
"Ireke returns with a light and sunny hymn to life" Radio Nova
Album Ayo Dele
Ayô Dele—meaning "joy comes to me" in Yoruba—is neither a slogan nor a promised miracle. It is a breath. It is the spirit of an album born in the spaces between—where words carve a path between shadow and light, between the chaos of the world and the urge to simply *be*. At the project’s core, multi-instrumentalist beatmakers Julien Gervaix and Damien Tesson share a groove-based language that is both dense and airy, allowing every detail to breathe and find its place. Theirs is a hybrid groove that speaks to the body; the meeting of their experiences and sensibilities gives rise to music that is open, generous, and made for dancing and feeling the vibration.
With Ayô Dele, Ireke begins a new chapter: the duo refines its approach by giving the vocals room to breathe. The groove remains the driving force but opens up to the intimate. This intimacy is carried by two distinctive female voices: Nayel Hoxo, a Beninese-Nigerian singer and rapper, and Agnès Hélène, previously noted for her work on *Tropikadelic* with the track "Petit à Petit." They do not merely sing alongside one another; they coexist, call and respond, and occasionally cross paths. Yet each carves her own unique path: Nayel, through the power of Yoruba lyrics, offers songs of uplift, healing, and resistance—a light born from life’s fissures. Agnès explores those very fissures—the things within us that waver, and what is reinvented through connections, glances, and shared gestures. Two women, two inner worlds: a sensitive bond, a shared breath. Theirs is music that seeks not mere effect but resonance, weaving a living sonic map that blends reinvented traditions with contemporary textures.
News
• New album on Underdog Records label Fall 25
• New live video on Fall 25
• New video Clip on July 26
Press
Tour 2026
12.03 Le Pédiluve Chatenay Malabry ( 92)
13.03 Le boucanier Mantes la jolie (78)
14.03 Nuits du massala / Voix de Fete Annemasse (74)
21.03 Quai M La roche / yon (85)
29.05 Le Tamanoir Gennevilliers (92)
30.05 Guinguette A Dreuz Lorient (56)
06.06 Horizon Open Sea Festival Landéda (29)
07.06 Festival SamSam Samoreau (77)
03.07 Festival Guinguette du Pré Thabor Montfort-sur-meu (35)
13.07 La Guiguette Républicaine Dompierre/ mer (17)
17.07 Les Estivales de Landeronde (85)
14.08 La Corne des patures Baule (45)
15.08 Festival Les traversées de Tatihou St Vaast La Hougue (50)
The Guardian "A lively blend of psychedelic guitar lines, Afrobeat rhythms and lyrics » Ammar Kalia
Uk Jazz News "It’s clear that joy did indeed come to Ireke » Bruce Lindsay
Songlines 7/10 “The wide-ranging compositional and instrumental skill of Gervaix and Tesson underpins everything they do admirable…hugely enjoyable and uplifting”Andrew Taylor Dowson
NRW Jazz “The grooves are uplifting, the songs feel airy and effortless while maintaining dense and sophisticated structures. Blending Afrobeat, funk, soul, dub, roots reggae and electronic elements, IREKE creates vintage-flavoured songs that flow smoothly thanks to the rich vocals of its three singers.”
Jazz thing “...a statement in favour of a cosmopolitan musical language that blends Afrobeat, funk, dub and a touch of electronics, with lyrics in Yoruba, Creole, French and Spanish. No fewer than three female singers shape the vocal dimension, moving between gentle melodies and rap-infused delivery. ‘Ta Logbe Jongo’ and ‘Aishododo’ serve as perfect introductions: compact highlife gems enriched with rap and dub elements, embodying the core strengths of the IREKE sound.”
Radios & Dj Support
Playlist RFI , New Music Fix (BBC 6 Music), Bandcamp Selects, Somewhere Soul, Tony Minvielle (Jazz FM), Max Reinhardt & Rita Ray (Soho Radio), Tim Garcia (Rinse FM), Ex-Friendly (Totally Wired Radio), Alberto Umbridge (Resonance FM)
Ro Contreras (KCRW, US), Margarita Azucar, Marcus Rosario (KALW, US), The Spectrum (SiriusXM, US), DJ Nigel Wood (Dublin City FM, IE), Musical Box (Rai 2, IT), Alex Palleta (Radio Capital, IT) DJ Makala (EiTB, ES), Systa B (Triple R, AU), Lachlan Holland (2SER, AU), Midday Lounge, (J-WAVE JP)
Festivals Jazz à vienne , Radio Meuh, Woodtsower, La guinguette Electrique, Detours du Monde ,Printemps des Nefs La Tempora, Les Arts Fous, Ohlinda ,Café de la Danse, Quai M, Le VIP, Superforma, Alriq, L'Odeon Tremblay, La Cave à musique, Le Tamanoir...
Stages

Booking Info
Renaud +33 6 08 43 66 45
Line-up : 4 musicien.ne.s, basé à La Roche-sur-Yon, disponible toute l'année
Julien Gervaix: alto saxophone, bass, machine & keyboards, beatmaking
Damien Tesson: guitars, keyboards, dub&FX, beatmaking
Agnes Hélène: lead vocal, Buggle
Nayel Hoxo: lead vocal - percussions
![IREKE - Soy Dos [Official Live Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZZQjuJwFjvo/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZZQjuJwFjvo/maxresdefault.jpg 2x)
![IREKE - Tout Est Bizarre feat Agnès Hélène [Official Music Video]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rXf3weqcGp0/mqdefault.jpg 1x, https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rXf3weqcGp0/maxresdefault.jpg 2x)

