PIERRE KWENDERS ANNOUNCES NEW EP, TEARS ON THE DANCEFLOOR

PIERRE KWENDERS NEW EP, TEARS ON THE DANCEFLOOR, OUT FEBRUARY 26

LISTEN / SHARE “WE LIKE” FT. POTÉ HERE
BUY / STREAM “WE LIKE” FT. POTÉ HERE

PRE-SAVE TEARS ON THE DANCEFLOOR HERE

“Kinshasa-born, Canadian-based artist Pierre Kwenders has made a career of fusing Congolese rumba with R&B and a medley of pop and dance styles from both sides of the equator and prime meridian” The Fader

“The singer, whose beats call upon both Congolese sounds and electro-pop” The New Yorker

“It’s a fluid, immersive work, vast but cohesive, elusive of genre, border, or trend. And it makes a case for the potential for anyone — and possibly everyone — to embody a more open, enlightened way to live.” Rolling Stone

Photo Credit : Saffron Da’van // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Relentlessly inventive, the ever restless Pierre Kwenders announces his new EP, Tears On The Dancefloor, out February 26 via Moonshine / ADA Warner. This EP is a heartfelt ode to the dancefloor that marks a shift from big-picture ambition to an intimate exploration of human connection. With Tears On The Dancefloor, Pierre Kwenders takes listeners on a journey through the intricacies of love, vulnerability, and self-discovery, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere that feels like a celebration among close friends.

As a testament to the power of music as both a sanctuary and a space for self-expression, Tears On The Dancefloor invites audiences to step into a space where emotional depth and freedom collide, encouraging reflection, healing, and connection. Each track is a reflection of the personal and collective experiences we all share as we navigate love, joy, fear, and growth.

LISTEN / SHARE “WE LIKE” FT. POTÉ HERE
BUY / STREAM “WE LIKE” FT. POTÉ HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

The EP opens with the lead single “Everyday” featuring Lady Donli and Gafacci, a tender celebration of love’s quiet beauty, where every laugh and sleepy morning shared with a loved one becomes a moment to cherish. Lady Donli’s voice adds a layer of warmth, turning this track into a heartfelt embrace. The record includes the second single “We Like” featuring Poté, a rallying cry for unity, a song for connection and celebration. “I’m honored to have collaborated with some of my favorite DJs and producers who have graced countless dance floors: Gafacci, Poté, Vanyfox, NegoO, and Dogzout,” says Kwenders. “Additionally, the incredible vocals of Pierre Lapointe, Lady Donli, Mopao Mumu, and Pony bring life and depth to this project. Together, we embark on a journey through the dance floor, exploring our innermost selves and emotions until we ultimately reach a place of freedom.”

Born José Louis Modabi in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Pierre Kwenders blends pop, electronica and Congolese rumba while singing and rapping in Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba and Kikongo, and mining the languages' lyrical and aesthetic distinctions for peak emotional resonance. Inspired by the intricacies of love, vulnerability, and self-discovery, Kwenders returns with a new EP, continuing his exploration of musical boundaries and cultural narratives.

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

TEARS ON THE DANCEFLOOR TRACKLIST
01 Everyday ft. Donli, Gafacci
02 Clair de Lune ft. Pierre Lapointe, NegoO
03 It’s Pony! ft. Pony
04 Tears on the Dancefloor ft. Dogzout
05 Merci, Beaucoup!
06 Ambriance (Ndombolo) ft. NegoO
07 We Like ft. Poté
08 Endless Night ft. Mopao Mumu, Vanyfox

PIERRE KWENDERS ONLINE
WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
FACEBOOK

MAYA COOK ANNOUNCES DEBUT ALBUM, SHARES NEW SINGLE “ANSWERS”

MAYA COOK’S DEBUT ALBUM, SALT, DUE OUT MARCH 21 VIA AAKULUK MUSIC

LISTEN / SHARE “ANSWERS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ANSWERS” HERE

PRE-SAVE SALT HERE

Photo Credit : Andrew Morrison // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Maya Cook’s journey into music was paved by her path as a multidisciplinary artist. As a circus performer with Artcirq, the renowned performing arts collective in Igloolik, Nunavut, Maya has spent years expressing herself with dynamic acrobatics and sharply crafted storytelling. Her debut album salt, recorded at Aakuluk Music Studios in Iqaluit, Nunavut, is a testament to her artistry in a different medium—one that swings between the soulful melodies of soft jazz and the infectious energy of folk rock.

Raised in the Gulf Islands of the Salish Sea, Maya hails from Mennonite-Anglo-Celtic ancestry and lives in both Vancouver, BC and Igloolik, Nunavut. Maya’s artist identity is shaped by these worlds, their influence in her music both spontaneous and transformative. “It sometimes feels like I’m two separate people” she says. “I have these strong ties to the Salish Sea where I grew up, and my family and friends who hold me there, as well as to the land and community in Igloolik. Sometimes that feels like it’s splitting me in half, but really, it’s through living in Igloolik that I came to recognize and appreciate the strength of connection I have to where I’m from. Creating art, both circus and music, has been a profound way of exploring how all of my pieces are woven together, within myself and in my relationships with the land and people around me”.

The album’s lead single, “Answers”, sets the tone for salt as a whole. A sharply beautiful and rhythmic track that explores the tension between one’s desires and what one really needs, it is run through with an undercurrent of quiet strength. Capturing Maya’s ability to weave emotion and storytelling into her music, “Answers” is both a question and a declaration, inviting listeners to feel deeply as she reaches for what is just below the surface. 

