French-Caribbean electro-jazz collective Dowdelin brings us Tchenbé!, an album that effortlessly fuses vibrant funk, jazz-inflected soul, and danceable electronic grooves with poignant storytelling.
Dowdelin is co-founded by multi-instrumentalist and producer David Kiledjian and singer-songwriter Olivya Victorin. The band explores their shared love for contemporary jazz, US R&B, and neo-soul.
In this new album, Dowdelin continues to shape their boundless musical journey through their deep connection to the rhythms and melodies of Olivya’s Martinique heritage.
Their 2022 album Lanmou Lanmou focused on the theme of love. In contrast, Tchenbé!, which is Creole for ‘Hold On’, is an introspective album that calls its listeners to find strength and courage amidst adversity.
The title track sets the tone of the listening journey with infectious rhythms and a pulsating funk drive, inviting listeners to move while subtly weaving in a message of perseverance. Tracks like ‘I Ka Woulé’ and ‘Do You’ lean into soaring, soulful vocals, while ‘Ca Va’ pays homage to Caribbean grooves; the jazz flute flourishes evoking a sense of nostalgic warmth. The standout ‘La Dernière Fois’ blends dreamy saxophone inflections with an indie-funk sensibility, creating a sonic dreamscape of past and future colliding.
There is an organic threading throughout the album that is irreplicable — a pure demonstration of this group’s comfortability in crossing genres with raw energy and a strong nod from their roots. Olivya Victorin’s vocals glide effortlessly between Creole, French, and English, embodying the album’s depth and sense of freedom. Lyrically, themes of sorrows, separation, and personal struggle, resonate throughout whilst also calling for healing, strength and joy — making Tchenbé! a therapeutic experience as well as a joyful record calling us to come and dance!
Dowdelin has crafted an album that is rich in emotion, groove, momentum, roots and all-new possibilities — a quintessential audioscape of Afro-futurism. Tchenbé! is a highly recommended album demonstrating Dowdelin’s raw ability to push boundaries and yet still remain deeply rooted in cultural and musical heritage.
Tchenbé!, Dowdelin's third album was released on 14/02 via Underdog Records You can listen to it and purchase your copy HERE