TINY ISLAND by Michot's Melody Makers (feat. Leyla McCalla)

TINY ISLAND by Michot's Melody Makers (feat. Leyla McCalla)

TINY ISLAND was recorded and filmed by firelight on the night of March 6 on – yes, a tiny island -- in a small pond on Michot's home in Prairie Des Femmes, Louisiana. Played entirely live, the performance was put together for a tour stop on Ned Sublette and Ariana Hall's NOLA Reconnect, a virtual visit to Louisiana with attendees from all over America and Europe. Featuring a deep sonic collaboration with the tiny island’s frog and insect population, the set captures a more intimate and acoustic performance than the higher-decibel, psychedelic shows the Melody Makers are known for.

Their joint repertoire of Cajun and Haitian, Créole and Kréyol songs -- both original and traditional -- coalesced in 2016 when Leyla joined String Noise for a special set at Louis's residency at The Stone in NYC in 2016 (released in 2020 on Nouveau Electric as Le String Noise under the L.E.S. Douze collection). Leyla first joined Michot's Melody Makers at New Orleans’s Music Box Village for a socially distanced show in November of 2020, and the outfit continued working together on outdoor shows at the Broadside Theater throughout the months of canceled touring.

Tiny Island is set for release September 25 as a video EP and as a digital audio EP on on Louis Michot’s own Nouveau Electric Records. The package was executive-produced by Ned Sublette, produced by Louis Michot, recorded by Kirkland Middleton, and mixed by Mark Bingham. The film was made by Connor Reever and Samuel Aguirre-Kelly for Fast Friends Productions. NOLA Reconnect was produced by Ned Sublette and Ariana Hall for Postmambo Studies and Cubanola Collective.