While you’d be hard-pressed to find a listener of Pierre Kwenders’ José Louis and the Paradox of Love completely fluent in all of the languages spoken therein—Lingala, French, English, Tshiluba, and Kikongo, to be specific—understanding every word of the project is hardly a barrier to entry. The Congolese Canadian singer, songwriter, DJ, and composer has made a career—both as founder of Montreal’s Moonshine collective and artist—of sharing all the sounds that inspire him, especially those originating within the African diaspora. Within José Louis and the Paradox of Love, that means unions of jazz, house, synth-pop, electro, and R&B. It also means conspicuous allusions to Afro-Latin rhythms and the work of coupé-décalé creator Douk Saga, as well as an homage to the man who’s had maybe had the biggest influence of all on Kwenders’ artistic journey: the king of Congolese rumba, Papa Wemba. Guest voices on the project include French vocalist SÔNGE, Congolese singer NGABO, and Montreal’s Africa Intshiyetu Choir (Kwenders himself was once a member), all of whom contribute to the overarching message, which is that the groove is the only universal language.