Moonshine’s SMS for Location, Vol. 4 mixtape.

In conversation with Moonshine Collective. The Montreal-based collective is this time back with the fourth volume of the SMS for location series, an album filled with bass-heavy, percussive Afro-funk and sulky rhythms. 

You released the fourth volume of SMS for location. How did the mixtape/album come together? 

It’s now tradition to release an album every year. It came through pretty organically. If you’ve ever been to a Moonshine event, you get a real friends and family vibe, and over the years, that family has grown. Most of the artists featured on the mixtape we consider as family. It’s the talented people we’ve been surrounded by and the people that inspire us that are featured on the mixtape.

What served as the inspiration for the SMS for location 4 mixtape/album?

What we wanted to do with this mixtape is showcase a global sound and the way that sound is interpreted by different artists in different regions all over the world. We were inspired by this bridged community with similar values and deep respect for the craft. The love that is shared on a dance floor is forever our inspiration.

What place does Congo have in Moonshine’s musical identity?

We have many members of the crew that are Congolese (Pierre Kwenders, Herve Kalongo, AKANTU, Idriss Kalongo), and they’ve always shared with the rest of the group the passion for arts coming from there. It is, therefore, natural to find certain aspects of the Congo in the identity of the collective - from the music, dance, fashion, or even food. 

Can you tell us more about Moonshine’s first pilgrimage back to Congo?

After about seven years of creating events and putting out music and merch directly influenced by our Afro-diasporic roots - it has been a long-time dream to work directly with artists based in Congo, to deepen that exchange and expand the community. We’ve met so many amazing creatives in Congo and other countries abroad.

People are so creative in so many different ways there. We wanted to be around it as a collective to be part of the movement that is being created there. From artists like Mc Redbul to our own prince DJ P2N or DJ Renaldo, the scene is vibrant. 

We also missed the food and the “ambiance” from Kinshasa. 

Lastly, what will be the next step for Moonshine?

We’re always working on several next steps at the same time. We’re still vibing to the last release, SMS For Location, Vol. 4 - so many talented producers and vocalists collaborated on it, and there are a lot of bangers. We’re also working on a short documentary called Zaire Space program with Congolese director Nizar Saleh Mohamed (we’re incredibly excited about this). This documentary explores the idea of an African utopia through the lens of arts and technology.

There’s also more music and collaboration coming up from artists from Lubumbashi and Kinshasa. 

In the near future, we’ll be touring festivals in Europe this fall and Africa at the end of the year, hoping to see our fellow brothers and sisters.

Listen here.

Photography Alexis Belhumeur

Photography assistant Raphaël Rahim Nikiema

Styling Eunice Huot

Assistant styling Linx Selby

Make-up Maïna Militza

Make-up assistant Hoffy