Radio Radio

Radioradio_mamorukobayakawa_03

Following the great Belmundo Regal adventure, which allowed Radio Radio to travel from Europe to Mexico and the United States, the trio found inspiration in Lousiana, in a chalet named Floating Light, as well as under a starlit sky, near a lake in Nova Scotia. From the reflection of the stars on the water, evoking a spaceport, emerges the group’s third opus, Havre de Grâce.

Havre de Grâce is without a doubt Radio Radio’s most eclectic album yet. With the help of musicians encountered over the course of the past five years, the band came up with a refreshing fusion of rap, acid house, blues and country. In Louisiana, a magical place where the locals’ and Radio Radio’s universes coexisted symbiotically, accordionist Horace Trahan brought a festive touch, typically cajun, to the song Y’en a qui connais. On the other hand, Acadian poet Georgette LeBlanc, winner of a Félix-Leclerc award, lends her voice to Galope’s very catchy chorus. Elsewhere, we can hear the work of Karkwa percusionnists Julien Sagot and Stéphane Bergeron, Mamoru Kobayakawa (guitar, bass, piano, vocals) and Eloi Bertholet (drums, sax, vocals) as well as the voices of Poncho French and Pierre Kwenders.

As Radio Radio explains, this album is synonym of a grand return home, of comfort:

Through the sea's turbulent winds, we see a warm light on the horizon, a deep and peaceful space calling us. The Havre de Grâce hauls us with its magnetic force, its natural caress.

It is time to catch our breath, to feel each pore open and close, each vein flowing into infinity. At the end of lost paths, broken-down pendulums, endless days and nights, the cards are laid out on the table. It is time to sit down around a fire in the chiefs' smoke. The body, like a battlefield, regains its strength in the eyes of the sacred light. Salt on skin, revival calling us and mirage now reality, it is time to reconnect at the Havre de Grâce.

Havre de Grâce marks the beginning of a new exhilarating odyssey. The ultimate destination remains unknown, but one thing is sure: get ready to celebrate once more with Radio Radio in 2012!

ABOUT RADIO RADIO

Since their first releases Télé Télé EP (2007) and Cliché Hot (2008), Arthur Comeau (NS), Gabriel Louis Bernard Malenfant (NB) and Jacques Alphonse Doucet (NS) haven't ceased to impress journalists and public alike with their hip-hop/electro-flavored catchy hooks. After being short-listed for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize for their second album, Belmundo Regal, the Acadian trio has won many awards, such as an Independent Music Award for Rap/Hip Hop Album (2011), a Miroir for Best Hip-Hop/Urban Performance at the Festival d’été de Québec, a Félix for Producer of the Year with Sébastien Blais-Montpetit and a Révélation Musique 2010-2011 Radio-Canada title. Over the past few years, Radio Radio has become a must-see act, having cumulated performances at, amongst others, the FrancoFolies de Montréal, the Festival d’été de Québec, the Festival International de Louisiane, SXSW, CMJ Music Marathon as well as numerous festivals in France and Belgium.

Press quotes

On a vécu Des is a cool blast of rasta chic. Y’en a qui connais glides and beats smoothly, with an accordion textured just right.
Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail, 2012/05/04 

Pulsating with musical liberation, Havre de Grâce is the band's best album yet. **** 1/2
T'Cha Dunlevy, The Gazette, 2012/04/17

Radio Radio progresse ici d’admirable façon. 4.0/5
Olivier Lalande, Nightlife.ca, 17/04/2012 

That night French Canadian rap trio Radio Radio transcended language. They connected to the crowd through a higher power. (Concert @ Lafayette)
Sam Stokes, Hot 107.9, 2012/05/01 

[...] ce nouveau corpus de chansons est diablement audacieux et mérite qu’on s’y attarde. ****
Antoine Léveillée, Voir Québec, 26/04/2012 

Avec Havre de Grâce, Radio Radio se réinvente et fait de l'éclectisme son seul mot d'ordre.
Nicolas Tittley, Elle Québec, 05/2012 

Éclectique, éclaté, assumé, Havre de grâce étonne, frappe, résonne, raisonne et sonne. ****
Frédéric Mailloux, Showbizz.net, 17/04/2012 

Live instrumentation blends seamlessly with sample-based production, and train-of­thought rhyme schemes, as always, will keep ya’ bouncin’. 8.5/10
Darcy MacDonald, Montreal Mirror, 2012/04/26 

