From hard rock to R’n’B, the Belgian has a lot in common with his clear political agenda.
Yannick Ilunga aka Petite Noir calls his work Noirwave – whereby the term goes far beyond music and subsumes different genres, fashion and attitudes of Black artists: inside that cannot be assigned to any particular style or even to the mainstream. In that respect, the second full-length album from the Belgian-born, South African-raised son of Congolese parents is a noirwave album par excellence: MOTHERFATHER is a breathtaking ride that mixes hard rock, Congolese music, R’n’B, Electro, Soul and not only touches on many other styles, but savors them intensively.
Thawing on slowed-down beats, the minimalistically arranged single “Blurry,” for example, develops an irresistible pull, broken up by Sampa The Great’s harsh rap interlude contrasted with Ilunga’s velvet-and-silk vocals. The suggestive, raw “Lilli” could also be a track by Lil’ Nas X, while the loosely flaky off-beat dancing “Simple Things” (feat. jazz trumpeter Theo Croker) is very matter-of-factly about racism and Classicism works: “It’s such a simple thing / They don’t want us to be equal,” Petite Noir announces, and the automatic urge to sing along gets stuck in your throat.
“Best One” is also about Ilunga’s experiences with exclusion and violence, which he describes with astonishing equanimity. With “Play” Petite Noir ends this dark, explicitly political, erotically charged chunk of an album comparatively carefree and happy – terrific.