French electronic artist Thylacine unveils ‘ROADS Vol. 3,’ a mesmerising album born from his travels through Namibia in a vintage Airstream caravan. Drawing inspiration from the country’s vast deserts, vibrant communities, and rich histories, he blends field recordings, traditional instruments, and local chants into a soundscape that is both immersive and deeply human.
From collaborating with the Himbas to exploring the tragic history of Shark Island, the album reflects a journey of personal and artistic discovery, where rhythm, melody, and place converge. With an international tour on the horizon, Thylacine invites listeners to experience Namibia’s landscapes and cultures through his uniquely evocative music.
For the cherry on top of his Main Mix, Thylacine took some time to chat with us about the new album, transforming chants into tracks, international tour, and more!
WWD: ‘ROADS Vol. 3’ was created during a journey through Namibia in your vintage Airstream caravan. How did the landscapes and the act of travelling itself shape the music on this album?
It’s always a hard question to answer as I don’t really know how it works, but even the climate had an impact on my music at some point. You don’t have the same energy when you’re working in a 40°C dry desert as in a studio in Paris. And being in a different location almost every week but with the same tools is something that really boosts my creativity. I don’t think I could have worked on an album while staying in the same spot for 3 months.
WWD: You’ve mentioned that sometimes uprooting yourself is necessary to realign with who you are. How did your time in Namibia influence your personal and artistic perspective?
It helped me disconnect from social networks and not be influenced by what others are doing. It gave me a clearer view of what I want to do, what is important and what’s not. It’s also about having time just for creativity and not being interrupted by anything. And waking up and going to bed synced with the sun, being outside most of the day, really helped me on a more personal and healthy level.
WWD: The album features collaborations with local Namibian musicians and incorporates traditional instruments and chants. Can you describe one particularly memorable encounter that inspired a track?
The recording session with the Himbas was the first one with local people and it was truly amazing. I spent 10 days close to their village and was introduced by a friend we had met previously, so we could really explain what I was doing and organise a proper recording session, with everybody being paid and knowing what it was about. It lasted for more than 2 hours, with everyone wanting to show what they could do in music — amazing energy. A few days later, I came back to let them hear some demos I was working on using their recordings, to get their approval and see if they liked it.
WWD: ‘Dokido,’ the first single of your album, emerged from a Himba dance chant. Can you walk us through how you transformed that chant into a fully developed piece of music?
I quickly found the rhythm and bassline that worked for Dokido, but then it took me a week to figure out where to go with the track. The tempo is very fast and I was struggling to find a way to develop it. It was only on the last day with them, just before leaving, and with a bit more melancholy in mind, that I found the chords and melody. I finally found a way for it to be both a dancing track and something with a deep and sometimes melancholic feel.
WWD: ‘Shark Island’ deals with a very heavy and tragic history. How did you approach creating music that honours these stories while remaining sensitive to the local communities?
Well, it started directly with the communities, as it was meeting them and talking with them that pushed me to create a track about that history. After a long talk with a Nama chief, he asked me to try to speak about the genocide and Shark Island, so that more people are aware of what happened and the memory doesn’t fade away. So I composed the track, wrote the lyrics, showed them to him to get his approval, and then we worked with a local Nama choir to record it.
WWD: Field recordings, such as nocturnal animal calls and school choirs, play a central role in ‘ROADS Vol. 3.’ How do you decide which ambient sounds to integrate into your compositions?
It really comes naturally to me. Most of the time it’s after recording the sounds that I get the inspiration for the track, and then the field recording naturally finds its place.
WWD: Compared to ‘ROADS Vol. 1 & 2,’ how did Namibia’s unique geography and history push you to experiment or evolve your sound?
There were so many things to see and experiment with that I put a lot of pressure on myself to try to pay homage to what was around me. Working on the historical aspect of a place like Shark Island was a new challenge for me. I think the biggest thing I explored during this adventure was not just the result, but how I had to do things so that it made sense.
WWD: Tracks like ‘Mafwe’ reflect the preservation of cultural traditions under changing circumstances. How did these experiences affect the way you approached rhythm, melody, and structure?
For recordings like the one I did with the Mafwe, I really try to respect the sample. It determines the harmony and rhythm of the whole track, so it’s really about preserving it in a way, and making it the starting point and the centre of the music.
WWD: Travel has always been central to your creative process, from the Trans-Siberian Railway to Turkey and the Andes. What did Namibia teach you about the relationship between place and music that you hadn’t discovered on previous journeys?
I met people who sing and dance almost every day of their lives because it’s their only way of having music without technology, and it deeply impacted me.
WWD: With the international tour for ‘ROADS Vol. 3’ starting soon, how do you plan to translate the immersive experience of Namibia into a live performance for audiences far from that landscape?
In France, I’ll have a big video setup that will help me bring a lot of visual context to the sound, but for the rest of the world, because of budget constraints, I have to make peace with the fact that I can’t bring everything on stage. We worked a lot on the vinyls and CDs to provide all the images and stories behind the tracks, so I hope this will help.
WWD: We’re sure it’ll be incredible either way. Congrats on the album and thanks for the chat 🙂
Thanks!
“ROADS Vol. 3′ Release Date: October 31st, 2025. Buy Here
Thylacine Instagram / SoundCloud
Tracklist:
01. Hania Rani – F Major
02. Meryem Aboulouafa – Breath of Roma
03. Thylacine – Polar
04. Mammal Hands – Riddle
05. Thylacine – Duduk
06. Oceanvs Orientalis – Tarlabasi (Be Svendsen Remix)
07. Weval – All Alone
08. Thylacine, Eivør – Eysturoy
09. Marc Romboy & Stéphan Bodzin – Atlas (Adriatique Remix)
10. Thylacine – Goodnight
11. Kollektiv Turmstrasse – Ordinary (Lake People’s circle motive Remix)
12. Kiasmos – Looped
13. Grandbrothers – We Collide
14. Rezident – Echoes
15. Thylacine – Dokido (with Ozohere’s Himba)