"As a soloist, or with his Duo Simourgh project, Mesnaoui is unafraid to invoke spellbinding emotional states that transcend the austere context of an improvisational avant-garde ethos.By marrying the sparse romanticism of early 20th century European modernity a la Erik Satie to the languid orientalism of a hazy halftone improvisation culled from traditional Moroccan motifs, his compositions and manner address his dual European and North African heritage in a uniquely captivating way. Daringly, he chooses to express these two aspects on the iconic yet sparse instrument that is the piano, instigating an esoteric yet honest dialogue between remote worlds." Otis Chatzistefanou, the Berlin agenda.

For 30 years and over 250 releases Lo Recordings have provided alternative music since the mid-90s. The output reaches far across the electronic music spectrum.

The French guitarist-improvisor Noël Akchoté is a frighteningly competent and active person. He has recorded a lot of music in various styles, he writes about music in the Austrian magazine Skug, he is the owner of a record label, he produces many different groups and participates in various projects. Born in Paris, the 7th december 1968, he started guitar at the age of 8. Soon meeting and studying with artists such as Tal Farlow, Barney Wilen, Chet Baker, Philip Catherine, John Abercrombie. During the early 90's, he started to explore beyond jazz, also playing more experimental and improvised musics. He played in the groups of Henri Texier, Louis Sclavis, Daniel Humair, Jacques Thollot, Sam Rivers as well as with Derek Bailey, Eugene Chadbourne, Marc Ribot, Fred Frith, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, Tim Berne or George Lewis. He collaborated since with David Grubbs, Luc Ferrari, David Sylvian, Jim G. Thirlwell (Steroïd Maximus), Max Nagl's Big Four (Steven Bernstein, Bradley Jones, Joey Baron), Jean-François Pauvros or Dylan Carlson's Earth. Other projects have seen him recording and playing with The Recyclers, Blixa Bargeld, Aki Onda, Phil Minton, Tony Hymas, Katerine, Tetuzi Akiyama, Otomo Yoshihide, Julie Tippets, Mike Cooper, Wolfgang Puschnig, Linda Sharrock, Tom Cora, Keith Rowe, Christian Fennesz, Nobuyoshi Araki or Daido Moriyama. In 1996 he co founded with Quentin Rollet, the mostly Vinyl label Rectangle (all reissued as downloads in 2011). During the same period, he produced for the Münich based label Winter & Winter a series of « Audio Films » revisiting a wide range of Chansons & Cabaret traditions (Au Bordel, Cabaret Modern, Toi-Même... featuring Red, Jean-Louis Costes, Han Bennink, Steve Beresford, Sasha Andrès, John Giorno or Kevin Blechdom), as well as unique re- readings of the music of Sonny Sharrock (Sonny II) and Kylie Minogue (So Lucky). He is also featured in various movies as an actor, soundtrack composer or musical director (with Thierry Jousse, Michael Lonsdale, Claire Denis, Lio ...). He also happens to be the older brother of the electro artist SebastiAn (Ed Banger, Daft Punk). In 2011, he signed an exclusive distribution contract with Believe Digital (Worldwide Downloads), issueing since over 100 rare live tracks and previously unreleased studio albums, from which a wide Renaissance and Baroque section raised (Carlo Gesualdo, Guillaume de Machaut, Claudio Monteverdi, Luys Milan, Robert de Visée).

✨Composer & performer 
🎵Syncretic music, Electronic & Maloya.
📍Reunion 🇷🇪
⬇️ Tour, Releases & more :

filipe dias De, born in Coimbra (Portugal) at some point, was lost in Asia for a while, where he tried unsuccessfully to learn sitar and gender wayang. Moved to Berlin because someone told him that it was cool and there he lived for way too long. Spent some months in Rio de Janeiro where he met Maracatu. And now he lives in Montemor-o-Novo, without knowing why, enjoying the unexpected.

African Prayers is a musical project of Amine Mesnaoui and Labelle. Inspired by the ritual of the seven colors practiced by the Gnawa master musicians in Morocco. 

Amine Mesnaoui : Piano
Labelle : Electronics
Additional credits for Lueur : Oud by Alaa Zouiten

Recorded in Berlin july 2017 and august + september 2018 by Labelle.
Mixed by Cesar Urbina (Cubenx) in Berlin 2019. 
Mastered by Antony Ryan (RedRedPaw Mastering) in Kopenhagen 2020.
Artwork by Non-Format. 
Picture by Iveta Rysava.
Produced by (c) Eumolpe & Lo Recordings 2022.  LO 179.

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