Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas is the head of the music group Votia. With her powerful vocal, she performs traditional maloya-music. In the seventies, Maloya was outlawed on her home island La Réunion. The polyrythmic dance music genre is a symbol of resistance – and an expression of La Réunion’s rich musical heritage. You can also experience DJ Okine. This evening he will be digging deep into the afrocentric part of his music collection, focusing on percussion- and vocal-based tracks.

Votia

On stage she’s like a volcano about to erupt. With her strong and captivating voice, Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas, the lead singer of the family musical group Votia, passes along traditional maloya-music. Maloya stems from the island of La Réunion in The Indian Ocean. In the seventies the french rule outlawed the musical genre, considering it to be too big of a threat. The danceable musical genre, composed of polyphonous harmony singing and chanting, dynamic poly-rhythmic percussion, is an expression of political resistance and an important part of the fight for cultural sovereignty.

Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas’ father is the famous Maloya-musicican Gramoun Lélé. And just like her father, her mission is to pass on the sounds of Maloya. Joined by several family members on stage, Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas infuses her musical heritage with compositions sung in Malagasy and Creole, echoing of Indian and African influences. Maloya was brought to the island by African enslaved working in the sugar cane fields. The group’s music is both a reminder of a dark history and a source of resistance and joy. Come and let yourself be utterly captivated when Votia visits ALICE this September. They’ll likely bring along brand-new tracks from their upcoming album Vié Kaz, set to be released on the ajabu! records label at the end of May – and most certainly their unique ability to make every single instrument stand out in the mix. In Votia, every instrument has a body, and we dance with all of them!

Okine

Okine is a Copenhagen-based DJ, radio host, and musician, with a mixed Danish and Ghanaian background. To the sound of slamming West African drums in this childhood living room, Okine’s curiosity for rhythms, traditions, and cultures was brought to life. Drawn by a contagious love of timeless global sounds, Okine creates genre-blending sets and radio playlists with music from places such as Eritrea, Brazil, Iran, and many more. This evening Okine will be digging deep into the afrocentric areas of his collection, focusing on percussive and vocal based tracks.