A COSMIC POET FROM MARTINIQUE (1979-1989)

For Midonet, pushing musical boundaries was less a choice than an extension of his spirit. A self-taught guitarist and composer, drawing on his childhood memories of bUlU and beguine rhythms, MidonetAEs musical life developed in parallel to his academic and spiritual pursuits. Studying philosophy and psychopedagogy in France, it was his fascination with pan-Africanism and animism which fuelled the transcendent energy of his music. Although Midonet honed his sound in France, the four albums he released during the late ae70s and ae80s were heavily inspired by diasporic nostalgia, or what he describes as the osmells and coloursa subliminal noisesa fruity notes, the memories of funeral wakes, the bombastic organ of the cathedral and the gasps of the drumso of his childhood home on the Caribbean island of Martinique. Fittingly, itAEs there that Midonet achieved cult status for the title track of his 1979 debut, Van An LUv?, which became a protest anthem for the islandAEs independence movement, and was brie'y censored by the French authorities. Look no further than aeMari Rhont Ouve La PotAE, which opens this collection, to hear the propulsive mix of cosmic synths, acoustic folk, and Creole lyricism that became the essence of MidonetAEs sound. Released on Martinique label Touloulou, Van An LUv? was followed in 1980 by LAEinitU, whose tropical acid folk (aeMAEen ka MontU MonAE) and majestic, violin-led melodies (aeKannaval SakrU Pou Tout ZAEHeb PoussUAE) con'rmed MidonetAEs unique and intuitive approach to composition.