Nomadic Massive
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Nomadic Massive | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
Genres | Hip hop, World music |
Years active | 2004 | –present
Members | Waahli Lou Piensa Butta Beats Ali Sepu |
Past members | Vox Sambou Sayen Narcy Taliwah Meryem Saci Rawgged MC DJ Static Hest One |
Website | nomadicmassive |
Nomadic Massive is an independent Canadian hip hop supergroup based in Montreal, active since 2004.[1] They have achieved fame in Canada, the United States, Brazil, and France, among other international venues. The membership of the band varies with each song, but their ensemble includes rappers, singers, keyboardists, saxophonists, trumpeters, trombonists, guitarists, bass players, and drummers. Many of the musicians are multi-instrumentalists and trade spots onstage. The group's current roster includes founding members and vocalists Waahli, Butta Beats and Lou Piensa, as well as guitarist Ali Sepu. Alongside them, other musicians include bassist Mark Haynes, keyboardist JMF and drummer T-cup as well as singer-songwriter Malia Laura. With lyrics in diverse languages, including English, French, Spanish and Haitian Creole, Nomadic Massive celebrates global music interpreted through an Afro-Latin twist with hip hop as the main medium of expression. They have been a staple of the Montreal International Jazz Festival for several years.[2]
Band biography
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In 2004, the collective made up of solo artists was created in Montreal in order to participate in a hip-hop festival in Havana, Cuba. After spending three weeks living together with music as the main focus and sharing strong moments with Cuban artists, the group came back to Montreal with the idea of putting together a mixtape and a show in order to showcase their experience. The night of the concert, the venue quickly packed up and the mixtapes rapidly sold-out. The next day, Nomadic Massive, surprised by the massive turn-out, decided to push the experience even further by participating in any community shows between Montreal and Toronto.
In 2005, the group launched its first EP, entitled Nomad’s Land. The record was critically acclaimed in the local and international scene, and thanks to their dynamic shows, Nomadic Massive started to create its own niche.[3] The first single from the EP, "Nofy’s Peace", stood out because of its production quality, as well as its naturally universal feel. To this day, more than 3000 copies have been sold, mostly at shows.
After this first record and these first shows, the group continued to perform at various events across Canada and even returned to Havana in 2006, to present their new material and their new live show. As contacts kept on multiplying, the group managed in 2008 to independently organize a tour in São Paulo, Brazil where their music and community workshops found a new fan base and where they produced a new mixtape with local artists. These out of the ordinary moves caught the attention of Outside Music, who in 2009 offered Nomadic a national distribution deal for their second self-titled album, which sold more than 4500 copies.
In 2012, the group released a mixtape project entitled Supafam, which came out digitally but also on 300 exclusive cassette tapes. During that time, the group continued to tour in new territories, such as French Guiana and the United States.
The arrival of a new EP in 2013 announced the beginning of a tour across Canada, the United States and France.
In 2016, after years of international touring, the Nomads launched a new album on the Coop Les Faux-Monnayeurs label entitled The Big Band Theory, a release that included soul, jazz and funk. This album opened new markets, particularly in Europe and Latin America.
From 2017 to 2019, the band heavily toured Europe twice a year (
In 2022, the band started touring internationally again with a week-long project in Paraguay where they recorded and released a live session of a brand new song called "Pocket Full Of Lingo." This was followed by shows in New York and Marseille at international showcases. A second single, called "Fly Sh*t", entirely shot in Marseille, was dropped in July 2023 as they tour Mexico at the Querétaro Experimental festival. A brand new EP was released in the fall of 2023.
Performance highlights
- Queretaro Experimental (Queretaro, Mexico)
- BABEL XP (Marseille, France)
- APAP NYC+ (New York, US)
- Cervantino Festival(Guanajuato, Mexico)
- Festival de Marseille (Marseille, France)
- Fusion Fest (Lars, Germany)
- Celebrate Brooklyn! (New York, US)
- Grand Performances (Los Angeles, US)
- Webster Hall (New York, US)
- Montreal International Jazz Festival (Montréal, Canada)
- Paléo Festival (Nyon, Switzerland)
- Havana World Music (Havana, Cuba)
- Say it Loud Festival (Barcelona, Spain)
- Vancouver International Jazz Festival (Vancouver, Canada)
- Calgary Folk Festival]] (Calgary, Canada)
- Lotus Festival (Bloomington, US)
- TFF Festival (Rudolstadt, Germany)
- Pan-Am Games (Toronto, Canada)
- Festival international de la Francophonie (Lafayette, US)
- Kennedy Center (Washington, US)
- Les Printemps de Bourges (Bourges, France)
- Festival Transamazoniennes (Saint-Laurent du Maroni, French Guiana) and more.
