Zene't Panon

Tamil rhythms recorded by the river in the lush greenery of eastern Réunion. B side reworks by Jako Maron, EMB, Boogzbrown, Aleksand Saya and Loya.

Zène’T Panon’s music is unique even within the musical microcosm of Réunion Island. On the eastern coast, the most humid and verdant part of the island, the group imbues their version of maloya with Tamil rhythms and melodies. Our recording session on the banks of the Rivière des Marsouins, deep among the lush vegetation, featured the hypnotic sounds of Tamil instruments: the morlon, tarlon and malbar drums. That lazy day by the river with the entire Zène’T Panon family contrasted sharply with the group’s explosive energy during their usual recordings. Besides their Tamil influences, the group are distinguished by their creative capacity for new rhythms and the energy that they deploy. The perfect harmony playing out between the musicians meant the material could be recorded outdoors in a single evening with practically no retakes, which was a blessing as a tropical rainstorm broke just minutes after the session ended.