Tomorrow’s Talent, Waterfalls + a Big Music Festival, Welcome to Cabaret Frappé

image

All images courtesy Cabaret Frappé Facebook page.

Hello! Can you introduce yourselves, who is behind the Cabaret Frappé in Grenoble? Is that a Starbucks drink?

Nope. It’s a pure European blended musical event organised by Grenoble city. The festival, 70% funded by the regional government, offers 3 stages and various activities during 6 days. More than half of the events remain free. Only some shows are paid, at a really affordable price.

How long has the Cabaret Frappé been going on for?

The Cabaret Frappé is already going to celebrate his 17th birthday. This year, beside the must-see festival in the garden, the festival also features brass band performances in the city train station, and will have a free concert on the Bastille, a fort on the top of a hill, offering a breath-taking view over the city. To finish, the Cabaret Frappé offers an after party in a legendary concert hall : Le Ciel.

Is the end of July a good time to visit Grenoble?

We can definitely say that the end of July is a good time to visit Grenoble, in order to enjoy the area, surrounded by three wonderful mountain ranges. The mountain is also an amazing natural place to visit outside the winter period. During July, it’s the perfect weather to go around for a walk, and cool down in the lakes and waterfalls of the area. Within Grenoble, you can visit the charming city centre streets and parks, and enjoy many entertainments as well.

image

What kind of artists will be performing?

Assuming the role of a pioneer, the Cabaret Frappé is behind many innovative musical discoveries. The festival supports musical creation, and ensures high quality programming. It promotes local and international artists within a large range of diverse music styles.

What’s the vibe like?

The festival mainly takes place in a nice park, in the heart of the city. It brings about 50,000 people during the week. Friends and family gather in this fresh oasis, under the shade of the trees, to enjoy a moment of relaxation ideally suited to discovery. Around the musical program, various activities are freely organized: readings in the Rose Garden, world games, screen printing or free childcare centre for young parents attending paid concerts.

What are you the most proud of about the CF?

We are really happy to give the opportunity to discover today tomorrow’s talent. The Cabaret Frappé attaches great importance to promote emerging artists and showcase their performance in front of a large public.

Chinese Man: The Whyd Interview [in English & French]

image

This interview was originally in French and translated into English. Pour la version originale en français, scrollez en bas! All photos courtesy of Chinese Man. 

Hello! You are three people in the group Chinese Man: Zé Mateo, SLY, and High Ku. About 10 years ago you started making music together, how? Was there ever a moment when you realized, “shit, we can really do this!”?

We started to make music together around 2003/04 but all three of us already had experience in the domains of Hip Hop and Electronic music. Our first project was the “Pandi Groove EP” (Buy it here) which came out on 500 copies mainly directed towards DJs and people in our entourage.

Then we composed the track “I’ve got that tune” that worked really well and let us launch the group Chinese Man and the label Chinese Man Records.

It was that moment when we said: “shit, we can really do this! We can live off of our music!”

Your track “I’ve Got That Tune” came out seven years ago, and we get the impression that a lot of artists are trying to imitate it right now. How did you create such a unique sound back then? 

The magic of creation. When we produced that track, we were trying to redo the paint at our studio in Ardèche. Sly unfortunately caused the ladder to fall, which hit the turntable that was playing the original of “I’ve Got That Tune.” The record went to 45 speed and we had the revelation. Incredible. We couldn’t get enough of it! 

It’s the same with your original verses, rapped in English! For a group from France, why English? Did Molière already use all of the good rhymes? 

It’s true that Molière wrote some great punchlines in French! But the reasons are much more simple: our primary musical influence is anglo-saxon music and mostly 90’s Hip Hop from the US so it seemed logical to us to collaborate with MCs that expressed themselves in English. And that language sticks better to our music, quite simply! 

You are on the third volume of the “Groove Sessions,” a series that began in 2007. How have the sessions evolved since the beginning? How do you approach these records?

The Groove Sessions project is a series of compilations from the artists on Chinese Man Records, the goal is to present the label’s work from one or more years. So it’s a series that lets out different groups on Chinese Man Records to experiment and express themselves differently from other albums. 

The main evolution of Groove Sessions comes from the number of artists present since 2007, adding Deluxe, Taiwan MC, LeYan or Skoob le Roi to the label. 

image

What can we look forward to from Chinese Man in 2015? 

