Delusions of Grandeur welcome back Basel-based brothers Dersu and Diego Figueira aka Alma Negra. With releases on Heist, Lumberjacks In Hell, Basic Fingers and their own Alma Negra imprint, the duo wear their Cape Verdean roots proudly on their sleeves. Their new ‘La Plage’ EP treats listeners to four original tracks spanning funky, afro-inspired grooves, horn-heavy disco sounds, and deeper house moods. Four evocative slices of party-starting dance music put together with love and care. On the week of their release, we get the chance to sit down with the talented brothers to discuss all things ‘La Plage…’

WWD: I’d love to hear about the initial idea for the EP, ‘La Plage.’ When did you first approach this concept and what was your original intention with this release?

The first idea for ‘La Plage’ I had during a Holiday in Zanzibar!  I was sitting on that gorgeous beach while the melody and some parts of the lyrics came to my mind. When I came  back I was full of energy and started with the production. Often the creativity is bigger if you are not confronted with the daily business, it’s coming more from the quiet and moments you can free your mind.

WWD: What was most important for you to convey through this EP? Do you feel that you were able to accomplish all of your intentions?

Well, I think it’s a diverse EP and shows different musical styles we are producing. From West African Highlife (La Plage), to More contemporary Disco Sounds (Sexta Feira, The Freak) to Deep House (The Vibe) . So yes, we are happy with the result and happy to work with a label like Delusion of Grandeur which is openminded  for different music.

WWD: What are you most proud of with ‘La Plage?’

Whenever we play ‘La Plage,’ it works very well on the dancefloor! That’s the best that can happen if you produce dance music. We have already received a lot of good feedback for the song.

WWD: What was the most challenging part of bringing this release together?

We worked with different musicians on this EP. The French Singer Pat Kalla, Bodo Maier and Mario Alonso for brass sounds and Cedic Vogel on keys. We did all the arrangements and Bodo Maier did some editing and harmonisation on the brass sounds. This was an interesting but also very intense working process.

WWD: This release marks some years in the music business…We’d love to hear your thoughts on how your production process has changed and remained the same over the years. Do you approach anything differently now? 

We are working more with musicians than in the beginning of our project, but we are also always looking for new Synths, Plugins and other instruments, which is changing the sound and workflow of our productions. What remains is to keep our music funky!

WWD: What drives you to continue creating music?

To create music or art in general is part of our expression of our life. It’s not about motivation to continue, it is an essential part of our life.

WWD: What has been one of your favorite moments from the past year?

We finally realised our own new studio! That was absolutely the highlight! We are working at home as well but then meet in the studio to bring the good ideas to the next level.

WWD: Where do you find the most inspiration when it comes to discovering new music?

Bandcamp is a great side to discover new music. It’s very diverse and the fact that you can support other artists directly is a great thing. We normally spend one day a week listening to new music. Looking for new dancefloor bangers, but also other music that stimulates inspiration or to find something good for the soul.

WWD: Who do you think is making great music currently? Who are you into right now?

That’s not easy to answer! There are so many good musicians and producers around. We love Dave Lee productions. They fit very well into our DJ sets that we have been playing lately. We also have an eye on the afro house scene, there are so many new artists to discover! But we listen to a lot of different music styles like Jazz, Highlife, Funk, House and Disco. 

WWD: What is next for Alma Negra?

There is another song we did with Pat Kalla that is going to be released on the great Toy Tonics! We are spending a lot of time in the studio always working on new music! So there is still a lot more to come.

WWD: Sounds great! Congrats on the new EP and thanks for the chat!

‘La Plage’ is available here