[...] une galette hip-hop-pop-jazzy expérimentale franchement audacieuse et éclatée.
Patrick Baillargeon, Voir, 19/04/2012 

[...] Radio Radio have returned with an even better record than their nominated LP, and that’s reason enough to make merry.
Quick Before it Melts, 2012/04/16 

[...] un bouquet rap éclectique, touffu et sans compromis.
Philippe Papineau, Le Devoir, 13/04/2012 

Radio Radio était dangereusement efficace, dans l’exécution comme dans la structure de la soirée.
Philippe Papineau, Le Devoir, 17/12/2011

A fine antidote: Radio Radio (laradioradio.com), the Great White North's answer to the Beastie Boys, which means they were spry and, above all, melodic. They could also do an irresistible song about Kenny G. (I kid you not).
Ken Richardson, Sound + Vision

Look out and listen up, Radio Radio is, quite simply, the best hip-hop act to come out of Canada in a while.
T'Cha Dunlevy, March 4th 2010, The Gazette

Selected press

Important shows

  • Francofolies de Spa (Belgium, 2011)
  • Francofolies de Montréal (2007-2011)
  • Festival Chorus (Paris, 2011)
  • Printemps de Bourges (2011)
  • Woodstock en Beauce (2011)
  • Festivoix de Trois-Rivières (2011)
  • Canada Games (Halifax, 2011)
  • Pop Montreal (2007, 2010) 
  • Vancouver Olympics Winter Games (2010)
  • Canada Day at Trafalgar Square in London (2010)
  • Les Eurockéennes de Belfort in France (2010)
  • The Festival International de Louisiane (2010)
  • SXSW (2010) 
  • Festival d’été de Québec (2010) 
  • CMJ Music Marathon in New York (2010)  
  • Halifax Pop Explosion festival (2010) 
  • Francofolies de Montréal (2007, 2008)
  • Festival Musique et Arts Osheaga (2008)
  • Festival du 400e de la ville Québec (2008)
  • Festival de la chanson de Tadoussac (2008)
  • Musiqu'en nous (2008)
  • Festival Franco-Ontarien (2008)

Awards

  • Nominated at the 11th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Short Form Music Video category for Guess What? directed by Jonathan Bensimon
  • Felix Award for Producers of the year with Sebastien Blais-Montpetit (Belmundo Regal), ADISQ 2010
  • GAMIQ Award for Videoclip of the year (Dekshoo) and Album of the year (Belmundo Regal)
  • Nova Scotia Music Award for Francophone Artist / Group Recording of the year, 2010
  • Mirror Prize from the Festival d’Été de Québec for Best urban and actual performance, 2010
  • Édith Butler Prize from the SPACQ, 2010
  • Radio-Canada Music Revelations 2010-2011
  • Éloizes Prize for Most Successful Acadian Artist Abroad 
  • ACADIE/RIDEAU Award, 2008
  • Independent Music Award 2011 Rap / Hip Hop Album
  • Nominated at 2011 ADISQ in the Group of the year and Stage director of the year (for the Belmundo Regal show) categories
  • Nominated for a 2011 Juno Award in the Francophone Album of the Year category (Belmundo Regal)
  • Nominated in the Rap/Hip Hop Album category at the 2011 Independent Music Awards (Belmundo Regal)
  • Nominated at the 2011 East Coast Music Awards in the Pop Recording of the Year category (Belmundo Regal)
  • Nominated at the 2011 indie Awards for Francophone Artist/Group of the Year (Belmundo Regal)
  • Nominated on the short list for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize (Belmundo Regal)
  • Nominated for Songwriter of the Year, Hip-Hop Album of the Year, Art Cover of the Year, Sound Recording and Mix of the Year (Sébastien Blais-Montpetit for Belmundo Regal), Producer of the year (Sébastien Blais-Montpetit, Radio Radio for Belmundo Regal) at the 2010 ADISQ Gala
  • Nominated for Hip-Hop album of the year and Album of the year, Album of the Year, and Francophone Artist/Group Recording of the Year at the 2010 Nova Scotia Music Awards 
(Belmundo Regal)
  • Nominated for Videoclip of the year (Jacuzzi) at the 2009 ADISQ
 Gala
  • Nominated for Revelation of the Year and Hip-Hop Album of the Year (Cliché Hot) at the 2008 ADISQ Gala