Right now we are working on a new EP that should come out in spring featuring new compositions and remixes from other French artists (High Tone, Al'Tarba…). 

We will be touring in France and abroad with our latest show too. There will also be a lot of news from the label in 2015 with the new record of the group Deluxe, Taiwan MC’s project, and a lot of other surprises! 

Thanks guys! 

image

Bonjour! Vous êtes 3 dans le groupe Chinese Man, Zé Mateo, SLY et High Ku. Il y a 10 ans, comment est-ce que vous avez commencé de créer la musique ensemble? Est-ce que il y avait un moment ou vous avez rendu compte que “putain, on peut vraiment faire ça!!”? 

On a commencé à faire de la musique ensemble vers 2003-2004 mais si on avait tout les 3 de l'experience dans le domaine du Hip Hop et de la musique électronique. Notre premier projet a été le “Pandi Groove EP” sortit à 500 copies et principalement destinés au DJs et aux amis de notre entourage.

Puis on a composé le morceau “I’ve got that tune” qui a bien marché et qui nous a permis de lance le groupe Chinese Man et le label Chinese Man records. C'est à ce moment là qu'on s'est dit: “putain, on peut vraiment faire ça, on peut vivre de notre musique!”

Votre track “I’ve Got That Tune” a sorti il y a 7 ans maintenant, et on a l'impression que beaucoup des artistes essaient de lui imiter en ce moment. Comment est-ce que vous avez créé ce son atypique à l'époque? 

La magie de la création. Au moment de produire ce titre, nous étions en train de refaire les peintures de notre studio en Ardèche. Sly a malheureusement fait tomber l'échelle, un coup sur la platine qui était en train de jouer l'original de I’ve got that tune. Le disque est passé en 45 tours et nous avons eu la révélation. Incroyable. Nous avons tous repris des lasagnes ce soir là… 

C'est pareil avec les verses rappé en anglais! Pour une groupe avec ses origins en France, pourquoi l'anglais? Molière avait-il pris déjà toutes les bonnes rimes? ;) 

C'est vrai que Molière a écrit quelques bonne punchlines en français! Mais les raisons sont plus simple: notre influence musicale principale est la musique anglo-saxonne et plus principalement le Hip Hop US des 90’s donc il nous semble logique de collaborer avec des MC qui s'expriment en anglais. Et puis cette langue colle mieux à notre musique, tout simplement!

Vous êtes sur número 3 des “The Groove Sessions,” une series qui a commencé en 2007. Comment les sessions ont évolué depuis son début? Comment vous approchez ces disques? 

Le projet des Groove Sessions est série de compilations des artistes du label Chinese Man records, le but est de presenter le travail du label sur une ou plusieurs années. C'est donc une série qui permet aux différents groupes de Chinese Man records d'expérimenter et de s'exprimer différemment d'un album.

La principale evolution des Groove Sessions se situe au nombre d'artistes présent puisque depuis 2007, Deluxe, Taiwan MC, LeYan ou Skoob le Roi on rejoint le label.

Qu'est qu'on peut attendre de Chinese Man dans 2015? 

Nous travaillons en ce moment sur un nouvel EP qui devrait sortir au printemps avec de nouvelles compositions et des remixes réalisés par d'autres artistes français (High Tone, Al'Tarba…). On sera également en tournée en France et à l'étranger avec notre dernier show.

L'actualité du label va aussi être assez riche en 2015 avec le nouveau disque du groupe Deluxe, le nouveau projet de Taiwan MC et plein d'autres surprises!

KRONO Knows How To Seize Inspiration [INTERVIEW]

Hello KRONO! Where did you find the inspiration to start making music together? You cite a Daft Punk concert as the day when your voyage began, but were you making music before? 

Hello Whyd! Since we were very small, we’ve been music lovers, but we were not at all in the DJing world, more into chess and arts in general. And on that day in 2007, when we had the chance to see Daft Punk live, came the idea of creating something with my brother. 

Inspiration is not something that can be found, it’s something that you don’t look for; it’s more of a short, intense moment that you have to know how to seize, and so, we think, to be a true artist, you must be conscious of the things around you, because music is above all a story, an emotion, not noise. 

Keep reading

JAMENDO PLAYLIST CONTEST STARTS TODAY!

To celebrate the new addition to the Whyd family and the tens of thousands of innovative artists available on Jamendo, we’re doing a playlist contest!

