BOOGÁT RELEASES DEL HORIZONTE LP
Québec artist Boogát announces the release of his highly anticipated studio album, Del Horizonte. In celebration of the project, Boogát will be hosting an album release show in Sherbrooke tonight (April 26) with more live dates announced for later this year.
A deeply personal and introspective project, Del Horizonte delves into the complexities of decolonization, subversion, immigration, and love. The record features a deep range of collaborations with local and international talent, including El Dusty, Mateus Vidal (Olodum), DJ Shub, Okan, Tannergaard, Ahmed Moneka, Waahli, Diogo Ramos, Maï, Classic Roots, and Mestre Pato (T Dot Batu).
Following a seven-year hiatus between full-length projects, Boogát’s return with Del Horizonte marks a significant milestone being the first time he has served as the sole producer on a record, taking full creative control of the project.
In Spanish, French, or English, Boogát raps and sings the universality of cultural minorities exploring themes related to identity, migration, belonging, and love through thought-provoking lyrics that bounce between seriousness and humour.
Boogát is one of the blue chips of the Canadian Global Music scene, with an innovative proposition that is always a party starter. His unique blend of styles, mixing hip-hop with modern Latin-American music, electronica, and more traditional genres has made his global renown with constant touring, nonstop collaborations, and numerous accolades & awards (Junos, Felix, Gamiq, etc.)
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Boogát, originally from Quebec City. I fell in love with music via the skateboarding culture, punk, hip-hop, and traditional Latin music. I’ve been touring this “country’’ for almost 20 years and collaborated with hundreds of artists and musicians. Most of my work is in Spanish but I also had a few records out in French a lifetime ago and lately, I started doing some stuff in English too. I mix modern Latin rhythms with hip-hop, afrobeats, salsa, cumbia, electronica, and whatever else I find interesting. I perform onstage as a rap vocalist, once in a blue moon as a DJ, and I also produce for myself and other artists.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
After spending the last few years producing albums for other artists (Ramon Chicharron, Diogo Ramos, Waahli), I felt like I had something to say again so I wrote a new album entitled Del Horizonte to be released on April 26 via Ray-On and Believe. I feel good about it; it’s a luminous work with global, danceable sounds that have made my reputation (3 Félix, 1 Juno, 1 Gamiq award). The album mixes Spanish, French, English, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, Yoruba and Arabic to speak of decolonization, subversion, immigration and love, with rich collaborations from El Dusty, Mateus Vidal (Olodum), DJ Shub, Okan, Tannergaard, Ahmed Moneka, Waahli, Diogo Ramos, Maï, Classic Roots and Mestre Pato (T Dot Batu).
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
Sometimes lyrics come first, sometimes the beats. This time it was a mix of both but then for the production process, I sketched the beats without going too far on the design part of it. I really took a long time for each text, I really thought of how I felt on the subject of every song. Only when the lyrics were over I felt like I had the songs and then I took all the time I needed to produce them. And as a cherry on the sundae, I did all the features and musician sessions at the very end. I don’t have a routine or a method, I try the creative process natural and raw. Whatever works, and you know when you have something worth sharing.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
I have some shows coming in the next year but, ¡si dios quiere! I’ll be touring this record for more time than that. The live show is my favorite aspect of making music; the festivals, the energy, the communion, and the people. Also: Music videos will keep coming out in the next year + live sessions. The first video came out 2 weeks ago. It’s called ‘’Siempre Bailo’’ and you should check it out. I also want to do long filmed interviews with journalist friends to go deeper into what the record means without having to respect a format. We’ll see, but right now is a beautiful time to do things differently and do the art that you feel like.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
We tend to look a lot at the past and find meaningful stuff there. But right now I’m in a state of mind that the only eternal time is the present so I would say: doing music today, after all the good and the bad that happened to me through it is more meaningful than any other moment. Just like when you choose to love someone you need to choose that person every day. Let’s make ‘’today’’ mean something.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
There’s so much good stuff coming out every day, it’s kind of crazy. Anyone saying that today’s music sucks really hasn’t dug enough or has a really bad internet connection. Lol. I recommend Chicano Batman, DJ Shub, Narcy, Okan, Ahmed Moneka, Classic Roots, Boogey the Beat, Natasha Fisher, El Dusty, Kumbia Boruka, La Dame Blanche, Maï, Pahua, Killer Mike, Kali Uchis, Daniel Caesar, El Michel Affairs, Poirier, Mexican OT, Bïa, Diogo Ramos, Waahli, Fwnk Lion, Niña Dioz, Aaron Frazer, Aziz Konkrite, Riccie Oriach, Lengaïa Salsa Brava, Son Rompe Pera, Heelnback, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Tia Woods, Sebastian Gaskin, Doc Mad, The Brooks, D-Track, KNLO, and there’s way more…
Upcoming Shows:
April 26 – Sherbrooke, QC – La Petite Boîte Noire *Album Release Show
September 27 – Toronto, ON – Drom Taberna
September 28 – Gatineau, QC – Le Troquet
October 4 – Québec, QC – L’Anti
October 5 – Montréal, QC – Le Quai Des Brumes