- Words Stella Marbles
French house sensation Folamour shares his favourite tracks that have inspired his work as an acclaimed producer and superstar DJ.
French producer Bruno Boumendil, also known as Folamour, is taking the European club scenes by storm with his house and disco remixes and now, original music. Hailing from Lyon but now based in London, Bruno caught the wave of the “renaissance movement” of self-made music producers in France and rose to notoriety as one of the best DJs in the country.
His smooth dance floor edits have taken him around Europe, North and South America and even as far as Australia. Listening to his tracks it isn’t hard to see why. The songs compel you to dance and reflects Bruno’s passion for a wide range of music, effortlessly blending jazz, funk, and world music with house and disco riffs. Since 2017, Bruno has expanded this passion from remixes into his own original music. His debut album Umami in 2017 cemented his reputation as a leader of the pack, reaching critical acclaim with over 1 million streams in the first year.
This LP buzzed with untampered talent and a keen eye for chart-topping hooks, leading to remix collaborations with iconic artists such as Tony Allen and the foundation of his own label FHUO. Bruno is now working in our capital city with his residency at Phonox so we picked Bruno’s brain for the tracks that put the bounce in his step and seep into his music behind the decks.
"Gorof (Elixir)" by Dur Dur Band
"I've felt into African music entirely for the last two years and ended up listening to old Somalian music and this band amazed me. Interesting on every level, I can only advise you listen to their releases properly."
"Alma" by Marcos Valle
"One of my favourite tracks by the master, great production too."
"Twenty-Two" by Tertia May
"I’ve been listening to a lot of UK soul artists, blending jazz, neo-soul and hip-hop. Tertia is surely one of my favourites from the scene and this song is exactly what I love, meaningful and well written."
"Don't You Forget About Me" by Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
"I've been obsessed with this song for a year now, can't do anything about it."
"Hamba Nam We" by Letta Mbulu
"The queen. Vocals always on point and a solid groove all along and keeping it subtle."
"Walla Masumu" by Les Bruches Walla
"I'm dying to find a record in a really good condition of this release. Surely one of my favourite ones ever and just found about it quite recently. Everyone deserves to have it in their life."
"Spirit Of The Boogie" by Network & Co.
"Exactly the kind of music I listen to when I'm touring in the summer. Nothing better than listening to boogie music in a cab from the airport to the venue before playing! It warms me up instantly."
"Wet Scott" by Marc Bianco
"Beautiful jazz tunes by my friend Marc Bianco. We just announced his debut album on my label FHUO Records and he is surely on his way to do a little revolution in jazz music and the way we approach it."
"Cristo Redentor" by Donald Byrd
"This year is legendary jazz label Blue Note’s 80th anniversary and it brought me back to listening to their catalogue, the most of it I could and I didn't regret any second of it."
"Fire (Feat. K-C)" by Lebrado
"One of the best R'n'B albums released in the last decade. Simple but good production, dope vocal melodies and smiles for everyone."