We Speak Music

TSHEGUE Release New Video For ‘Muanapoto’

Published

8 years ago

July 9, 2018

Thrilling emerging talent TSHEGUE today release the new video for ‘Muanapoto’, lifted from their debut EP ‘Survivor’ (out now), which has already drawn the Paris-based, French-Congolese band fans amongst the likes of i-D, Noisey and Mura Masa. Following head-turning appearances at last year’s Afropunk Festival in Paris (alongside the likes of Baloji, Ho99o9 and Songhoy Blues) and this year’s The Great Escape, TSHEGUE will shortly announce details for their first ever UK shows. Watch ‘Muanapoto’ here.

Shot in Abidjan, capital city of The Ivory Coast, the striking new video harnesses the primal energy of ‘Muanapoto’’s kinetic drumming loops, beneath the no-f*cks-given attitude of French-Congolese frontwoman Faty Sy Savanet’s rhymes, to articulate a story which is actually about silence and isolation. Speaking about the film, which tracks a profoundly deaf and mute young girl negotiating her way out of a world devoid of sound, Argentinian directors Pantera say; “From the moment we first heard ‘Muanapoto’ we knew we wanted to make something that did justice to its insane rhythm and trance feeling. ‘Muanapoto’ speaks for African immigrants in Europe who upon arrival are forced to deal with the unknown, surrounded by new customs, foreign languages, different food and climate, all of which can lead to feelings of alienation. ‘Muanapoto’ also feels like a release, a letting go, and that translates to the girl in our video, who feels the need to express something and is able to do so through dance and her body.”

As befits their name – both Faty’s childhood nickname and a term for the Congolese boys who gather on the streets of her hometown, Kinshasa – the Survivor EP captures TSHEGUE folding traditional African antecedents into a commanding brew of punk and garage sensibilities, as idiosyncratic as the band’s DNA itself. Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s music-obsessed capital Kinshasa, Faty then relocated with her family to Paris aged 8. In her early twenties a mutual friend brought her into contact with Robert Wyatt-collaborator Bertrand Burgalat, whose cult Tricatel label has been referenced as a key influence by the likes of Air and Daft Punk. Burgalat encouraged and enabled her formative musical experiments – including a short-lived voodoo n roll band – until Faty was introduced to future TSHEGUE bandmate, French-Cuban producer Nicolas ‘Dakou’ Dacunha, whose hypnotic, breathless beats form the driving backbone of both ‘Muanapoto’ and the ‘Survivor’ EP.

https://soundcloud.com/tshegue | https://www.instagram.com/tshegue_official/ | https://www.facebook.com/Tshegue/ | https://open.spotify.com/artist/3eEAELTLLkQc0PD2S2xAhN

We Speak Music

Rising Superstar AMBER Turns Everyday Moments Into Vivid Stories On Just a Daydream

Published

18 hours ago

August 1, 2026

Music4U

Songwriters often draw from personal experience, but what makes Just a Daydream stand out is the way AMBER reshapes those experiences through imagination. Instead of presenting events exactly as they happened, she builds scenes that feel colourful, expressive and full of possibility, giving the songs a distinctive identity from the very beginning.

That approach reflects the idea behind the EP’s title. What begins as a passing thought or a hopeful fantasy gradually develops into something more tangible, carrying listeners through romance, longing, disappointment and, ultimately, self-acceptance. The songs remain connected by that thread, making the EP feel like one continuous conversation rather than a collection of separate ideas.

Musically, AMBER blends soul, jazz, funk and pop touches without allowing any one influence to dominate. The lively pulse of “Say What” explores the confusion that can grow from crossed wires, while “Aromatherapy” offers a gentler close, bringing the emotional journey to a place of calm reflection.

Working with producer Kipper Eldridge, AMBER has created a debut that places storytelling at its heart. Every musical choice supports the atmosphere of the songs, allowing the lyrics and performances to take centre stage. Out now through Now Listen, Just a Daydream is more than a collection of well-made tracks. It is an invitation into a creative world where imagination gives everyday emotions a fresh perspective and where even the smallest moments have a story worth telling.