Active founding members
Lou Piensa
Lou Piensa is a French-born MC, producer and educator. Active in the international hip-hop scene since his teenage years, Piensa has been involved in many aspects of the movement including radio, music production, performance, and events organization. His music had him travel and share the stage with world renowned artists (Common, Wyclef Jean, Dead Prez, K'naan, Julian Marley), particularly with Nomadic Massive. Piensa's raps mix the languages he speaks (French, English, Spanish and Portuguese), a perfect match for Côte-des-Neiges, where he lives.
His nomadic childhood (Born in France, he grew up in
Lou Piensa is one half of The Loop Pilots, a collaborative beat-making duo founded in 2015 with his former English student and established producer Dr. MaD.[4]
In 2007, NoBad Sound Studio, a music studio for youths 18 and under, was founded in affiliation with Maison des Jeunes Côte-des-Neiges, where Piensa, alongside bandmate Butta Beats, were hired to conduct workshops.[5]
In 2016, the two would help create Up Next Studio at James Lyng High School.[6]
Waahli
Waahli (also known as Wyzah) was born in Montreal to Haitian parents. His father a musician as well, Waahli knew at an early age that music would play an intricate part of his life. Solo artist and member of Nomadic Massive, he is a self-taught jack of many trades such as rapping, freestyling, and playing guitar. Waahli has shared the stage with acts such as
Waahli is also a father, a grassroots community builder, youth worker and a soap maker (Wyzah Musk[7]).
Ali Sepu
Ali Sepu is an Ottawa-born musician. Sepu has been in the music scene since the age of twelve. It was then that he received his first guitar from his father. He proceeded to become involved in many Chilean cultural events which served as a training ground for his unique guitar style. He was influenced by the traditional music of the Andes, as well as the blues and the psychedelic music of the 70s. He eventually discovered that there was a place for his style in the hip-hop genre, where his loops could replace the traditional sample. Hip-hop expanded his musical repertoire as he explored new styles emanating from the diverse cultures in the Montreal music scene. Although his original loops were done on the same classical guitar he received as a child, he opted for a Japanese Stratocaster when the group decided to go with a live band. The electrification of his original sound is what allowed for the evolution into what is now the signature nomadic sound.[8]
Butta Beats
Butta Beats is an Argentinian beat-boxer, emcee, multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter and educator. Butta Beats was often seen and heard in countless freestyle sessions and beat-boxing encounters in concerts, on street corners and on the radio. He was part of the WEFUNK Radio with DJ Static and Professor Groove. He also collaborated with Ali Sepu on the Iron Chef Project, which allowed him to integrate his South American folkloric influences with occidental urban music. Joining Nomadic Massive gave him the perfect medium to express positive social discourse through music.[9]
In 2007, NoBad Sound Studio, a music studio for youths 18 and under, was founded in affiliation with Maison des Jeunes Côte-des-Neiges, where Butta Beats, alongside bandmate Piensa, were hired to conduct workshops.[5]
In 2016, the two would help create Up Next Studio at James Lyng High School.[6]
Past members
Nantali Indongo
Nantali Indongo (who also goes by Tali, IamBlackgirl, IBG or Taliwah) is a
Indongo is also the co-founder of Hip Hop No Pop, an educational and interactive workshop series that looks at the non-violent origins of hip hop culture and uses hip hop as a tool to encourage storytelling and foster confidence in youth.[11] She currently sits on the board Maison des Jeunes de la Côte-des-Neiges as well.[12]
Indongo is also a researcher and reporter for CBC Radio Montréal.
