LUXURY INDIAN OCEAN TENDANCE
© Beata Albert
© Beata Albert
My Moris
© Beata Albert
SOUND ART Labelle
Labelle composes music that he describes as “ syncretic ”, at the crossroads between electro and maloya . Born in France to a French mother and a father from Reunion , his dual heritage was a source of fascination from an early age . “ Like many Reunion natives who left the island in the 1970s and 80s , my father felt torn . We didn ’ t talk about what was happening over there , and I only discovered maloya when I was a teenager . The mystery surrounding my roots led to repeated bouts of self-questioning . When I moved to Reunion Island , I realised that maloya appealed to me because it reflects both a unique fusion of cultures and a specific spirituality ,” he explains .
Labelle pioneered experimental music in Reunion . In 2019 , he created the Nuit des Musiques Expérimentales . That same year , he ventured beyond the confines of electronica to tackle classical music . He composed for the Orchestre de la Région Réunion before creating Éclat , a piece intended for a quartet of strings and electronic instruments . He is currently working on a gamelan piece and on a concerto in partnership with the classical pianist Vanessa Wagner .
“ My relationship with music is an extension of my relationship to the world , to nature and to death . want the listener to get a sense of what I feel . For the same reason , I try to create a space that isn ’ t one you see every day , a space that ’ s almost sacred , during my live performances .”
My Moris tells our island ’ s story . And its founders , Maya de Salle and Shakti Callikan , have been using sound as a storytelling tool in its own right since 2019 . So far , they have published eight podcasts that reflect the country ’ s cultural diversity and its everyday life . “ Audio leaves some things up to the imagination – it allows you to imagine being in different places and situations . There ’ s room for interpretation ,” they say .
Creating an audio documentary isn ’ t as simple as standing on a street corner and turning on a microphone . You have to build relationships with the people at the heart of what you are documenting . And that means meeting people , sharing experiences with them and building trust . Each place also has a unique rhythm , whether you ’ re in a corner shop in Vieux Grand Port , at the Poudre d ’ Or landing dock or in the heart of Rose-Hill . And you need to get the listener ’ s attention . “ We use a variety of methods to produce each podcast ( for instance , marking the end of a chapter with an unusual or recurring sound ) but there is never any staging or fakery . Authenticity is of paramount importance to us ,” explain Shakti and Maya .
They dream about creating a Mauritian audio library to catalogue a cultural soundscape “ that conjures up memories , anecdotes and experiences , and that reflects our Mauritian identity . There is a distinctly Mauritian soundscape : the sound of a fatak broom , of a brosse koko , of the makatcha koko vendor ’ s call ... Those sounds are disappearing little by little . Capturing them is a way of preserving and remembering them .”
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