Collignon’s new album, Bicicleta, unfolds like an extended ride across continents, fueled by live spirit and a desire for deeper rhythms. Drummer-percussionist Gino Bombrini, guitarist Yves Lennertz, and keyboardist-producer Jori Collignon wrote and recorded these tracks in the heat of a touring summer, capturing candid bursts of energy before returning to the studio.
Their music traces arcs from Cape Verde to India, rolling Afrobeat grooves into psychedelic guitar lines and Farfisa riffs. Drawing inspiration from time spent in Portugal and the Netherlands, Collignon built this record with vinyl in mind: the transitions flow from Maloya rhythms on Réunion to Brazilian crescendos—always circling back to one theme.
Cycling. “In a frenetic era of expanding possibilities,” wrote adventurer Nellie Bly in 1896, “cycling offers a journey into a landscape of dreams.” Bicicleta echoes that call toward independence and exploration, spinning past boundaries with raw percussive force and melodic interplay.
Released on Gris Gris Records, Bicicleta lands on February 14, 2025, with a pre-order available on Bandcamp.
The first single, “Estrada do Norte,” sets the tone by slowing the groove just enough to create space, leaning on Cape Verdean Funana references and melancholic guitar solos. The trio’s previous experiences in Skip&Die and YinYin show up in their layered approach: sharp hooks, broad horizons, and an evident passion for crossing genres.
Below, the band outlines each track’s background—from the 1.8-meter Thai gong on “Guizo da Cobra” to the cosmic end of “Vai Vai Vai.” Dive into those details and more in the full track-by-track feature.
Fonkér la Mér
Like many stories, this one begins by the ocean, — the Indian Ocean. Kayambe shakers roll in like waves, introducing a Maloya rhythm, the unique style from Réunion Island.
Gino and Jori share a deep connection with this island and its music. From Danyèl Waro to Alain Peters, so much beautiful music comes from these volcanic landscapes.
Here we have to mention Lindigo. For years we have collaborated with this Maloya group from a small village among sugarcane plantations in the island’s rainy east.
We first met them at a festival in France and were instantly captivated by their energy and musicianship. This led to a single with our previous band SKIP&DIE, the production of their 2017 album Komsa Gayar, and Gino’s extended stay in 2023 to produce their latest album, Oyé Maloya. It was Olivier Araste, Lindigo’s leader, who gave this COLLIGNON song its title: Fonkér la Mér, meaning fond du cœur de la mer—from the bottom of the heart of the sea.
Estrada do Norte
As the album’s first single, Estrada do Norte sets the tone for where we wanted to go. From the start, we sensed it would be a defining track.
Estrada do Norte has familiar COLLIGNON elements: Gino’s driving drums and percussion, echoing Cape Verdean Funana rhythms; Yves’ melancholic guitar solos, adding an unpredictable, psychedelic edge; and Jori’s Farfisa organ, weaving sharp hooks with soothing chords.
Recorded during our summer tour, the track thrived on live energy. We slowed the grooves just enough to aim for a deeper, more melancholic feel, confident in letting the music breathe.
Despite its upbeat nature, Estrada do Norte has a relaxed, open feel, easing in with a calm intro before the bass enters only after 50 seconds.
The song unfolds like a journey, balancing energy with moments of reflection and the accompanying video captures this spirit — backstage glimpses of our 2024 travels, recording sessions, and the moments of silliness that fuel creativity.
Bhavachakra
Bhavachakra (the Buddhist wheel of life), is a celebration of life in its natural chaos. Of course the song basically wrote itself.
The song practically wrote itself. We recorded all the album’s drums in a single day at Epic Rainbow Unicorn studio, run by old bandmate Simon Akkermans from C-Mon & Kypski.
We ran Gino’s drums through a bunch of effects until we found the sound we loved. Later, at Gino’s studio, we experimented with tape delays and spring reverbs, adding dub textures. Yves’ guitar takes the song into darkness before lifting it back into the light with shimmering sitar sounds — into the sunrise.
Bicicleta
This track’s sweet melody and energetic groove instantly instantly captures the exhilaration of gaining speed while pedaling — the wind blowing through your hair, the sun on your face. Cycling is freedom.