Meryem Saci
Meryem Saci (also known as Meduza Ma’at) is an
While mentoring young women and facilitating singing workshops at La Maison des Jeunes de Côte-des-Neiges, she obtained a degree in commerce, a license in real estate, and began her bachelor's degree in political science. As a singer, she has collaborated on soundtracks for films and TV shows
Rawgged MC
Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Diegal Leger moved to Montreal in 1982. Between two academic diplomas he will become Rawgged MC. He is a founder of the Students for the Advancement of Hip Hop Culture at Concordia University, responsible for the symposium on hip-hop culture that was held in Montreal from 2002 to 2005 and again in 2009;[16] and in Port-au-Prince in September 2011. Leger is also a founding member of Solid’Ayiti, an association dedicated to cooperation between artistic and academic communities in Montreal and Haiti.[17] He continues his parallel evolution in the worlds of medicine and music.
His private podiatry practice, Leger Foot Clinic, is expanding while Nomadic Massive is gaining steady momentum. He also plays bass in fellow Nomadic Massive bandmate Vox Sambou's solo project.
Vox Sambou
Vox Sambou was born in Limbe, Haiti. He has been composing and performing for over 15 years. He sings in Creole, English, French and Spanish. He holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Anthropology. For more than 10 years he ran the Maison des Jeunes de la Côte-des-Neiges, a non-profit organization whose mandate is to prevent delinquency among adolescents in Côte-des-Neiges.
Sambou has been instrumental in the implementation of educational and community projects based in Limbe. He is a founding member of SOLID'AYITI, an initiative of artists and activists working for long-term solidarity between Montrealers and the movement fighting for social justice in Haiti, according to the principles of self-sufficiency, education, decentralization, and reforestation.[22]
DJ Static
DJ Static (born Michael Lai in 1977) is a well-known Canadian DJ and radio personality.
He arrived in 1988 from
In 1996, in collaboration with fellow Canadian DJ Professor Groove, he launched the award-winning WEFUNK weekly radio show on Montreal's CKUT 90.3, McGill University's radio station.
Since 1999, the show is also available online through WEFUNK Radio. Both DJs play a symbiotic mix of Funk, Soul, R&B and Rap, both old and new. The name of the radio show comes from the Parliaments' song "P. Funk (Wants To Get Funked Up)", in which WEFUNK is a fictional radio station broadcasting "directly from the Mothership, top of the Chocolate Milky Way, 500,000 kilowatts of P Funk-power." The Internet radio stream in 1999, becoming one of the oldest continuously operating radio streams on the Internet, as well as one of the longest-running online radio shows.
DJ Static became DJ for the Canadian multicultural multilingual hip-hop group Nomadic Massive. The members of the band come from Haiti, Algeria, Iraq, China, Argentina, Chile and France.
In addition to his radio work and work with Nomadic Massive, he has club residencies in Blizzarts and Boa in Montreal. At various times, he has DJed internationally including various American and Canadian venues, Cuba, Hong Kong and Zurich.
Hest One
Hest One is a
Narcy
Yassin Alsalman, better known by his stage name Narcy (formerly The Narcicyst), is an Iraqi-Canadian rapper, author, university instructor and actor. He currently resides in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Sayen
Sayen is a Chilean-Canadian singer with influences ranging from R&B, to Latin Jazz and folkloric music. Based in Ottawa, she now performs regularly alongside Afro-Cuban jazzman Miguel de Armas and his musicians.
Mentorship
NoBad Sound Studio
Ex-member Vox Sambou sat as director of the Maison Des Jeunes Côte-des-Neiges youth center for 10 years.
