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Gayance

Gayance (real name Aïsha Vertus) takes her alias from the Hatian creole word for joyfulness. She started as a DJ in 2013, collecting vinyls from afro-Latin jazz, vintage Caribbean sounds, West-African and black electronic music from both sides of the Atlantic. But her musical roots can be traced back even further. Her Grandfather, who was playing Haitian-influenced gospels in church, showed her how music can be used to touch and uplift people. A gift she’s taken with her wherever she goes. 

Born and raised in Montreal-Nord, Gayance has been tearing down venues in Paris, Amsterdam, Brooklyn, Marrakech, Berlin, Sao Paulo and more. Her own production is influenced by ukg and broken beat, and the Detroit and New York house scene, with nods to the vivid, sun-soaked colours of Latin America. 

Aïsha’s first project came in 2021, an entirely independent release that features Montreal native, KAYTA. ‘Kinda Strange’ is an ode to underground ukg with soulful melodies from KAYTA, accompanied by gospel style backing vocals as Gayance reaches back to her Grandfather’s roots. 

This was quickly followed up by the EP, ‘No Toning Down’, where Aïsha explores her global influences. She cites artists like Betty Davis, Andre 3000, Caetano Veloso,Timbaland as well as her contemporaries, Liv.e, Nick Hakim, Viktor Duplaix, Solange, IG Culture and Little Dragon. The track ‘Meu Sol’ takes the listener to Brazil, where she teams up with Maleika Tidjani and Dapapa on this Dilla-inspired instrumental, full with summery chords and intricate melodies. By the end of the project, ‘All My Friends Are Triggered’, we hear Gayance in a darker cadence. Burial-esque, glitchy drums skip along below a solemn chord progression and robotic vocal chops. 

Following her impressive catalog of self-releases, Gayance will be putting out her first full-length album on Rhythm Section in 2023. ‘Mascarade’ is a collection of dancey rhythms with melodies that appear in the form of hauntingly soulful hooks, or bright outpours of joy and celebration. Her list of collaborators will also feature some of her friends from underground Montreal. This record gives light to Aïsha’s talents, not only as a producer, but as a vocalist and lyricist who shows us a great capacity for different emotions, styles and languages to arise in her songs.

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