Few in this world can boast a creative output as eclectic as Montréal-based Poirier. Over 11 albums and countless EPs and singles, Poirier has blown out speakers with everything from hip-hop and grime to Baile funk, dancehall and beyond. Even after all that, he's still as hungry as ever to explore new sounds and, as he explains below, his new track "Café Com Leite" (due May 1) with Paris-based singer-songwriter Flavia Coelho is unlike anything he's done before.
The new collaboration isn't as bass-heavy as a lot of his other productions, but his knack for melody and infectious rhythm is as sharp as ever. The chest-rattling bass he's usually known for has been swapped out for light, snappy percussion and airy guitar melodies. Coelho's enticing vocals cap the mix off perfectly and the spontaneity with which she wrote the lyrics gives the song a breezy and vibrant energy.
Speaking with Complex via email, Poirier explained: "Flavia Coelho and I met in Paris for the first time at her studio just before a gig I had later that night. We chilled at her studio and listened to a few beats I had on a USB key. The connection was great right away. The beat that I had really in mind for her was also the one she liked the most. She did a vocal idea on the spot as soon as the beat played, riding the beat who had already the guitar lines on it (props to Daniel Leznoff who plays the guitar). There you go, we had a good idea for a song. It became 'Café Com Leite' in it final form a few weeks later. It's a love song about differences, the coffee mixed with milk being a metaphor. It's been ages that I wanted to do a song like that, soft and charming. Some hints of bossa nova too, which is something I never did before. This song is exactly the vibe being reflected on my album Soft Power and that's why it's the first single."
