Citrus Flute by Baron Retif

French drummer and producer Baron Retif — best known for his work as one half of Baron Rétif & Concepción Perez and for production credits with Mohamed Lamouri and Luzmila Carpio — steps into the spotlight with his new solo project, Citrus Flute.
Recorded in southeastern France, this beat tape emerges from the land of lemons — a fruit central to the southern cultures that inspired these compositions.
After years of experimentation and refinement, Baron Retif presents a mixtape crafted with a minimal yet flexible setup: a jazz drum kit paired with a vocal synth device. A vocal cord sensor, processed through effects, captures the melodies mumbled in real time while playing the beat — pure live beatmaking.
Citrus Flute explores the everyday tunes that live within us — the quiet melodies of the soul that come while cooking, driving, or drifting off — those whispered for years before being played aloud.
There’s a strong physicality to the project: an intentional move away from machines toward a more tactile, human form of production — drumming with hands and feet, and singing with the mouth closed.
The result is a Mediterranean-flavored collection of 22 tracks across 33 minutes, in the spirit of J Dilla’s Donuts and DJ Mehdi’s Loukoums. Hip-hop and techno merge seamlessly with soul, jazz, and dub, creating a rich spectrum of textures inspired by Joe Zawinul, Mount Kimbie, Yusef Lateef, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Brigitte Fontaine, Dave Pike, Michel Legrand, and Mike Clark.
Listeners will also find echoes of Idris Muhammad, RZA, Beak>, Imhotep, Frankie Knuckles, André 3000, Mr. Oizo, Fairuz, Cerrone, Mndsgn, and Omar Souleyman — from eastern jazz-trap to sunlit funk mutations.

Mohamed Lamouri, the beloved star of the Paris metro, contributes a new track titled “Pas sa faute,” built around a sample of Tout seul all alone.
The tape also features two rap collaborations: Napoleon Maddox (IsWhat?!) brings sweetness like fresh orange juice on “On the Grass,” while HVJ (Coeff) delivers something sharper — tart like lime — on “Rien dans le citron” (French for “no brainer”).

The artwork for Citrus Flute consists of 64 trays of fruits and vegetables from the village’s weekly market, cooked during the development of the instrument and the recording sessions. It nods to the aesthetic of Blue Note’s Blue Juice “Squeeze…” compilations of the ’90s — raw, fresh, and full of flavor.

Baron Retif & Concepcion Perez
music producers from Paris and Midi France

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