The album was recorded while Jori took a year-long break from his Portuguese studio to stay in the Netherlands. It pays tribute to what is arguably Dutch culture’s finest symbol—silent, sustainable, engine-free transport. Bicicleta is a journey. A bike trip.
The words of adventurer and journalist Nellie Bly, written in 1896, still ring true today: ‘In a frenetic era of expanding possibilities, cycling offers a journey into a landscape of dreams. The bicycle evokes a vehicle of psychic energy and progression (the bicycle doesn’t move in reverse) that is personal rather than collective. The exception of course being the ‘tandem’, the old fashioned bicycle built for two, that intimates the movement of a romance propelled forward by the synchronized eros of the couple. The bicycle has always signified independence and freedom in steering one’s daily course and the byways of its occasional adventures.’
Bicicleta is an upbeat, straightforward song filled with positivity and a sweet thirst for adventure. It reflects the eagerness to return to clubs and festivals.
Accompanying the single is a super fun, hand-drawn animated video created by the wildly talented Vance Vice.
Over the Hill
As we continue our journey, growing older, our musical landscape changes. Priorities change. If we are lucky, we embrace a freer, more open-minded outlook, less pressured and more joyous. Over the Hill explores and celebrates this newfound freedom.
Terra Nigra
Terra Nigra refers to the dark soil of the Netherlands’ south, where Yves and Gino grew up. Musically, it also reflects the records we absorbed in our youth, diving into our parents’ collections — the sounds of the ‘70s.
We mixed this album with a raw, analog warmth, pushing Gino’s vintage Tascam mixing desk into the red while revisiting the sounds and grooves of Ry Cooder, Little Feat, The Meters, and Steely Dan.
Estrada do Sul
Estrada do Sul is one of the first songs we wrote for the album. In the process we felt confident to just let the ideas flow. We had been playing live shows for a year and we were really enjoying playing together. There was lots of interaction between us on stage and there were cool improv moments that led to new ideas. Like we would burst out into a stoner rock jam at the end of a song and be like ‘hey nice, let’s keep that’. It was a liberating process, and Estrada do Sul, a song that went through many versions, captures that nicely.
This track shares elements with Estrada do Norte, but at a higher tempo, making it a fitting mirror as the second song of Side B.
Guizo da Cobra
Guizo da Cobra is one of the album’s explorations, diverging from the usual uptempo energy, it carries an adventurous, introspective depth — capturing both danger and excitement.
Guizo da Cobra (meaning ‘The Snake’s Bell’ or ‘Rattle of the Snake’) includes an interesting, wide array of sounds: a 1.8-meter Thai gong with deep resonance, a hang drum, and a cello — all played by Gino — alongside Yves’ weeping guitar and Jori’s subtle Farfisa touches.
The story of this song started when a sea-container full of 136 original Thai temple gongs arrived at Gino’s studio. (Yes, he still has a few for sale if you’re interested.)
One night, Gino and Jori recorded a lengthy improvised session with the largest gong and a hang drum, producing something in between Far Eastern and Caribbean music. The percussion and Yves’ guitar shape the track, but it’s Gino’s cello that ties everything together.
The music video for Guizo da Cobra was created by Portuguese video artist Rodrigo Pedreira. After meeting Jori on tour, the two discovered a shared passion for analog video synthesizers (LZX!) — a rare art form that perfectly complements Rodrigo’s exploration of the intersection between the natural and technological worlds. His video art provides a raw and beautiful counterpart to the sonic landscape of Guizo da Cobra.
Under the Moon
This song comes out of the pockets of Yves’ disco pants.
We envisioned this album as a cohesive journey, designed for vinyl with an A and B side in mind. After releasing five singles earlier in 2024, we were motivated to create something more expansive. Under the Moon brings the story to a conclusion, it’s where the album lands — a sense of release, of weightlessness. Grooving in space, lost in the jungle.
Vai Vai Vai (Into the Stars)
The album closes with Vai Vai Vai, a grooving samba rhythm and playful organ melody. It’s an open-ended farewell—where to next? Onward into the new day, embracing the unknown. The cosmic crescendo builds, then—click—sudden silence. Be present. It’s over before you realize.