Here are the instructions: 

  • The playlist contest is live today Monday, October 6th.
  • It will go about two weeks ending on Friday, October 17th
  • The rules are simple: you make a playlist on Whyd of at least 7 songs that come from Jamendo artists on the Jamendo platform.
  • The playlist must have the title “Jamendo Playlist Contest” 
  • Use this link to create the playlist instantly with the proper title (even if you’re not a Whyd user yet!) whyd.com/playlistcontest/jamendo_playlist_contest/join
  • Then share your playlists on Twitter and Facebook, the counters on the sharing buttons at the top of each Playlist will serve as the official count of shares (You will see Vote buttons).
  • Vote often and get your friends to vote too! 
  • The top 3 playlists with the most shares become the finalists. Then, the Whyd and Jamendo team will announce the winner on Monday, October 20th
  • The winner will receive two tickets to the concert of their choice (up to a 50 euro value). Plus we will share your playlist across all of our networks and give you our eternal love - up to a 5,000 year value ;)

We can help you by retweeting your playlists so don’t forget to tweet to @Jamendo and @Whyd 

Of course, we can also feature your playlist entry on our blog, you can send us your playlists at tony at whyd dot com. 

Let’s get started!! 

Montmartre: Charm & Magic in Paris [INTERVIEW]

image

Hello Montmartre! How are you guys? Why did you take the name of a historic Parisian neighborhood? Is it because your music sounds like Edith Piaf? 

Hello we’re doing well thanks! 

Montmartre is a charming neighborhood, fun and magic, and it’s where we established our studio, so that’s not bad! 

Keep reading

Ohno? Oh Yes! Hip Hop Instrumentals & Samples From Angers

Hello! Tell us about yourself, where are you from and who is Ohno? 

Hey guys, I’m Louis, soon to be 21, currently living in Angers, France doing my studies in graphic design but I’m originally from Cholet (not too far away). Ohno is my musical alter-ego, a secret passion that caused me to start producing sounds about a year ago. Then I started meeting people in the Angers music scene, like Spectateur who pushed me to continue improving with his help, I also developed connections to the hip-hop collective Label Collection, and with Pepso Stavinsky, Remington group, Jay Bentham and another electro beat maker from Angers: Wander. 

Keep reading

Music Business Entrepreneur, Artist, Journalist, Former Footballer, and Quentin Lechemia is still only 23 years old

1. Can you introduce yourself? Where are you from and when did you realize that music was going to play a big part in your life? 

My name is Quentin Lechémia, so there’s that. All jokes about my last name are definitely welcome. I am 23 years old and I follow a rather atypical path. After completing an intensive sporting effort (five years playing on l’AS St-Etienne, and golfing championships after), I quickly started an Electro-pop due called Destronics, that kicked off and has since seriously encouraged me to throw myself into music. I am also oriented towards studying accounting in Lyon. My DSCG Masters convinced me of one thing: don’t be an accountant, but put my imagination (and my developer skills that I picked up in high school) towards being an entrepreneur. So I created my first sites and my start up MyBandMarket that hosts most notably the news outlet MyBandNews that unifies about thirty other editors. 

2. Tell us about MyBandMarket. What is its objective and who is it for?

MyBandMarket is part of a simple proposition: artists have a hard time finding dates for shows, and booking agents - professionals as well as amateurs - often have difficulty finding artists to play at their events. Why not create a platform that brings the two together? Thus MyBandMarket was born, giving each booker the ability to search for an artist based on criteria like budget, style of music, place, and find the gem in the rough for their event. It’s an artistic database like we’ve never seen in the music sector. 

3. You are also a music and business journalist for Presse-Citron. How do you see your role as a journalist, and what are the types of stories that attract you the most? 

You must know that I was a big fan of Presse Citron from the start, and I had a connection to Eric Dupin, its founder. I wanted to check in with him and see if a column about digital music would be interesting. He is also a music lover, and loved the idea immediately. Each week, I like to share the cool things I find, and ridiculous things too about the industry that is in the middle of a total transformation. And I always love finding new concepts that pull the music industry up! Whyd, like a lot of other start ups, deserves a certain visibility. And it’s my job at Presse Citron to put them forward. 

Concerning the news that fascinates me the most, they are still mostly business or technology related. But I also can’t write about everything I love, it would take up way too much time! 

4. What should we look forward to in 2014? 

To commemorate the new version 2.0 of MyBandMarket, we are going to launch a big European contest called EuroMusic Contest 2014: a Eurovision 2.0. Our primary goal: break the barriers of Eurovision today, creating a contest that is driven by innovative technologies and open to all European artists. 

