Marseille talent M’IL, who released his first concept album, The Grand Massilia Hotel, is a daring, genreless project for the new LAXIII label. This Romain Strugala-produced project is one of the first to combine heady A.I.-facilitated imagery with a way-forward soundsphere ruminating across the space between cinematics and Mediterranean groove.
Using the quirky visual language seen in many of Wes Anderson’s films for inspiration, M’IL and Strugala reimagine the seas in a nostalgic dreamscape in the debut music video for the album. The visuals work well with the sound, lifting the experience of listening to these tracks to new levels while blending the vibrant energy of urban pop with experimental elements of drum'n'bass, hyper reggaeton, and drill. One could describe it as a musical representation of Post Malone walking around the sun-soaked streets of southern France.
The Grand Massilia Hotel is a 12-track excursion into a conceptually richly textured sound world. Tracks like “LOVE” and “CHANGE” demonstrate M’IL’s ability to craft catchy hooks steeped in story, highlighting his versatility as an artist. That careful balance comes thanks to Strugala pushing sonic limits and the mixing finesse of Russell, an engineer whose credits include work with Jul and Alonzo, giving the album both experimental flair and radio potential.
M’IL’s debut goes beyond typical substance—its transfigured shapes work as an entryway into an imagined territory where the glowing culture of Marseille crosses paths with the surrealist sensibilities of Anderson’s filmographic world. With Grand Massilia Hotel, M’IL establishes himself as an influential lesion in the chart-topping French rap landscape and creates a sonic and visual experience that’s simultaneously engrossing and unique.
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