Nouvelle Fleur

It feels like Ethio-Jazz-inspired bands are a dime a dozen these days, but Paris-based band Arat Kilo manage to keep it interesting by combining the pentatonic scales of Ethiopian music with dub, afrobeat, and rap. The album’s opening track, “Lancinant,” sets the tone by contrasting the evocative and unmistakably Ethiopian vocals of Nardos Tesfaw with the gritty voice of Boston-born rapper Mike Ladd. “Résister” combines moody Ethiopian brass with the old-school French hip-hop style of Algerian rapper Rocé, while Malian singer Mamani Keita sings over a bed of Afrobeat rhythms on “Madala.” “Wondemiye,” with what sounds like a peul flute, is a gorgeous instrumental track. The unusual musical pairings and collaborations on Nouvelle Fleur never come across as contrived, and feel like a natural reflection of Paris’ famously heterogeneous music scene.