Ray & Laurent De Wilde Lema

Wheels Ray & Laurent De Wilde Lema

After four years on the road as a duo and thrilled by the complicity that has grown between them along the concerts and their numerous discussions, Ray Lema and Laurent de Wilde decided to head back to the studio and record a new repertoire. They knew that to in order to make music dance, one has to fit every part as tightly

as cogwheels in precision mechanics.

Actually, African musicians call those parts « rhythm wheels » and with that in mind, the two pianists worked for months on a large spectrum of beats that challenged their complementarity. Recorded on two Steinways assembled more than a century apart, their compositions embrace not only time but space, since one can hear influences from Ethiopia (Abyssinight), Congo (Wheels, Lubablue), Caribbean Islands (Poulet bicyclette, Saka Salsa), United States (I miss you Dad, Chains), Nigeria (Human come first)... This is the work of two great artists who spent their life exploring new worlds.

With this duo, they manage to combine Jazz, Classical and African Music to create a new voice, and the sparkling confrontation of these musical universes never ceases to amaze them - as one can hear in this wholehearted accomplishment. The beat pulsing throughout the tracks belongs to them and them only, it irradiates their music and sings a song that is both unique and universal.