DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson @Paradiso, Amsterdam

French Afro-European duo DjeuhDjoah & Lieutenant Nicholson made a stop in Amsterdam last night. Their unique sound, described as new school-afro-pean soul and disco, is now spread over four albums, with the latest, “Danses Divines”, coming out last May. Together with their bassist, they made the crowd scream and dance at the upstairs room of Paradiso. Opening with one of their signature tracks, the irresistible “Pas Si Vite”, it became clear from the start that this would become a highly entertaining and enjoyable set, even though most of the backing vocals and the rhythm tracks and brass came through the PA system. But anyway, with Lieutenant Nicholson on keys and vocals and DjeuhDjoah on vocals and guitar, they immediately had the room on their side.

Many of the songs they played came from their 2022 LP “2+” (Hot Casa Records), like the Brazilian-flavored “Caipirinha” or the Afro-disco “Essaouira”, both celebrating an enticing mix of various styles, always merging house, disco, soul, and funk into the brew. The show, which was rescheduled from late March, was simply a welcoming celebration of fun and the joy of life, enhanced by the soccer-hailing “Mbappé” and the foot-stomping “Coeur Béton”. They also included their sweet dedication to our environment and the earth we’re living on with “Planète”, another energetic and loveable track from their ever-expanding, pretty satisfying repertoire.