2016 restock. First readily available CD issue of Descloux's 2nd album, originally issued in 1981 by Phillips (France). With 5 bonus tracks (including Arto Lindsay on 1 track). Fold-out digipak packaging, 16 page booklet of liner notes/photos. "After touring to promote Press Color, her debut album, with a funk band, Lizzy Mercier Descloux travelled to Europe with companion-film-maker Seth Tillett. They worked in Italy on a serie of short films where she played Anna Magnani, Suzanna Agnelli, filmed Renzo Rossellini at Cinecitta about the Emerginati movement, met Federico Fellini during the filming of Cita della donna, discovered the label Ocora (traditional music from all around the world) and with all this in mind started writing songs with help of drummer Bill Perry. In Paris they auditionned many African musicians cause after wild child funk the idea was to make a record malaxating african roots music, french buzz vocals, albatross swing and some bizarre soundtracks. The record was made in Nassau, Bahamas at Compass point, Island Records studios under kindness support of Chris Blackwell. Walli Badarou who worked there as a house musician with Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, joined Lizzy's band. Steve Stanley a young engineer from Jamaica who was also working on Grace Jones's album, produced the sound, he later also produced Tom Tom Club, Third World and lots of Island records.
Mambo Nassau was all instinctive pulsations, improvized energy. Each song is an attempt to mix the urban vibes of city like New York, raw tempo and acrobatic drum beats, african harmonies, hirsute guitars, heavy pulse of bass lines, anachronistic chants, derisive laughter, a blissfull ignorance of the rules of good taste. Music to snatch and glean with a big black sun in the middle of it. World music was not in the cards, it was a step by step adventure, everyday was a surprise, an uncompromizing ride, a motherfucking hot stew and they had the ocean to get lost.
Eric Clapton, who was recording next door, showed Lizzy his legendary guitars and she sang him an Edith Piaf song. Nassau is an island for Les millionnaires, drug center, casinos, American ladies looking for sex but Lizzy and the band lived like hermits in the studio, outside Lee Perry was talking to his tree and that was the best omen for a record. Fireflies music."