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

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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.

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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.

  • May, 19 2015
  • music
  • ep review
  • maia vidal
  • the tide
  • crammed music
  • new music

EP Review: Maïa Vidal - “The Tide”

Here at Whyd, we know a few things about being international. Our team is often dispersed across Europe, the United States, and Asia at any given time, and our community is just as diverse. We appreciate the perspective that this quality brings, and embodying this global spirit is Maïa Vidal, whose Facebook bio states quite proudly that she is “Franco-American, Barcelona-based, eclecto-pop ingenue, (+singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/filmmaker/visual artist)… breaking hearts and blowing minds since 1988.”

She just released her latest EP, “The Tide” yesterday, here’s the deal: 

Released: May 18, 2015

Genres: eclecto pop

Tracks: 6 (3 original cuts, and 3 remixes of those same tracks)

Who would like this EP?

Fans of Ellie Goulding’s voice, people who like Lana Del Rey’s orchestral arrangements. 

Our thoughts:

Having been active for many years now, Maïa has produced a lot of music across her past projects, all of which culminates in “The Tide,” an exercise in musicality. Her catchy hooks are thought-provoking. Her voice seduces. There is a lot of originality in her lyrics. Overall, the three songs beg for more. 

Which brings us to the weakest point of the EP, the three remixes. The two remixes of the title track “The Tide” erase a bit of her magic. We understand that this is a trend now, to include remixes on EPs to fill it out, but repeating a track three times on a 6 track EP reduces the impact and power of what Maïa Vidal has put together. 

Her original versions are more than enough! And you’ll find yourself singing the hooks even after the very first listen. 

Listen to “The Tide”

EP Review: Lyonn - “We’ll Light The Sky”

Our next EP review features the American alt duo Lyonn, who just released their debut EP “We’ll Light The Sky.” Let’s get to the details:  

Released: March 31, 2015

Genres: alternative, alt pop, indie

Tracks: 4

Who would like this EP?

Fans of From Kid’s vocal harmonies, Two Door Cinema Club

Our thoughts:

There is something that happens when two musicians come together instead of one. Case in point: Lyonn’s project started as a single singer-songwriter but after chemisty percolated one became two. There is an added depth, sure, but there is much more energy. Lyonn, made up of Tyler Gelrud and Attila Yavuzer, have struck a path down the center of indie pop with “We’ll Light The Sky,” studded with positive harmonies and catchy hooks. 

The first track, “Empty Bed” could have come out of the emo wave of the 90s and early 2000s, but nothing about it feels repetitive. The title track, “We’ll Light The Sky” hints at the “deep” trend that is rolling through contemporary music right now. It’s a mix of past and present, pushed over the edge by how earnest it all sounds. 

Overall, for anyone looking for a solid group of alternative tracks, Lyonn will not disappoint. 

Listen to “We’ll Light The Sky” by Lyonn

Track of the Weekend #127: Grimes - “REALiTi”

Well, the promise of a pretty-fucking-sweet solar eclipse gave us a case of the blue balls here in Paris, as the cloudy fog didn’t burn off and it didn’t get any darker than the usual late winter morning dreariness. Too bad, but that’s the reality of the situation. 

Speaking of reality, it’s also the name of this week’s track of the weekend from Canadian experimental artist Grimes. “REALiTi” might sound like a lost Madonna B-side, with all of the poppy catchiness and seductive vocals, but the track was actually a scrapped demo from her fourth studio album. Annoying spelling aside, Grimes has been steadily conquering the world with her unique blends of multiple styles, all put together with an expert touch of individuality. Let yourself be seduced. 

Welcome to reality

Thanks again to Radar Bazaar for getting another one to us this week! 

The Whyd SouthbySouthwest Playlist

Last year we had the pleasure of attending what has becoming the largest gathering of music and technology in the world: the epic South by Southwest festival. This year, we are not attending, as we are in development mode for our future products. But take one look at the incredible feast of music on display there and we know that we are not alone in wishing that we could be there. 

So for all of us who aren’t enjoying SxSW this year, we’ve made a playlist with some of our favorite picks from musicians performing in Austin this year. 100 solid tracks for your listening enjoyment. 

Never stop jamming!

Les Coups de Coeur: Rencontres Trans Musicales [34 PLAYLISTS!]

From December 3rd to 7th the city of Rennes (in the Brittany region of France) will transform as it has done 35 times in the past, into a music destination worthy of a long journey just to be there, to experience it. 

Keep reading

Whyd Interview: Judah Warsky

Parisian artist Judah Warsky from Pan European Records sits down with Tony Hymes from Whyd in the spectacular garden of the Hotel Particulier Montmartre to discuss his latest album, his origins as an artist, and discovering Lou Reed’s simplicity.

You can check out Judah Warsky’s new album “Bruxelles

And the playlist he made exclusively for us at Whyd: 

You should also check out the music selection of the Hotel Particulier Montmartre on Whyd, updated nearly every day! Magical music to match a magical environment!

Special thanks to Guillaume Benoit and Guillaume Boulte for their talented cinematic abilities. We appreciate your time and energy in making this a reality!

Music featured in the interview by Judah Warsky

3 Awesome Jamendo Contest Playlists

The Jamendo Playlist contest is in full swing, and we have been enjoying the music that people have been finding across Jamendo, from independent artists from all over the world. There are artists of all kinds: creative souls who are truly expressing themselves; composers who have put together soundtrack-worthy tracks; experimental beats makers pushing the envelop; crooners; strummers; seducers; rockers. 

If you want to win two tickets to the concert of your choice, here are the rules. 

Now, for your listening enjoyment, here are 3 playlist contest entries that you should listen to right now! 

Rwan - 15 tracks

Pierre Poupardin - 10 tracks

Adrien Joly - 10 tracks

Never stop jamming! 

Track of the Weekend #104: Josef Salvat - “Open Season”

The Whyd Hot tracks have historically been an indicator of music that is on the brink of penetrating the mainstream and reaching levels of world wide popularity. That’s exactly what we’re hoping for with this week’s Track of the Weekend. “Open Season” by Josef Salvat is the sort of perfect pop song that has one of the catchiest hooks of 2014, it contains all the elements of a major hit, the minimal beginning, the charging bridge, and the rewarding chorus that will absolutely not leave your head. This dude is going places. 

Thanks to Xavier for getting it to us! 

Jamendo Artist Playlist Contest

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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! We want to get people sharing and discovering music from the artists on Jamendo! The idea is simple: 

  • The playlist contest will go live Monday, October 6th. It will go about two weeks ending on Friday, October 17th
  • The rules are simple: you make a playlist of at least 7 songs that come from Jamendo artists on the Jamendo platform. The playlist must have the title “Jamendo Playlist Contest" 
  • Then you 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). 
  • 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).

The folks at Jamendo will be supplying a few cool playlists next week to give you some inspiration, but start surfing their music and start saving the cool tracks you hear, because the Playlist Contest goes live on Monday! 

If you need anything, we’re here: tony at whyd dot com

Never stop jamming!