M.CHUZI returns with a cover of the Cuban mambo classic Yiri Yiri Boum, a homage to their many musical heroes from the Black Atlantic of the 50s, 60s and 70s.
After a musical residency in Cotonou, Benin, in April 2022, the band became fascinated by the global resonance of West African Vaudour rhythms, especially in the Caribbean. Like no other, the iconic song Yiri Yiri Boum symbolises this intriguing Atlantic connection.
Yiri Yiri Bon, as the song came into the world through son cubano orchestra leader Beny Moré in 1950, shows how the culture of former African slaves remained alive and well in Cuba. The title even finds its origins in the West African Yoruba language and means as much as "the infectious sound of the bell". No coincidence, then, that the popular Afro-Cuban hit touched down in the agogobel's motherland, Benin, where the song became immortal as Yiri Yiri Boum in the hands of Gnonnas Pedro in the late 1960s.
M.CHUZI revamps the song in a sleek West African style, carried by an innovative hip-hop groove and a refreshing synth bass, and teams up with Brussels-Canarian singer Vanesa Diaz Gil to breathe new life into the long-standing lyrics with her incomparable voice and vocoder. A melancholic trumpet solo by Robbe Latré and conga interventions by Madrid-based Palmira "Timing Queen" Cardo spice things up. The result is a contemporary version of Yiri Yiri Boum, ready for another tour around the world.
‘Yiri Yiri Boum’ is out now, listen here.
EP ‘YIRI BOOM!’ by M.CHUZI will be released on 12 April 2024 via Sdban Ultra.
Pre-order the EP.