Bambii

Canadian DJ and producer Kirsten Azan, better known by her stage name Bambii, emerged in the 2020s as a key figure in Toronto's electronic scene after creating and launching the popular JERK party series, an export phenomenon that has also staged editions in New York, Los Angeles and Montreal. The soundtrack of JERK nights is a blend of club music (picked up from every corner of the globe) and Caribbean rhythms, the ingredients through which Bambii has shaped the multifaceted style that defines her dancehall songs, establishing herself as a reference point for an entire community in search of full freedom of expression.

During lockdown, Bambii struck up an intense exchange of messages with Kelela, and once the pandemic ended, that friendship led to a fruitful collaboration on some tracks that later ended up on "Raven", one of the most acclaimed R&B albums of 2023. In the meantime, the producer continued her steady output of singles, gathered (alongside three unreleased tracks) in early August 2023 on "Infinity Club", her debut mini-album. Stylistically, it ranges from the brisk, Jamaican-style jungle of "One Touch" to the sleek modern R&B of "Hooked" and "Sydanie's Interlude" (elevated by features from Aluna and Sydanie), from the grime influences running through "Body" to the 2-step garage beats that power "Slip Side" (with Ragz Originale's flow and vocals handled by Lamsi), through to her personal take on reggaeton captured in "Wickerd Gyal", featuring Lady Lykez, truthfully the least interesting episode here.

An eclectic, modern, fluid production, concise songs that flow into one another like a DJ set; on the sumptuous title track, placed at the end of the tracklist, the lyrics are an exhortation to whichever DJ is on duty: "Give them something nice!". And within "Infinity Club" the selection is certainly sharp and engaging, a fusion of breakbeat and nu-soul that takes on distinctive shadings born not only from Bambii's Jamaican roots, but also shaped by Toronto's multicultural environment.

(Claudio Lancia)