Kazy Lambist (FR)

He continues to dig the groove of a frictionless, conflict-free kind of music – hospitable and panoramic. Sophisticated and hedonistic. Volatile and elegant. Relaxed yet embodied. For where others use their electronic arsenal for aggression, Kazy Lambist is a man of sensuality and emotion, one who refuses to be boxed in; his tracks are meant to push back walls and expand perspectives. And of course, to make you dream in a hammock, dance in a velvet-lit living room, or move on a dance floor bathed in hypnotic sunlight.

It’s been that way since his beginnings – marked by the viral debut single Doing Yoga, the Audience Award at the Inrocks Lab in 2015, praise from filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, an artistic collaboration with designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, and ultimately a soaring takeoff with 33 000 Ft., a radiant first album that established his aura on the electro-pop scene.

Kazy Lambist took his time – nearly six years – to write a second full-length chapter. But don’t mistake that for inertia. Between Sky Kiss, an EP open to every wind and featuring a notable collaboration with Jean-Benoît Dunckel from the band Air; Decrescendo, a reimagining of some of his hits in classical versions; and other exploratory ventures like Nasty with Italian rapper and actor Tutti Fenomeni – the now early-thirties artist has left some enchanting traces in listeners’ ears. And in their legs too, through concerts and DJ sets across France and beyond.

His international reach is undeniable: a platinum single (Love Song), five gold singles abroad (Doing Yoga, Headson, On You, Annecy & Work), and a global tour – starting with around twenty upcoming U.S. dates alongside Kid Francescoli. At the forefront of this global resonance stands Turkey – a country where his success is already a sealed deal. Having performed there frequently in recent years, he spent a month and a half last year in the artists’ quarter on the Asian side of Istanbul. The neighborhood is called Moda – just like his album.

There, Arthur Dubreucq (his real name) recorded Dünya, a seraphic track where Sedef Sebüktekin’s voice acts like a balm and a Turkish violin intertwines with Jowee Omicil’s saxophone. The same destination inspired Moda Disko, a jubilant Italo-disco number shared with singer Den Ze, which could easily have fit into the soundtrack of La Grande Bellezza.

Self-produced, with help from Glasses (his collaborator on Love Song and Oh My God) on a few tracks, and mixed by the indispensable Ash Workman (Metronomy, Christine and the Queens, Baxter Dury…), the album is a collaborative work — rich with contributions from instrumentalists of diverse backgrounds, where electronic and organic elements merge beautifully.

It’s also a geographically wide-ranging record, embracing Turkey, Italy (where he lived for two years during its creation), and the South of France (he’s originally from Montpellier), all united by a Mediterranean spirit.

Ultimately, it’s an album that dives into the limbo of an ever-evolving chill-wave – fluid and textured – at times love-torn (After All), yet always seeking both sonic ecstasy and introspection. It finds balance in the roundness of Italian Way and the golden glow of Somebody To Love, shining at variable speeds according to the listener’s mood.

From liquid pop (Nirvana feat. Californian singer Julietta), voluptuously sun-drenched as it narrates the breakup between an artist and his muse (Lost with Amouë, his longtime stage companion), to the intoxicating Méditerranée, which celebrates wine and unbridled joy, or the groovy sensuality of Flawless Form with Strasbourg’s jazz collective Emile Londonien – Kazy Lambist looks beyond borders, always perfectly poised between refinement and pleasure.

(c) Antoine Henault