Baloji Releases Music Inspired by the Characters of his Award-Winning Debut Film, 'Augure (Omen)'
Belgian artist Baloji's rich EP, a sonic journey accompanyingAugure (Omen), blends African, French, and American influences, to tell the story of four characters accused of witchcraft.
Screenshot from the trailer of 'Augure (Omen).'
When OkayAfrica spoke to Baloji just as his debut film, Augure (Omen), was showing at the Cannes Film Festival in May, he mentioned he'd recorded music for it that never made it to the screen. The Belgian multi-hyphenate artist, originally from the Congo, is now letting some of that music out now, to tease his upcoming album and flesh out the film's characters with additional character-driven scores.
Baloji, a versatile artist involved in various creative roles such as poet, composer-lyricist/beatmaker, scriptwriter, actor, performer, video artist, and stylist, blends African music, the French singer-songwriter tradition and American soul, funk and jazz in his work. The soundtrack, a companion to his choral film Augure (Omen), explores the stories of four characters considered witches and sorcerers in a phantasmagorical Africa.
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The five-track EP, which acts as a preview for Baloji's upcoming album in Spring 2024, features collaborations with global artists including Mayra Andrade, Jamila Woods, Bongeziwe Mabandla, Swazzi, and Chrystel. Each track is dedicated to one of the film's protagonists: Koffi, Mama Mujila, Paco, and Tshala.
The EP opens with "La Tâche," a dark synthscape narrating Koffi's story with the soulful vocals of South African singer Bongeziwe Mabandla. "Gorgone (Too Old)" follows, featuring Chicago artist Jamila Woods embodying Mama Mujila, while "Arcade" explores Paco through tribal rhythms and vocals of Afrobeats artist Swazzi. The soundtrack concludes with "Auto-Psy," an exploration of Tshala featuring Chrystel.
In addition, Baloji interprets the song "Matrone" from Tshala's perspective, showcasing the character's psychology alongside Cape Verdean singer Andrade's vocals and visual representation of her character's color and dress codes.
To commemorate the soundtrack release, Baloji also made his debut on COLORS with an exclusive performance of "Tschala - MaTrone (La Femme Tronc)" alongside Andrade.
Baloji's first feature film, Augure (Omen), received acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, winning the prestigious New Voice award. The magically realistic film is set to represent Belgium and Congo at the 2024 Oscars.
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