blackwave.

blackwave. create tapestries of sound you can sink deep into. Vocalist/producer Willem Ardui and rapper Jean-Valéry Atohoun take an open-minded view of hip-hop and mix it with funk, jazz and soul. Tempos are low, the delivery is mildly nonchalant and the vibe alternates between chill and exuberant. Think The Roots or Mos Def. For their third album, ‘no sleep in LA’ (2022), the duo from Antwerp and Ghent rejuvenated themselves in the City of Angels. After three weeks they returned, holding thirty demos that they enriched at home with horns and strings. This has put them on a larger playing field.  The song ‘a-okay’ has even made it onto the soundtrack of the popular FIFA 23 football game. Live, Ardui and Atohoun are backed by a well-oiled jazz band who have already proven their worth at Montreux Jazz, North Sea Jazz and Werchter.