YellowStraps is now the creative vehicle of Yvan Murenzi alone, since the departure of his younger brother Alban. The result is a mature work, more introspective, denser, darker too, which blurs the musical landmarks by gently moving away from the rap nebula.
Tentacle therefore oscillates between soul, electro, R&B, trip-hop and jazz, the hip-hop passages being often provided by some of the most prominent rappers of the bubbling Belgian scene. Romeo Elvis, brother of Angèle and prince of contemporary Belgian rap, adds his voice to that of Swing, prominent member of the group L’Or du Commun, on the excellent first extract THANKSa piece composed by Alban Murenzi like a final cry from the heart before passing the torch to his brother.
The Flemish rapper Blu Samu is illustrated on the superb Writer’s Block, but choosing instead to showcase the warmth of his voice in the most soulful track on the album. Sam Wise, a major player in the resurgence of British alternative rap, meanwhile raps on flowinits rhymes combining perfectly with the clear arpeggios of the guitar as well as the funky and swaying bass of Victor Devoort.
The instrumentation and the arrangements favored by Murenzi are precisely finely chosen and dosed – we note in particular the contribution of the French pianist Sofiane Pamart on Blue, one of the two pieces sung in the language of Molière. It is therefore not surprising to learn that the young musician spent days working on certain sounds, in order to mark his territory and “redefine the contours of YellowStraps”, according to his own words. The result is both convincing and promising.
Neo-soul
Tentacle
YellowStraps
Haliblue Records/Universal Music