Batila – New EP « In Light » @ Medine Tidou

The nostalgia of a time you never lived. The longing for a home that was never truly home. 

With Batila’s new acoustic EP « In light », you drift into a place between memory and imagination – a space where rhythm soothes wounds it never caused, and melodies heal hearts they’ve never broken. Your journey begins in the Congo, with instantly recognizable rumba notes and percussive warmth – familiar yet new. As the voyage unfolds, the sound gently migrates westward: traces of bossa nova, subtle electric guitar echoes, and melodic textures that blur borders. It’s a careful blend of old Congolese rumba, spoken word, and modern storytelling, sung in Lingala, French, and English – a truly international language of emotion. 

The sound is warm, round, poetic, but also hypnotic – like the rhythm of a ritual, guiding you into a quiet trance.  That trance begins the moment you embark – carried by « In light », repetitive rhythms that sound like train wheels rolling through time. This song is carried by a distinctly Pan-African spirit, enriched by the presence of exceptional artists: Nigerian jazz trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist Etuk Ubong, virtuoso percussionist Huguette Tolinga from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the unmistakable Neo-Soul voice of Ghana’s Susan Augustt. 

Each song offers intertwined melodies with intricate polyrhythms and counter-tempos that occasionally sound reversed, achieving an elegant complexity while remaining simple and seamless. This EP doesn’t just play in your ears; it travels through your whole body – a melody for those who seek calm in the middle of chaos, a sonic medicine for the senses, a ritual for balance. Batila offers a rare form of serenity: music as healing, rhythm as memory. In anticipation of the full trance of his upcoming album Mpeve, meaning spirit in Kikongo, this new EP opens a window into Batila’s evolving sonic universe. In Mpeve, Batila blends Afrobeat, soul, reggae, rumba-rock, and Congolese rhythms into a hypnotic, transformative experience, backed by his ever-evolving band The DreamBus. 

“In Light” is an EP to listen to on repeat, again and again, until it becomes part of your breathing – a soundtrack for awakening, soft, circular, endless.

One standout track from the album Tataman is "BURNING FLOWERS," a delicately crafted melody that centers on love and intimacy, brilliantly capturing the poignant ache of grieving the end of a meaningful relationship. With its evocative lyrics and mesmerizing vocals, sung in a blend of Lingala and English, "BURNING FLOWERS" emerges as a soul-stirring piece that resonates with the ephemeral connections and haunting memories that linger in the air long after a loved one has departed. While the overarching theme of the album encourages us to "hold onto what you love," "BURNING FLOWERS" serves as a poignant reminder of the impermanence of some forms of love. In essence, it becomes a gentle ode to black love that deserves celebration even amidst the grief.

L'un des titres phares de l'album est "BURNING FLOWERS", une mélodie délicate centrée sur l'amour et l'intimité, qui capture avec brio la douleur poignante du deuil d'une relation. Avec ses paroles évocatrices portées par des voix envoûtantes, chantée dans un mélange de lingala et d'anglais, "BURNING FLOWERS" est un morceau qui remue l'âme et fait écho aux souvenirs qui persistent dans l'air longtemps après le départ d'un être cher. Alors que le thème général de l'album nous encourage à "nous accrocher à ce que nous aimons", "BURNING FLOWERS" nous rappelle douloureusement l'impermanence de certains amours.

New Album | Out Now

“Tatamana” translates from Kikongo as "Don't give up" / “Hold On To What You Love“. The album is Batila’s journey to African spirituality, self-love and black love

Single | 2021

"Kindoki", is a song dedicated to the theme of "Voodoo". Devalued by the imperialists as "black magic" or "mumbo jumbo", this spirituality fell into disrepute. In Kindoki, Batila calls upon his ancestors and asks for this knowledge, these supernatural powers, "this magic"

Single | 2021

“Naboyi” means "I refuse / I reject " foreign spirituality, nga na boyi..

Single | Out Now

“What About Me” is about finding personal independence from stereotypes, a song that is about breaking free from the confines that we impose on ourselves and that the world also imposes on us. It’s about freedom from limitations.