Hayce Lemsi - La Haute

Hayce Lemsi created "La Haute" as a sonic architecture where the solitude of creation is juxtaposed with a dense ecosystem of collaborations, framed by the fraternal spirit of his older brother. The album, released on December 7, 2018, on the labels Eleven's Music and URBAN - [PIAS], presents itself with a strict discipline: seventeen tracks for a total duration of 48 minutes and 6 seconds. The artist places this project on a precise trajectory, situated between the studio album Eurêka (2017) and the follow-up Ecorché vif (2019), thus solidifying his position after pioneering mixtapes such as Un petit pas pour Lemsi (2012) or Électron libre (2013).

Framing: Carmen and Silence Radio

These two sonic anchors define a space where Hayce Lemsi can express his voice without the immediate distraction of guests, laying the foundation for pure listening before the collaborations begin.

The solo architecture prepares the arrival of guests

The journey towards the heart of the album passes through a series of fleeting tracks that prepare the ground for the collaborative explosion. Between "La haute" (track 2) and "First Class", the tracks flow sequentially to create a fluid dynamic. This movement naturally leads to the deployment of external voices, transforming the initial solitude into a collective experience. The opening and closing tracks frame this project, while the first half solo prepares the ground for the density to come. The album then becomes a true artistic crossroads, where six invited artists express themselves with surgical precision, explicitly credited on six tracks. Track 5 features Hooss on "First Class", confirming his presence as a structuring element of this collaboration. Immediately after, track 6 sees Lefa take the stage on "Dolce Narco", adding another texture to the project. Further on, track 8 introduces Kpoint on "Bad Montana", while track 12 gives space to Kodes (Mafia Spartiate) on "Seven Degueu". Finally, track 13 welcomes Enzo Dong on "Mala", thus sealing the collaborative perimeter defined by the facts.

Absolute Brotherhood: Volts Face on Mama

At the center of this constellation of guests is "Mama," track 10, where Hayce Lemsi invites his older brother, Volts Face. This fraternal collaboration goes beyond mere musical presence, becoming the central relationship on the album. It recalls a previous collaboration on "Mes ennemis" from L'or des rois (2015), demonstrating that this alliance is not a novelty but a natural continuation. Conversely, it also foreshadows a future where Volts Face will reappear on "Adal 2" (2020) for "Giovanni," creating a temporal arc around this central moment. Track 10 thus serves as a pivot, connecting past and future projects while highlighting the strength of the family bond within the album.

Volts Face at the heart of the family on Mama

The album unfolds with a formal structure, listing its sixteen initial tracks and its final title, "Silence Radio," for a total of 17 confirmed tracks. Each invited vocalist adds a distinct layer to the production without attempting to prioritize their individual impact, strictly adhering to the reality of the credits given to external artists. The presence of these six collaborators transforms the work into a dense artistic crossroads, where each guest appears as a necessary note for the main composer. This collaborative density is a natural continuation of the past, while also paving the way for a future discography marked by the subsequent "Ecorché vif" (2019) album. The project thus represents a solid consolidation between Eurêka and its sequel, where each track contributes to forming this verified and multifaceted soundscape, without any extrapolation. The total length of the album reaches 48 minutes and 6 seconds, proving that this collaborative richness does not slow down the narrative pace established by the previous sixteen tracks or the final track. Each guest is credited on a specific track, confirming their specific contribution to this studio project published by Eleven's Music and URBAN - [PIAS]. "La Haute" is defined by its ability to navigate between two distinct musical territories: it follows Eurêka (2017) and precedes Ecorché vif (2019), marking a stage of consolidation. With 17 tracks, including 6 featuring credited guest artists, the album offers a diversity of textures without ever asserting unfounded certainties. The overall structure, from the opening and closing tracks to the occasional collaborations, creates a work where each element has its defined place, based on facts, far from any invented superlatives or unsupported comparisons.

Technical specifications

- Release date : December 7, 2018 - Label : Eleven's Music / URBAN - [PIAS] - Tracks : 17 (48 minutes 06 seconds) - Opening / closing : Carmen / Silence Radio - Guest artists : Hooss, Lefa, Kpoint, Volts Face, Kodes (Mafia Spartiate), Enzo Dong - Previous album : Eurêka (2017)