Tag: Nantes France

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Maurin is a Nantes-based musician, electronic music producer and electronic music artist. After spending the past decade as a touring and studio drummer, the Nantes-based artist turned to sound design, composition and production — and by 2019, he launched his first solo recording project Leo Cassidy.

Informed by his professional experiences and the know-how he picked up in that time, Leo Cassidy was created as a way for the Nantes-based artist to create with complete freedom. Interestingly, his latest Leo Cassidy single “White Pills” further establishes his sound: hypnotic, club rocking industrial house centered around tweeter and woofer rattling beats, layers of shimmering, analog synth arpeggios and some metallic clang and clatter. Sonically, the track may remind some listeners of early Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and even John Carpenter soundtracks — with a primal and forceful feel.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Nantes, France-based Space Rock Collective Albinos Congo Releases an Anthemic Ode to the 90s

Albinos Congo is a Nantes, France-based collective led by founding members and creative masterminds Tristan D’Hervez and Pierre Stroska that features a rotating cast of about a dozen of Nantes’ best players. Although they cite glam rock and the Beastie Boys as major influences on their sound and approach, their sound, which they’ve dubbed Romantic Neo Space Punk, features elements of pop punk, hip-hop, psych rock, grunge rock, garage rock, shoegaze and even krautrock. 

The French collective’s latest single, the bombastic, Brit Pop meets krautrock meets space rock-like “Space Jam” is an improvised jam that the band recorded and a mixed about a week before heading to Spain to tour for their debut EP. Centered around fuzzy and distorted power chords, blown out boom bap-like drum beats, an enormous arena rock friendly hook, bubbling and gurgling synths and falsetto vocals the track as the band explains was partially inspired by Remy Zero’s “Save Me” and by the 90s classic Space Jam. (Unsurprisingly, the song openly references ET — but in a sort of parallel universe in which ET joins the Toon Squad and helps save the world. Would Warner Brothers allow that kind of crossover? Who knows? But imagine the possibilities, man. The possibilities! Additionally, while the song is trippy as hell, there’s hope for a world of universal acceptance.)

Directed by the band’s Tristan D’Hervez, the recently released video for “Space Jam” features the members of the collective performing the track in a  smoke machine-filled studio and strobe lights but ET makes an appearance wearing a Toon Squad jersey. It’s defiantly DIY and trippy as hell. 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Emerging French Electronic Act Scuffles Releases a Paranoia-Inducing Visual for Club Banging “Total Rumble”

Split between Angers, France and Nantes, France, the emerging French garage techno act Scuffles — Sombre Barry and Sombre Winston — describe their sound as being “at the crossroads of techno and punk garage.”

“Total Rumble,” the duo’s latest single is club banger, centered around a looping guitar sample, layers of arpeggiated synths, a propulsive motorik groove, tweeter and woofer rocking beats, an enormous, club banging, festival friendly hook and shouted vocals. Sonically, the brash and infectious track will draw comparisons to The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, and Adult., as it possesses a paranoid yet gritty, industrial quality. 

Shot and edited by Josic Jégu and Morgan Richard, the recently released and incredibly eerie video for “Total Rumble” captures the paranoia of an out-of-control drunk while on a trip to the country. But is he being chased — or is he chasing the demons in his drug and booze-addled mind?

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Phillipe Blaze Releases an Intimate Look at Guadeloupe in New Visual for “DLO”

Phillipe Blaze is a Guadeloupe-born and-based singer/songwriter, guitarist and composer, whose family moved to France when he was small.  Spending much of his life in France, Blaze’s musical career can be traced back to the 80s: he participated in Paris’ reggae and rock scenes before relocating to Nantes. Eventually, Blaze wound up returning to Guadelope and while there he discovered the traditional music of the island — Zouk and Gwo Ka which is played with a big drum, locally known as ka. 

After working with the island group’s biggest names, Blaze released his first bit of solo material in 1996; however, by the following year, he founded JÒD LA (which in French means today) and through the release of three albums, the act honed and developed Gwo Ka Evolutif, which meshes the 7 rhymes of traditional Gwo Ka and Western instrumentation — i.e., guitar, piano, bass, sax, etc. Since then, Blaze has gone solo — and his latest single, the 13 song Eritaj features 8 compositions and 5 songs, including the album’s latest single, “DLO.” Centered around shimmering and looping guitars, propulsive polyrhythm and fluttering flute, the track is a breezy bit of Afropop influenced Tropicalia. 

The recently released video offers a glimpse of daily life on the Guadeloupe island group — but there’s a decided focus on the importance of water in our daily lives. 

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: DJ Moar Teams Up with Sadat X and El Da Sensei on a Boom Bap-Inspired Banger

DJ Moar is an acclaimed Nantes, France-based co-founder of Trad Vibe Records, host of the Free Your Mind Radio Show on Radio Meuh and a DJ, producer and remixer, who has released material as DJ Moar, Jay Airiness — and is one-half of of the indie dance project Venice Beach. As a producer, the Nantes-based DJ and producer has remixed the work of artists like DJ Cam, Cortex, Lord Funk, La Cliqua’s Kohndo, Sarsha Simone, Anais, Goodka, Raashan Ahmad, Dee Nasty, DJ Apt One, Marie & Les Garcons and Escort. 

“Destroying the Track,” the acclaimed French DJ, producer and remixer’s latest single is an old-school inspired bit of tweeter and woofer rocker boom-bap with a distorted and looped horn sample and twinkling keys that features verses from the legendary and Sadat X and El Da Sensei. Individually, each artist has been in the game for several decades as members of beloved groups and as solo artists an as a result, the track finds the grizzled vets, still showing the young cats that they’ve not only got it — but that’s a there’s a reason that they’ve had the longevity they’ve achieved: they ain’t with the bullshit and they spit fire. 

New Audio by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Jay Airiness Releases a Summery and Soulful Club Banger

DJ Moar is a Nantes, France-based DJ, producer and remixer, best known for his production work with nu-disco outfit Venice Beach — and for releasing material through Rare Wiri, Spa in Disco, ZE Records, Elevate Melodies, Editorial Records, Emerald & Doreen Records, Trad Vibe Records and others. The Nantes-based DJ, producer and remixer has a solo side project, which he has dubbed Jay Airness. 

With Jay Airness, DJ Moar specializes in a deep house/nu-disco sound that possesses subtle elements of jazz and hip-hop. DJ Moar’s latest Jay Airness single “Smooth Flyin'” is a summery club banger centered around Nile Rodgers-like funk guitar, a soulful sax line, shimmering and ethereal flutes and copious amounts of congo that reminds me — to my ears, at least — of Between Two Sides-era Octo Octa and classic Frankie Knuckles house: in other words, warm and sensual but while subtly nodding at world music. 

The recently released video for “Smooth Flyin'” features old-timey looking aerial footage over beachside resorts. Watching this has me nostalgic for summer afternoons at Coney Island drinking cold Coney Island Mermaid Pilsners and eating at Nathan’s. Ah, memories!