"For a long time, I had nurtured the desire to create an album in which percussion would take center stage. I have always been fascinated by this abundant universe, with its sometimes unlikely instruments capable of producing sounds of astonishing richness and power.

From the very beginning of my musical journey, I learned to play various percussion instruments alongside the guitar. It felt natural—almost self-evident—and I knew that this practice would refine and deepen my sense of rhythm.

It was undoubtedly my early childhood in Côte d’Ivoire, and the many years my family spent there, that nurtured my love for African music and percussion, and explains why both hold such a special place in my own music.

My encounter with the berimbau, through listening to the albums of Nana Vasconcelos, was a turning point.. I was immediately captivated by the singularity of this instrument and very quickly felt the desire to master it. I introduced it into my music as early as my second album, Viagem, released in 1999, and it has since reappeared, more occasionally, in several of my subsequent recordings.

In TRIBAL, the berimbau is the central instrument: the entire album was conceived around it. For me, it is a tribute to percussion—and by extension, to the percussionists who have deeply inspired me: Nana Vasconcelos, Glen Velez, Mino Cinelu, Airto Moreira, Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu, Arto Tunçboyacıyan, and many others.

I created this project as a solo endeavor, performing all the instruments and percussion parts myself. Wanting to give percussion a broad and powerful presence, I also incorporated samples of drum ensembles. Finally, I invited a few musician friends—artists with whom I particularly enjoy sharing music—to join me on this adventure: David Binney on saxophone, Eric Breton on kanjira (an Indian percussion instrument), and Emma Anders on vocals.

I wanted this album to be a dynamic and hypnotic journey, an immersion into trance. With great respect and humility, I drew inspiration from different cultures—those of Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East—with the desire to fuse them and allow their shared language to emerge: the language of rhythm.

TRIBAL celebrates the diversity of rhythmic expression and the beauty of their fusion."