2024, March 2024, Reggae
Louie Melody – Gwari Music & Friends
Mar
Louie Melody
Gwari Music & Friends
Gwari Music & Friends is the first concept album of the Portuguese producer and multi-instrumentalist Louie Melody. His uncompromising devotion to music and deep understanding of the different styles and stylistics of reggae characterize his production. For Gwari Music & Friends, he gathered 11 international reggae artists he has worked with before, such as Rob Symeonn (USA), Zoe Mazah (Germany), Dahvid Slur (Jamaica) or Juba (Portugal) or Tenor Youthman (Russia). The challenge for the artists has been that they got just one instrumental to write on, chosen specifically for each one. Like this, Louie Melody collected an impressive and individual variety of songwriting from each artist.
Dahvid Slur
Got Me Singing - 03:08
Danny Mont
Black Man Sees - 03:06
Zoe Mazah
Hello - 03:32
Juba
Water Drop - 03:24
Tenor Youthman
Serenade - 03:30
Awa Fall
Call My Name - 03:36
George Palmer
Falling in Love - 03:12
Jahcoustix
Comfort Zone - 03:00
Rob Symeonn
Assipha - 03:14
Hugo Otto
Youth Plan - 03:48
U-Rie
Drop the Bassline - 03:14
Gwari Music & Friends is reggae music made with love for this genre. Rootical. Original. Heavy. As Louie Melody says, “I respect all music, but I’m dedicated to reggae.”
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Louie Melody INTERVIEW
IRIE. How did the name GWARI come about, and what is its meaning?
LOUIE MELODY. The name Gwari was born from a study of cultures. It is the name of a plant and also the definition of hard and humble workers. That’s my attitude towards music.
IRIE. Who are some of your musical influences, and where do you find inspiration for your productions?
LOUIE MELODY. I am influenced by the music of the 1970s, old-school Reggae, Soul, and R&B. This inspires me to bring back the feeling of just the right spirit that organic music has, and I try to bring this to life in my productions.
IRIE. Why Reggae Music?
LOUIE MELODY. Reggae music because my musical trajectory was always connected somehow with Latin and African percussion, music with strong messages like freedom for Black people. As a capoeira teacher, all of these ingredients led me to reggae. That’s where I found my place, my spirit, and my connection.
IRIE. For the album Gwari Music & Friends, you’ve worked with 11 artists from all over the world, from Russia to Jamaica, Portugal, the US, Germany, Italy, and Spain. What’s your magic recipe, and how long did you work on the album?
LOUIE MELODY. I’ve been working on this album for a while, trying to leave my comfort zones or methods that I’ve used before to bring a different kind of composition, textures, and feelings, different from what I’ve been using in other productions before. The magic ingredient was this passion I have for music. This kept me going and never giving up because once you love, no matter what happens, you’ll always be with music. Forward is the only way.
IRIE. Can you take us through your creative process when creating new music?
LOUIE MELODY. My creative process always starts with melodies and lead lines to create riddims. After that, I can already feel the atmosphere of the riddim, and this gives me a vision of who I want to hear on that riddim to bring it into the place and become the song I imagine.
IRIE. As a multi-instrumentalist, what is your favorite instrument to play out of them all?
LOUIE MELODY. After many years, I found that the drums are my true passion. My first instrument was the guitar, and I thought I would stay there, but as an ambitious musician, I wanted to learn other instruments to be independent. In this process, I discovered the drums, and they became my favorite instrument to play.
IRIE. What do you hope your fans take from listening to Gwari Music & Friends?
LOUIE MELODY. I wanted to give my audience the joy of listening to real-time music—nothing digital. Everything is played. I hope they can feel how different this energy is. I hope this can inspire you. As an independent artist, I want to say this clearly: music lives by getting heard. I hope you will listen, share, and play this album a lot.
IRIE. Is there anything you would like to share with our audience?
LOUIE MELODY. As a reggae lover, it’s crucial to preserve good music. Reggae has such an important message, and its essence is still a mission incomplete in today’s societies. It’s important to share and spread the message that reggae music has. It is powerful to heal our hearts and find a little peace in these complicated times; if music heals, let it play!
IRIE. Maaad Love and Respect, Louie Melody!
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