We already did one edition of EuroMusic Contest in a partnership with Soundcloud in 2011 when I was in London. It generated more than 110,000 votes and 2,200 sign ups. We’re doing it again with some awesome partners like the TV Channel and VOD platform iConcerts; Swarmplanet - a new streaming platform that works like a peer to peer network and allows us to get an HD quality image through a 3G connection with just three seconds of delay; and Jamendo. A great adventure is waiting for us! 

If you Whyd fans want to support the project, don’t hesitate to participate in our crowd funding campaign on KissKissBankBank. http://www.kisskissbankbank.com/fr/projects/euromusic-contest-2014

Sounds awesome! Make sure to subscribe to Quentin on Whyd!

Interview with Chamberlain: Modern Day Composer

1. Hey Chamberlain! Can you tell us a little bit about you? What are the different sides of your personality and how do they show up in your projects?

I am originally a pianist who started with classical music, and I turned towards rock and pop groups. Then I learned jazz, and worked a lot with harmony, composing and touring around Europe with my group. I am an arranger and accompanist, I produce and manage the artistic direction of singers and rappers. I’ve been composing music since the age of 10, with the idea of building, like what the director Gondry does. I’ve also acted in the theater, composed music for the stage, and for advertisements. What I am really interested in is humanity and its ability to produce emotion, and in the same breath not to characterize those emotions. I try to reconstruct their complexities. I think that my compositions are at the same time sad, happy, sweet, salty, modern, nostalgic, but I try to present them as wrapped in silk. 

I work a lot with different cultures, to blur the borders between crude styles and feelings. I try to make the music coincide between wise, composed, and pop. 

2. What was your first contact with music? How did you come to start making music?

My first contact with music was from movies, reggae, and the African-American music that my father listened to at home singing the melodies. Then I met my first teacher, an old lady from the countryside. She was a very educated woman, married to a farmer, who killed time on her piano in her cozy living room. She made me give my first concert at 8 years old, we shared the stage with friends who brough their old monophonic synths, and we shared the music and instruments. At the same time, I made music in my room with the old technique of “ping-pong” (recording onto a Grundig tape recorder, with a low-cost synth, folk guitar, and the upright piano).  

That might also be Chamberlain, the search of my original childhood processes (and I really love the idea of chamber music). 

3. “Step over the Steppe” seems to be your leitmotif: Is there a link between the semi-arid Russian plateaus and where the inspiration for your melodious products that takes us somewhere between joy and melancholy are born?

From the beginning it was an idea of a vast region, Eurasia, at the intersection of different cultures, a natural place, but lived by a great human history. But thinking about it now, there is an idea of the solitude in the face of the immensity of the world. The echo can find its proper silence, and the idea to “step” over the steppe in one motion, or to jump on a horse and go across it galloping, with the combative spirit necessary to reach the absolute and inner peace. 

During the crossing, there is that multitude of feelings that we feel, the colors placed end to end that create a dramatic meaning, life in all its detours. (“We know only too well, the echo of our own silence”).

4. Your track T-ISA was praised by the Why’d community, and was finally selected Track of the Weekend. Tell us what you felt!

Full of pride! That gives me wings, and more confidence in myself to advance, and produce even more must, and the confirmation of a constant today accepted by everyone: the web can mix big fish and the smaller ones. This promotes creation! (which expands the size of the forest too, so you can lose, but sometimes it’s exciting to lose!) 

5. From the point of view of an artist, how do you use Whyd today and how would you like to see the service evolve? 

Whyd lets one get lost in the forest of musical creations, but with a map! It’s exciting to lose yourself, but to always know where you are!

The idea to create a synthesis of all the other streaming media in one place is excellent. Plus when we find a playlist from someone else, we discover new connections with even more music, we listen to more types of music, but with intelligence, we enlarge our capacity to feel new music! I appreciate the simplicity of use, I am not a specialist in web development, maybe with deeper integration to other social media, Whyd could surpass Deezer or Spotify.

Everyone must know Whyd. Whyd proposes an more ever-expanding offering – in the end infinite – than the other platforms that are market only. That’s the creative spirit! 

Subscribe to Chamberlain on Whyd, Like his Facebook Page, Follow him on Twitter and keep a look our for some new music due out at the end of this week!!