"I wrote ‘Answers’ on my late great-great aunt’s 120-year-old parlour guitar in a covid isolation facility on my way back home from visiting family in the south,” says Cook. “I was trying to stay sane and make some decisions about where I was taking myself in life. It’s a song about asking myself if I’m ready to do what I know I need to do, instead of what I really-really wanted to keep doing."

LISTEN / SHARE “ANSWERS” HERE
BUY / STREAM “ANSWERS” HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

MORE ABOUT SALT
salt brings together Maya’s reflective nature and her curious spirit, offering listeners a vivid sonic landscape inspired by a life in coastal BC and steeped in the Arctic’s contrasts—its beauty and challenges, warmth and cold. The album’s eight tracks each reveal a piece of her world and her heart. Themes of healing, introspection, connection, and community, run through the record. Songs like ”Metal In My Bones” channel the quiet contemplation of rainy Vancouver nights, while tracks like ”Silarjuaq” pulse with raw energy and defiance, fueled by the beauty and vibrance of the tundra. Maya’s voice, rich and emotive, soft and silky, guides listeners through her world, blending seamlessly with instrumentation that mirrors the rhythm of life in the North.

For Maya, salt is more than an album; it’s an exploration of the balance in-between: in-between north and south, hurt and healing, strength and softness… it’s the spaces between our bodies and where sky and ocean meet. “salt is an album about that which connects us to our bodies, to the ocean, and to one another. Writing these songs have been my way of sitting with and feeling how hard, but also how incredibly beautiful, this world is.” she reflects. With this debut, Maya proves she is an emerging voice in the Nunavut music scene.

salt was produced by Jace Lasek, the renowned producer behind acclaimed albums by Aasiva, Terry Uyarak, and The Jerry Cans. Lasek’s expertise shines through, seamlessly blending Maya’s unique voice and artistic vision with rich, atmospheric production. His ability to bring out the depth and texture in northern artists’ music makes salt a stunning addition to the legacy of projects he’s helped shape, further amplifying the soundscape of the Arctic.  

Recorded under the crisp fall skies in Iqaluit, salt is a love letter to the North, to the Salish Sea, and to all the water in-between that connects them. It is an invitation to share in Maya’s vision of resilience and beauty, to close your eyes, and to feel the rhythm of the tides under your skin.  

PRE-SAVE SALT HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

SALT TRACKLIST
01 Answers
02 Woman
03 Metal in My Bones
04 Silarjuaq
05 Winter Again
06 Cold Coffee
07 Black Ice
08 Please

MAYA COOK ONLINE
INSTAGRAM
WEBSITE

TARIQ’S NEW EP, SCROLL BEFORE YOU SLEEP, OUT TODAY

NEW EP, SCROLL BEFORE YOU SLEEP, OUT TODAY VIA TINY KINGDOM

WATCH / SHARE “MIGRATION SONG” VISUALIZER HERE

BUY / STREAM SCROLL BEFORE YOU SLEEP HERE

Photo Credit : Chelsey Stuyt  // DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

Today, Tariq’s new EP, Scroll Before You Sleep, is available via Tiny Kingdom. The title, Scroll Before You Sleep, is a unifying tether for these three songs and their nod to digital isolation. “It’s less of a command or a suggestion, more of a warning,” says Tariq. “Keep scrolling, see what happens. Our phone addiction keeps us up at night. It’s impossible to relinquish our devices and when we finally do, they sit beside us on the nightstand, buzzing, alerting, demanding to be looked at and engaged with. When they finally shut up, they start doing their most unsettling activity of all, listening. They eavesdrop on our desires, hunger, fears, our tastes in music, fashion, and lovers. They make decisions about our lives and then at night, they sell it all back to us in ads and subscriptions and as we scroll, we pay. We pay and we rarely sleep.”

BUY / STREAM SCROLL BEFORE YOU SLEEP HERE

READ TARIQ’S IN DEPTH CONVERSATION WITH RANGE ABOUT SCROLL BEFORE YOU SLEEP HERE

Of the EP’s final track, “Migration Song”, Tariq says, “Lately we hear a lot of news reports about people—call them migrants, refugees, immigrants, etc.—putting themselves in great danger in order to flee injustice, persecution, war. And as they do, there is pushback from others who want to keep the outsiders out. Move on, they sing to the outsiders, move on.”

WATCH / SHARE “MIGRATION SONG” VISUALIZER HERE

MORE ABOUT TARIQ
A stalwart of the Canadian indie scene for decades, this new EP marks the beginning of a new chapter and new sound for Tariq. Decidedly louder, and more immediate he is trading in soft folk harmonies for full throated wails. It also represents a new and collaborative approach to making music, working with musicians Robert Chursinoff (Drums), Peter Carruthers (Bass/Keys), and Adam Nanji (Guitar) who have all been members of some of the most prominent bands in Canada including Tegan and Sara, Said The Whale and Belle Game. “This project is a way to experiment with collaboration and also a heavier sound. I want to create something that resonates in its live form, in front of a big crowd at a festival, something that will be entertaining to watch and sound big and bold.” 

WATCH / SHARE “ARCHITECT’S STUDIO” HERE

WATCH / SHARE “THE BALLAD OF YOU AND ME” LYRIC VIDEO HERE

DOWNLOAD HIGH-RES

SCROLL BEFORE YOU SLEEP TRACKLIST
01 Architect’s Studio
02 The Ballad of You and Me
03 Migration Song

TARIQ ONLINE
WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM
YOUTUBE
TIKTOK