Free To Go

Paris-based collective Les Freres Smith follow up their acclaimed (by La Selection FIP, Radio Nova, Vibrations, Songlines, Gilles Peterson, Laurent Garnier, and more) 2011 full-length debut, Contreband Mentality, with an even more ambitious LP. Free to Go was recorded the old-school way and mixed by genius producer Masta Conga in line with the tradition of the great albums of the analog era, which results in a warm and heavy sound, worthy of comparison to the productions of Daptone Records or Truth & Soul. Generously sprinkled with multiple influences inherited from the warm '70s sound, their dynamic and sharp recorded music reveals itself as totally explosive on stage where the Parisian combo is now recognized as one of the best live Afrobeat acts, mainly thanks to years of stage experimentations and multiple tours in France, the UK, and Europe (Roskilde Festival, Lounge On the Farm, Les Nuits Zebrees). While their first album featured Tony Allen, Oghene Kologbo, and musicians from Fela Kuti's band, Free to Go features the divine Malian singer Mamani Keita, Guinean griot Djeli Moussa Conde, and the Barbadian flow of Milo. Other vocals are performed by the charming and enchanting Swala Emati Smith, with a soul resonant of Lauryn Hill's style, and the charismatic Prosper Smith in a Camerounaise libertarian protest-style spoken word.