Recently collaborating with producer John Reynolds of Björk and Sinéad O’Connor fame, Iness Mezel stars this Sunday at Vortex London in what is sure to be a unique experience.

Brought up in Algeria and France, with a French-Italian mother and an Algerian father, Mezel’s work reflects her childhood experiences. With songs in Tamazight (the language of the Amazigh Berbers), French and now English, her fourth album, Strong, plunges into an imaginary world of faeries and enchanted looms. Based on Berber cosmology, Mezel hopes to transport us from our busy modern lives to a far basic respect for nature.

Bursting with positivity and imagination that draws on her Algerian heritage, Strong can also be seen to be a clear edict for feminine strength. Tracks such as the upbeat ‘Silent Waters’ evoke the ancestral motherhood of Berber belief, where Mezel hopes to find another way of expressing the power and importance of women.

As the North African rhythms infuse themselves into catchy pop melodies and themes of eco-spirituality and feminism echo throughout the small, not-for-profit jazz club, Vortex will undoubtedly witness Iness Mezel’s originality and diversity this Sunday.

Review: Iness Mezel @ Vortex Jazz Club (London, 10th January 2016)

Iness Mezel’s talent is characterised by a creative dualism. She is deeply influenced by two traditions  – her native Berber and adopted European- moved by the two musical elements of melody and rhythm, inspired by two distinct artistic styles -folklore and contemporary – and  even the pace of her performances can be…

Artists: Iness Mezel