Oasis Boom - 2025 - Cactus Bus

(54:16; Dur Et Doux)






















This is the debut album from Mélissa Acchiardi (The Very Big Experimental Toubifri Orchestra, l'ARFI, Saint Sadrill) and Vincent Duchosal (Trio Meije, Phonem, ZOZIO, cie la Grande Magouille), which has been created in quite a strange manner as Mélissa plays drums and synthesizer played with drumsticks (which I guess is a vibraphone), while Vincent plays “prepared electric guitar”, whatever that is (aren’t all guitars prepared in one way or another, from choice of strings to tuning to set up etc?). One of the things I have learned from Dur et Doux releases is that it is not unusual for the initial playing of one of their releases to not exactly fill me with confidence and delight, but the more I persevere the more there is to enjoy, and that is the case with this one.

According to the label they have invented desert rock that calls for dancing, involves techno, and their sound is inspired by Maloya and Mandingo. For those unaware of the last two (me, for example), the Mandingo are a West African ethnic group of about 11 million people, descended from the ancient Mali Empire and primarily located in Gambia, Senegal, Guinea, Mali, and Guinea-Bissau, while Maloya is a traditional music, song, and dance genre from Réunion Island, created by enslaved people of African and Malagasy descent. There are certainly plenty of African influences audible in this album, not only in the melodies, but the way the music is created in the first place. The more one stays with this album the more one realises there is a hauntingly fragile beauty within, and listening to “Milena Sand” on headphones while sat in a busy coffee shop feels very strange indeed, as inside my head is the vision of a people wandering through a bleak desert landscape, while around me the hubbub of the Western world, and at the moment I know exactly where I would prefer to be.

This is not an album which will excite on the first time of play but give it time and discover the hidden depths as the Lyon-based label has delivered yet another amazing musical experience.  

Kev Rowland, October 2025

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/oasisboom
https://duretdoux.com/

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