019 album, Philantropiques. A few months before recording, Guts shared some ideas, including a proposal to cover Vum Vum’s 1974 track Mucagiami. He asked if I knew an Angolan singer in Lisbon who could record the vocals. During my search, I discovered that Vum Vum himself was alive and living in Lisbon. Through a couple of friends, I managed to get in touch, and we met one sunny morning in Martim Moniz Square.

After some back-and-forth with Franck (Heavenly Sweetness), Guts, and Vum Vum, he agreed to re-record the song for Guts' album. Guts and his team—including Paris-based Brazilian Angolan musician Lameck, Cyril Atef, and Ben Arbanell Wolff—laid down the first version of the instrumental, rooted in the Angolan "Semba" rhythm.

I recorded Vum Vum’s vocals at Pimenta Preta Studios in Lisbon, layering them over the instrumental. At 74, Vum Vum was energized and excited throughout the process, delivering a stunning performance and showing genuine enthusiasm for the backing track.

The final phase took place at OneTwoPassIt Studios in Paris. Guts had assembled an impressive lineup of musicians for the album, and I joined them for a few days. During that time, we reworked the Mucagiami instrumental alongside Lameck and other musicians. I also contributed to co-producing Ja Nao Ha Mais Paz and Nosso Carimbo é do Mundo from the same project.

One of Guts’ moonshot ideas for the album was to involve Brazilian Carimbó legend Pinduca, who was in his 80s and living in Belém, Brazil. Encouraged by our success with Vum Vum, I took on the challenge. Through one of Pinduca’s family members, I managed to get in touch. The response was incredibly enthusiastic. Pinduca and his team wrote the vocal line, recorded additional instruments, shot a video in the studio, and sent everything back with incredible speed. Guts also recorded France-based Brazilian singer Nazaré Pereira on the same track.

Philantropiques was mixed and mastered shortly after these sessions and released on March 29, 2019. The project was an amazing experience of teamwork and a testament to Guts’ ability to navigate a vast array of musicians, influences, and locations to create something cohesive and inspiring.