Noir Et Blanc is a deceptively simple title for an album that is anything but. Released in 1983, the project brings together Congolese musician Bony Bikaye, French composer Hector Zazou, and electronic duo Guillaume Loizillon and Claude Micheli, known collectively as Cy 1*, who create complex textures using a mix of acoustic instruments and analog synths that are so interwoven it’s sometimes hard to tell them apart. The gentle bird sounds, melodic horn lines, and Bikaye’s layered, rich vocals, strike the perfect balance with the metallic, blip bloop electronics.  It sounds like it’s coming from somewhere between a lush tropical forest and a metalworks factory on Mars.

– Megan Iacobini de Fazio