Petite Noir – Best
Petite Noir – Best (2015)
Directed by: Travys Owen
We are pleased to share the Petite Noir video for ‘Best’, the second track to be heard from his forthcoming debut album, ‘La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful’, released on 11th September 2015).
The stunning video, directed by Travys Owen with art direction by Rochelle Nembhard, explores the modern day ‘Noirwave’ Africa. It examines the perception of Africa as a ‘dark continent’, largely unknown, exotic and distant. It shows the forward-thinking, progressive Africa and illustrates what Ilunga calls the ‘Noirwave’ movement. It looks at how only through visiting the continent can anyone gain a sense of one of its most fascinating features, that of its split identity; how incredibly and indescribably beautiful it is on the one hand, yet on the other hand, how raw and unforgiving it can be.
Director Travys Owen says, of the video: ‘We wanted to make 4 distinct ‘tribes’ of people. This allowed us to create a visual journey that Yannick is on, running through all of these different landscapes and allowed us to create these rich scenes which were very different from each other. The four main elements in the video are Fire, Malachite (earth/rock), Water & Gold. The video is about Yannick’s journey through all of these landscapes meeting all of these different tribes.’
Rochelle Nembhard explains further: ‘I wanted to break all boundaries in how we portrayed the continent and her people. The video showcases the beauty of the continent, the richness in her landscapes, the sacredness of her culture, the immense diversity of her tribes and the natural inherent beauty and style of her people.’
Recorded at Box Ten Studios in London with Oli Bayston (Boxed In) and Leon Brichard (Ibibio Sound Machine), ‘La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful’ is a highly accomplished album with a unique concoction of influences. The record seamlessly fuses intricate contemporary electronics and raw post-punk energy with Yannick’s stirring, soulful vocals and African shuffles that echo his homeland. Named after a revered Congolese film of the same name, the album is both a beacon and a vessel of inspiration, offering empowerment to those who need it.
La Vie Est Belle / Life Is Beautiful represents the first full expression of what the half-Congolese, half-Angolan, Cape Town-residing, Ilunga calls ‘Noirwave’, which is more of a concept than a specific sound. Inspired by innovators like Mos Def and legends Fela Kuti and Tabu Ley, Noirwave encompasses a ‘new African aesthetic’, plain and simple. ‘I think for me, it’s just the story their music tells and the sense of freedom. It’s about seeing the positive in dark times’.
