Released March 29, 2019

“AibohphobiA” is Kouma’s third album. Parallel to their work with the groups Pixvae and Polymorphy, the three members of the trio took the time to return to the studio in July 2018 to burn this new album. It is also their first collaboration with the label Dur et Doux.

AibohphobiA, or phobia of palindrome, is the third opus of Kouma : a soundtrack about the everyday travel reversibility. The forward is the A side, telluric, warm and rooted due to the usual trio, guitar / sax / drums. Its negative, written on the B side is more synthetic and vaporous and takes the trio to other perspectives.

Written by Romain Dugelay, these two pieces are therefore based on a concept of writing in mirror where a musical phrase is identical to its symmetrical. A musical palindrome somehow. The second face is thus the mirror of the first. The singularity of each piece is given by the instrumentation, the heights of sound and the mixing choices. A record built as a concept, but which retains the sound and energy of the trio.

This disc was recorded at the Jafar studio by Julien Jussey. This sound engineer is well known to the trio because he worked on the two records of the French-Colombian group Pixvae, as well as on the album “Cellule” of the Polymorphie ensemble. These two musical extensions of Kouma are as many new stages on the artistic path of the trio and are, in a certain way present in this new opus.

A recommended album listened to during any daily journey of a dozen minutes, round trip.

Romain Dugelay | baritone sax keyboards
Damien Cluzel | baritone guitar
Léo Dumont | drums
All music and arrangements by Romain Dugelay

Julien Jussey at Jafar studio | Recording & Mix
Nicolas Miral | Mastering

Ramataupia | Artwork
Clément Dupuis | Executive production