Voyage by Tapioca

Tapioca is a Belgian duo made of rapper / lyricist Alessandro “Le Tagarel” Vlerick and producer & composer Simon “SiKa” Carlier, who draw inspiration from rap, jazz, MPB and funk from the 70's and 80's. They symbolize a meeting of various musical currents which finds its origin in a common passion: the Brazilian culture and its wholly unique musical blend. While the sound of the Belgian binomial is undeniably influenced by classical Brazilian musicians such as Marcos Valle, Simonal and Emilio Santiago or contemporary artists such as Anderson Paak., Mndsgn or D'Angelo, Tapioca breaks through the sonic clutter by proposing its own musical identity with the release of “Voyage,” courtesy of Jakarta Records’ indelible “Dubplates” Series.

With lyrics written and interpreted almost entirely in Portuguese, Le Tagarel tells of origins in Brazil (his mother is Brazilian), his desire to travel and escape ("Nunca Mais", "Voyage") and praises the saving role of music. In terms of musical composition, SiKa blends the beatmaking universe with the soul and funk music of the 70's and 80's, proposing sometimes playful sounds imbued with a feeling of melancholy called saudade, but always backed by organic bass lines and rhythms inspired by Boombap. When Le Tagarel and SiKa decided to create this project, the key idea was to inscribe their music through a DIY approach, voluntarily leaving room for possible imperfections. In other words, the project is linked through an artisanal perspective on music: the creation of the videos as well as the recordings, the mixing and the graphics are all part of an independent production process.

The duo’s collaboration over these last two years was marked by the COVID crisis but gave birth to the album, “Voyage”, which, as the name indicates, is an ode to freedom, escape and the discovery of alternative cultural horizons. Tapioca refers to the white pearls and flour that come from the roots of cassava, an emblematic ingredient of Brazilian cuisine. It has been an integral part of the childhood of most people in Brazil and Portuguese-speaking countries. While making Voyage, the duo wanted to make this culinary specialty - which unites the Portuguese world and links Africa and Europe to South America - the key element that symbolizes their sonic universe. On this project, Le Tagarel and SiKa bring together various testimonies with various Portuguese accents from friends coming from countries around the world. These snippets of stories, in which they evoke the memories that tapioca or cassava brings them, act as a thread throughout the album.

Voyage is an 8-track project with a variety of moods ranging from 'Dillaesque' hip-hop to tropical soul, MPB and jazz. Allow yourself to be transported by honest music that comes from the heart, or as Tapioca likes to call it, coração. Jakarta Records is ecstatic to release this wholly unique project through our long-running “Dubplates” Series.

Tapioca is a Belgian & Brazilian duo founded by Alessandro “Le Tagarel” Vlerick, a singer, rapper and lyricist and Simon “SiKa” Carlier, a producer and composer. After releasing their first E.P. "Voyage", Tapioca is again making a come back on Jakarta records with a 10-track L.P entitled “Samba em Kigali”.

Amor e paz,
Tapioca.

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