The collective has released two new singles, “Ginseng” and “Malembe,” from the SMS for Location, Vol. 4 project.
The Montreal collective has made a name for itself internationally, notably for its parties in the city, as well as in London and Parisian underground clubs. Pierre Kwenders, one of the founders, describes Moonshine this way: “For me, it’s a bit like a gospel. We are the disciples of the almighty ambassador of fun and we are here to spread the good news.” Herve Kalongo adds: “It’s a delirium in friends, a growing family, a long weekend that never ends.”
Today, Moonshine announces the fourth installment of their SMS for Location mixtape series, creating links between different musical genres such as Afrobeats, Kinshasa electronic music and funk. Twenty producers, DJs and MCs exercise their art on fourteen tracks.
Directed by Nizar Saleh Mohamed, Hervé Kalongo and Pierre Kwenders, the video for “Ginseng” begins a hotly-anticipated swath of new music. The collaboration features Parisian DJ and producer Bamao Yendé, a member of the group Nyokô Bokbaë, and also founder of Boukan Records. As an artist, he is constantly inspired by Africa, as perfectly illustrated by “Ginseng,” which blends South African house, saxophone and syncopated breaks. Pierre Kwenders defines the melody as follows: “One minute is enough for the energy to go crazy. He wants to see you get up, enjoy life, take a breath of fresh air and a real moment of pleasure.”
In particular, the video follows the members of the Farata collective. “We wanted to film the video for “Ginseng” in one of the collective’s artists’ neighborhoods to see the reality of life in Kinshasa and the effect the costumes have on people. The footage is a testament to the power of percussive music, the ancestral language of traditional DRC costumes, and the social discourse offered by the artists when they use plastic and other reclaimed materials to create new types of costumes.”
“Malembe,” the second single on this new project, was released at the same time, and brings together Pierre Kwenders, the Central African pioneer of the Afro-house movement Boddhi Satva, and the Congolese MC RedBul, for a call to dance on top of wild rhythms.
These two tracks represent the collective’s recent trip to Kinshasa. They stayed there for three months this winter and exchanged with collectives and artists, drawing inspiration for their next clothing collection.
SMS for Location, Vol. 4 will be released in the coming months.
Find Moonshine on our afro + club playlist on Spotify and Deezer.