In 2009, the studio began producing professional-quality music published on CD. This initiative offered young artists the opportunity to work directly with professional staff to create, record and develop musical projects that express socially conscious lyrics. In 2010, the studio began expanding its activities outside of Montreal, which gave them the opportunity to bring 5 youths to Toronto, ON, after being invited to play and speak at the Regent Park International Film Festival. The studio intends to create international exchanges with marginalized youth around the world in the near future.[5]
In 2014, NBS launched their first all-girl initiative, with the result being a trio of singers, songwriters and beatmakers,
Strange Froots
Strange Froots, founded in 2014, is the first
The group would announce in spring of 2021 that SageS was no longer part of the band.[34]
Discography
Albums
- Times (2019)
- The Big Band Theory (2016)
- Nomadic Massive (2009)
- Nomad's Land (2006)
EPs
- MIWA (2018)
- Any Sound (2013)
- Nomads Land EP (2005)
Mixtapes
- The Radio-Tape (2015)
- The Brazil-Canada Get-down (2008)
- The Canada-Cuba Get-Down (2004)
References
- ^ "Biography – Nomadic Massive – official website". Nomadic Massive - official website (in French). Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ^ "Artist : Nomadic Massive – Festival International de Jazz de Montréal". Retrieved 2016-06-03.
- ^ "Nomadic Massive Nomad's Land". Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "The Loop Pilots — And Then… The Sea - BRBR TFO". BRBR TFO (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ^ a b c "Nobad Sound". NoBad Sound studio (in Canadian French). 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ a b "Tonight @ 6pm: Nomadic Massive's Lou Piensa & Butta Beats w/ young talent Shad Enar, Fili Al, & Rayana Speede | CJLO 1690AM". www.cjlo.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Wyzah Musk Soap | Made in Montreal". Wyzah Musk Soap. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Ali Sepu, Auteur à Nomadic Massive - official website". Nomadic Massive - official website (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Nomadic Massive - COOP Les Faux-Monnayeurs".
- ^ "Reflections: Interview with Nantali Indongo, co-founder of HipHopNoPop and famed Nomadic Massive MC | Mapping Memories: Stories of Refugee Youth In Montreal". www.mappingmemories.ca (in French). Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Hip Hop No Pop! | Inspire Art". inspireart.org. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "BOARD". Maison des Jeunes Côte-des-Neiges / Jeunesse 2000. 2009-12-15. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "HHQc.com - Meryem Saci dans la bande originale de " Marvel : Iron Fist " de Netflix". HHQc.com. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
- ^ "HHQc.com - Meryem Saci dévoile un premier extrait de son album solo". HHQc.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Montreal: 10 emerging acts to watch". CBC Music. Retrieved 2017-06-05.
- ^ "North Side Hip Hop | International Symposium on Hiphop Culture". www.nshharchive.ca. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Solid'Ayiti - Promoting self-sufficiency, independence, social justice and peace in Haiti". www.solidayiti.ca. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Vox Sambou: un artiste, un quartier, une planète". Le Devoir (in French). 11 June 2016. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ Lakay by Vox Sambou, 2008-10-21, retrieved 2018-06-28
- ^ VoxSambou (2009-11-11), Vox Sambou - DiscriminaSida English, retrieved 2018-06-28
- ^ BANMHIT.COM TV (2015-07-22), Vox Sambou - Tout Moun feat Malika Tirolien and Kaytranada (official Video), retrieved 2018-06-28
- ^ "Vox Sambou and the Solid'Ayiti initiative for Haiti". Vox Sambou and the Solid'Ayiti initiative for Haiti. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
- ^ "TEAM". Maison des Jeunes Côte-des-Neiges / Jeunesse 2000. 2011-06-09. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "No Bad Sounds For NDG | Fringe Arts". Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "No bad sounds | The McGill Daily". www.mcgilldaily.com. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ NATHALIE sarfati (2015-07-20), VOX SAMBOU, un artiste haïtien au grand Coeur, retrieved 2017-03-02
- ^ "Strange Froots Website". --strange-froots--. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "This Week-End : Hip Hop You Don't Stop / Girlz & Hip Hop / Elementakiza 2014 - Elementality". Elementality. 2014-09-17. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Strange Froots + Waahli, Tali & Butta (Nomadic Massive)". La Presse (in Canadian French). Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Strange Froots - CJLO's first Hip Hop Artists in residence!!! | CJLO 1690AM". www.cjlo.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "charts : september 2016 : !earshot". www.earshot-online.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "charts : october 2016 : !earshot". www.earshot-online.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "charts : november 2016 : !earshot". www.earshot-online.com. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- ^ "Farewell, StarFroot". Tumblr. May 10, 2021. Retrieved 2022-03-29.