News Petite Noir: ‘I Love That People Don’t Know What To Call My Music’

It’s not as if Yannick Ilunga is the type to shroud himself in mystery and red herrings. Born in Belgium and now residing in Cape Town, South Africa, he won’t give countless abstract clues to his identity as a musician, without ever being candid or open about how he writes and records. But within one listen to his music as Petite Noir, the mind finds itself dithering off in several directions at once, flummoxed by Yannick’s music, which seems to defy both categorisation and convention.

“I love that people don’t know what to call it,” says Ilunga of his seemingly baffling early material. Does he purposefully attempt to leave the average listener’s mind in a messy pool of confusion? “I don’t really try to write music that sounds like anything… I guess all my influences melt together to make my sound, but the process isn’t really on my mind.” In ‘Till’ We Ghosts’, the similarities to TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe are plain to see. Both belt their lyrics out with equal anguish and excitement, appearing to cry out for help or shout out in an act of triumph - it’s difficult to tell which is the more likely.

Yannick has a wealth of experience to draw from. Under previous outfit Popskarr, he played outdoor festivals and remixed the likes of Monarchy alongside DJ Terrence Pearce. He’s worked under another name, IAMWAVES, and his career as a musician spans back to 2009. “I really developed through Popskarr,” he tells us. “I feel really happy on stage and love the live experience.” The difference with Petite Noir is that Yannick is projecting every musical inspiration of his into one concise sound; dynamic and jumbled as they might appear offhand, the songs are immediate and hard-hitting. His journey of refinement began in the late noughties and concluded at a debut show in London. From then onwards, Petite Noir began a potentially special journey - listeners the world over should prepare to have their ears flipped inside out.

Petite Noir will tour the UK with Foals this November and December.

Taken from the November 2012 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.