Just like the beak of the hummingbird evolved in harmony with the flowers that they used to forage, the parallel upswing enjoyed by both The Pilotwings and their mother ship BFDM is a story of communicating vessels: one simply doesn’t go without the other. That – as much as a flock of delirious Bro Code-friendly commandments – is written into the DNA of Judaah’s imprint and his soldiers as attested by Louis’ emotional ‘BFDM’ chest tattoo.
As the bros are no hoes, the Lyon pair returns after an adulterous excursion on Macadam Mambo to where it all started, eventually delivering their eagerly-awaited debut full-length, ‘Les Portes Du Brionnais‘. If you’re familiar with the radio shows played by the duo, either on LYL or NTS, you certainly won’t be surprised to see them explore a wide range of styles including syncopated weed-stank grooves, zouk and Japanese exotica motifs as well as other cosmic oddities.
The title-track kicks things off on a spacious kosmische note before curiously mutating into a lambent skank’y melter over its second part. As the album unfolds the scope covered by The Pilotwings seems to expand effortlessly. Sun-bleached balearic tropes make for an anchor in this melting-pot of styles and tempo-shifts though, rising high on the zippy ‘Aladdinde‘, lush downtempo treat ‘Le RSA‘ and even more so blatantly on the album’s enticing closer ‘Balearic Nordine‘.
‘Pousse Un Peu Plus Chaque Jour‘ belongs to a more off-kilter synth jazzy breed whilst the soothing ‘Yomogi‘ takes you off to Japan for a subtle Hanami-style contemplative digression. Moving off the grid, ‘Christrance‘ revives Louis and Guillaume’s early love for pacey trance rollers convincingly, injecting some well dispensed old-school floor dynamics to a string of smooth afternoon chillers.
Repping a much different vibe, the excellent ‘Brigade des Moeurs‘, ‘Le Rock des Plages‘ and oddball funk burner ‘Debeurdinoir‘ – which could well be drawn off a Black Devil Disco Club record – swim in their own lane, gently hip-swaying yet encapsulating a wealth of spicy disco flavours with every bar. Alternating angles, from progressive lifts to sheer offbeat syncopation, the pair shows some impressive maturity over the span of these eleven carefully-crafted cuts. If stakes were high, the result is plainly satisfactory.
Les Portes Du Brionnais is available now, order a vinyl copy from Chez Emile Records.
TRACKLIST
A1. Les Portes Du Brionnais
A2. Aladdinde
A3. Le RSA
B1. Pousse Un Peu Plus Chaque Jour
B2. Christrance
B3. Yomogi
C1. Debeurdinoir
C2. Brigade Des Moeurs
C3. Le Rock Des Plages
D1. John Deere, Tcheu!
D2. Balearic Nordine
Discover more about The Pilotwings and Brothers From Different Mothers on Inverted Audio.