Gayance - Mascarade
10 videos • 523 views • by Rhythm Section International Discography Buy/Stream: https://rhythmsection.lnk.to/mascarade Gayance joins forces with Rhythm Section for her debut album ‘Mascarade’ - a swaying dance that moves between poetic, soulful odes to the past, accounts of the Afro-diasporic feminine experience and playfully energetic dance floor grooves Mascarade is a collection of dancey, broken rhythms, interwoven with heartfelt stories and bright, unapologetic outpours of joy. In her own words, “It's the story of my 20's. I wanted to pay homage to this kid everybody knew, but not deeply. It's about taking back a power that is mine and was always in my hands…It's about making peace with the past and moving forward”. Gayance (real name Aïsha Vertus) takes her alias from the Haitian creole word for joyfulness.Based in Amsterdam, born and raised in Montreal-Nord, she started as a DJ in 2013, and has toured the world with shows in Paris, Brooklyn, Marrakech, Berlin, Sao Paulo and more, bringing electrifying and contagious energy wherever she goes. Her own production is influenced by underground UKG and the respective house scenes of Detroit and New York, with nods to the vivid, sun-soaked colours of Latin America. Shades of blues, jazz and gospel can also be heard in her newest project, pulling together styles from each corner of the world. Following her catalog of entirely self-released projects, Gayance announces her full-length debut album on Rhythm Section, bringing some fellow Montrealers along for the ride. On the opening track, ‘Dead End’, Gayance teams up with Janette King, a Vancouver based R&B singer songwriter with inflections of jazzy neo soul. The two close friends are both, producers, instrumentalists and vocalists, naturally coming together to make an intricately laid-back house rhythm. Deliberately sparse percussion echoes the original garage sounds giving harmonising melodies space to breathe and swell with oscillating, silk-woven synths. King also features on ‘Clout Chasers Anthem’, alongside jazz musician/rapper Hua Li. Fresh from a release on Nextdoor Records, Hua Li has been a forerunner in the underground Montreal scene. The energy of this track is unmistakably feminine, and the all-star cast all offer their own critiques of romance. It also signals a menacing change of pace in the album’s production, kick and bass step over to the world of footwork, alongside chord stabs from a Roland Juno and eerie synth atmospheres. Drenched in dancefloor sadness, the lyrics from each vocalist offer an emotional but empowering plea to a distant partner. Gayance’s record is also an ode to her late grandfather, who was one of the first to bring congas into the Quebec church. He taught her the unifying power of music and she returned the favour on ‘Moon Rising (10 Years)’, featuring close friend and jazz vocal powerhouse, Judith Little D. This song is a percussive, groove-heavy celebration of life and joy. Gayance’s voice emerges and morphs into hypnotic Detroit house chops for the hook, with the last section introducing a church organ in a sunshine-filled crescendo of soulful energy and cathartic gospel dance. Another moment of R&B/neo soul fusion can be found on ‘Jazz Cats Run’, featuring Sarah MK, a musician and vocalist who co-founded the local Montreal community space, Lotus Collective. This song marks a moment of delicate, ethereal dance music, as Sarah MK and Gayance spin smooth harmonies over sparkling piano chords and a broken beat drum break. Although the instrumentation is rich, the different parts keep a feeling of improvisation, echoing a jam. The only track not recorded in Montreal is ‘Nunca Mais’, Portuguese for ‘never again’. This song features co-production from Dutch producer and sound artist, LAZA. The track moves with lucid momentum as Gayance pays homage to Brazil (a place close to her heart) with her freestyle spoken lyrics. She is fluent in French, English, Hatian Creole, and Portuguese. As she says herself, “when it comes to emotions and songwriting, I feel like it can't come out in one language. I feel there's certain feelings that have better words in other languages”. Aïsha’s lyrics hit back at patriarchal oppression, linking her freestyle to a distinctly political message that calls for change and revelation. This record gives light to Aïsha’s talents, not only as a producer and collaborator, but as a vocalist and lyricist who holds a great capacity for emotion, narrative, style and language to emerge in her music. She expands the limiting ‘DJ/producer’ label to incorporate complete control over the artistic direction of her music. Gayance enshrines her vision of this album with brave and bold decisions being made on the way. With ‘Mascerade’ being her first full-length album, released within just two years of her independent debut, a meteoric rise is surely in store.