A brand-new Maloya album from the "band family" around lead singer Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas from La Réunion is available as a CD in a digipack and as an LP on Ajabu!.
Marie-Claude Lambert-Philéas is the daughter of the late musical legend Gramoun Lélé, a legendary representative of Maloya – not only a style of music and song, but also a dance style from this island in the Indian Ocean. For the African slaves and their descendants, Maloya ("to speak") is an essential expression, with a significance comparable to that of the blues in the USA. This local musical style, dominant alongside Séga, has now even been declared an intangible UNESCO World Heritage Site. Naturally, music is literally a family affair for Marie-Claude, and so, in addition to her husband, siblings, cousins, and children play in the large band. Votia plays Maloya in its most powerful and fast-paced version, that of the eastern part of the island. Composed and sung in Malagasy and Creole, this music is characterized by polyphony and percussion and combines the influences of Indian and African musical traditions. Votia stands for the preservation and remembrance of cultura
