Semi-final #1 - Syli d'Or 2025

• You’ll be asked to fill in an evaluation form, so it’s important to EVALUATE all THREE of the evening’s FORMATIONS and attend all three performances.

• Doors open at 8:00 p.m

• 5$

▷ JSM L’officiel | Slam (Senegal)

Joseph Samuel Malack, aka JSM L’Officiel, is a Senegalese poet, slammer and musician. Current vice-champion of Slam Poésie in the Dakar region, he is also a member and deputy coordinator of the Krfour Poetik Club collective, based at the Léopold Sédar Senghor cultural center in Pikine. Since 2018, this collective has been organizing Slam meetings and workshops across Senegal, supporting young talent. Since his debut on stage in 2019 at the Festival International de Hip-Hop et des Cultures Urbaines (FESTAH2H), JSM has multiplied performances and collaborations, notably with artists such as Jim Zeller and Karl Tremblay at the Festival de blues en Gaspésie as well as collaborating with artists at the Festival international Nuits d’Afrique. In 2023, he represented Senegal at the Festival International TransAmériques in Montreal.

Winner of the AfroMonde Festival auditions in the slam category, he performed on the festival’s main stage at Montreal’s Old Port in September 2024 with his Tukki project. In December 2024, he presented his first Âme Rythmique show at Val David, a project that embodies his vision of the fusion of words and rhythms. He is currently working on his debut album, a promising work that blends poetry, music and percussive rhythms.

Through his Slam, JSM explores human complexity, offering a percussive and universal expression, while remaining true to his time and open to the world.

▷ Mateus Vidal – Axé Experience | Samba, Reggae, Frevo (Brazil)

Mateus Vidal is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and performer from Salvador, known for his charisma and mastery of samba-reggae and axé music. Former lead singer of the group Olodum, he helped promote Afro-Brazilian culture worldwide. After his time with Olodum, he joined the group Axé Experience, continuing to celebrate the vibrant rhythms of Bahia. Committed to social and cultural causes, Mateus uses his music to advocate for Afro-Brazilian roots and remains a key figure in the Bahian music scene.

▷ Kozé | Maloya (Reunion Island)

Born from a desire to introduce maloya to the world of Quebec and, more broadly, to Canada, the band Kozé was formed by passionate lovers of this music. Maloya is a transcendental music of connection and sharing, and this is what the band Kozé seeks to convey. Kozé means “to speak” or “to communicate” in Réunion Creole, and through its lyrics and songs, the band shares its message and values. Maloya is not just any music; it combines percussion and song, a beautiful way to make the voices that form its choir resonate with drums and other instruments from Réunion Island, such as the roulèr, kayamb, and sati. Discover Kozé’s maloya, a sweet blend of tradition and modernity.