Owlle: Don't Lose It

A classy piece of electro released as the new single by Owlle, entitled Don't Lose It, coinciding with the
release of her debut album France.

I mentioned Owlle on the blog here last year, when she played at the Great Escape festival in Brighton, and its good to see her getting some more attention.

last year her song Ticky Ticky established her as an act worth watching, her new album should see her become one of 2014's key acts.

The single features a number of remixes, by  Maelstrom, Pyramid, and one by  US producer Saint-Pepsi .



She's got a series of live dates across France, including one in Paris on February 12 at the Point Ephemere.

Her album has just been released in France, and comes out in March 17 in the UK.

Shaka Ponk: Wanna Get Free

A new video for the track Wanna Get Free, by Shaka Ponk, released as a single ahead of their forthcoming
new album The White Pixel Ape.

It's a wildly imaginative video, exactly what you'd hope for from one of France's most colourful rock acts.

The new album, the band's fouth, is due to be released on March 17.

Their last, 2007's The Geeks and the Jerkin' Socks collection was a huge seller in France. The subsequent live DVD Geeks on Stage saw them nominated for a Victoires de la Musique award in the best music DVD category.

The band are touring shortly, and play three nights at the Zénith in Paris in June.

Celtic Connections 2014

This week sees the start of the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, and while its focus is on traditional and folk music, there're much of interest to French music fans.

The event has been running for 21 years, and was initially established to fill the normally quiet schedule that the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall had in January.

It has since then become one of the world's biggest celebrations of celtic music, and has become a more diverse event. While celtic music remains at its core, it also embraces traditional music from outwith the traditional celtic countries.

A number of French acts play this year's Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow, including Dub Inc, one of the country's best reggae bands. They play at the ABC on Friday January 17.



Meanwhile, other acts from the wider francophone sphere take to the stage, including Paris-based Cape verde singer  Mayra Andrade who plays on January 21, who was recently shortlisted in the best World Music Album category in the 2014 Victoires de la musique awards.



Amadou and Mariam play on January 22 at the Royal Concert Hall, and while for technical reasons not performing their Eclipse set, it's a great opportunity to see one of Africa's most popular exports in recent years.



There is a Breton night featuring Barzaz and Ronan Le Bars Group



 Manu Dibango from  Camerooon has been a pioneer of world music, with his blend of jazz, funk, afro beat and hip hop. He plays on January 26.



Also, Winston McAnuff and Fixi play on January 31, reggae veteran McAnuff now living in Paris where he collaborated with Fixi for 1007 Paris Rockin' and 2013's A New Day.

Francois and the Atlas Mountains: Piano Ombre

More details have emerged of the forthcoming new album by Francois and the Atlas Mountains.

The album, which is to be titled Piano Ombre, has ten tracks: Bois, La Vérité, The Way to the forest, La fille aux cheveux de soie, Summer of the heart, La vie dure, Réveil inconnu, Piano ombre, Fancy foresight and Bien sûr.

It is the first Francois album to have been recorded at a proper studio and with a producer.

The album will be available as CD and vinyl, and a limited edition vinyl will include a 7' of the tracks of Sleepwalkers Town and Bus Rouge.

While the marketing campaign might not be as high profile as the one surounding the Daft Punk release last year, the album's every bit as anticipated in some quarters.

The last release by  Francois and the Atlas Mountains caused many to realise that France produced acts as innovative as anything produced across the channel or elsewhere.

Piano Ombre is released on March 17, and  La Vérité will be released on the same day as a single.

The Sudden Death of Stars: Inside Out and Halcyon Days

Two new tracks from the forthcoming Sudden Death of Stars album, which is due out on March 10.

The band, from Rennes, were one of the bands I was lucky enough to catch live on my recent visit to the city, when they played as part of the Bars en Trans festival, an event that takes place in bars and nighclubs across the city at the same time as the Rencontres Trans Musicales festival at the Liberté and Parc Expo events.

Bars en Trans was a much lower key event, but with a vigorous lineup of acts at a wide variety of venues.

While the acts may not have been as widely known as the likes of Stromae,  the smaller venues gave a much-deserved platform for emerging talent.

Sudden Death of Stars were one of the bands I managed to catch,  and I have to say I was pretty surprised as I was listening to them towards the end of 2012, never imagining I'd have the chance to catch them live on their home turf a year later.  A real pleasure.

Anyway, their new album -their second- All Unrevealed Parts Of The Unknown comes out on Ample Play Records, with live shows in Liverpool (Feb 28) and March (March 4). They play in Paris on Friday March 14 and in Rennes at the 1988 Live club in March 15 if you're lucky enough to be in the area.

You can listen to two tracks here on the Quietus website.

Les Victoires de la Musique 2014 shortlist

The shortlist for this year's  Les Victoires de la Musique awards have been announced, probably the most exciting event in the season of red carpets and glittering awards, at least from a French music point of view.

There's no Daft Punk and no Mylene Farmer, despite the success both acts had in 2013. But plenty of interesting choices, even if the field does feature Stromae rather frequently.

This year the event is being held for the 29th time, and is held on February 14.

Male artist

Etienne Daho
Christophe Mae
Stromae

Female artist

Lily Wood and the Prick
Vanessa Paradis
Zaz

Album Révélation

Cats on Trees: Cats on Trees
Hollysiz: May name is
La Femme: Psycho tropical Berlin

Breakthrough Artist

1995
Christine and the Queens
Albin de la Simone
Woodkid

Chanson album

Etienne Daho: Les Chansons de l'innocence
Julien Doré: Love
Stromae: Racine carrée

Rock album

Phoenix: Bankrupt
Indochine: Black CIty Parade
Détroit: Horizons

Urban Music album

Grand Corps Malade: Funambule
1995: Paris Sud Minute
Maitre Gims: Subliminal

World Music album

Winston Mcanuff & Fixi: A New Day
Ibrahim Maalouf: Illusions
Mayra Andrad: Lovely Difficult

Electronic/ Dance music album 

Gesaffelstein: Aleph
Kavinsky: Outrun
Elephanz: Time for a change

Original song

Johnny Hallyday: 20 ans
Stromae: Formidable
Maitre Gims: J'me tire
Stromae: Papaoutai

Musical show/Tour/Concert

C2C: Tetra tour
M: Il(s)
Christophe Maé: Je veux du bonheur

Video Clip

Stromae: Formidable
Woodkid: I love you
Stroma: Papaoutai

Music DVD

Shaka Ponk: Geeks on stage
Laurent Voulzy: Lys and love toyr
Eddy Mitchell: Ma derniere séance

Casseurs Flowters: Regarde comme il fait beau (dehors)

A imaginative video for the track Regarde comme il fait beau (dehors) by Casseurs Flowters.

The track comes from the duo's album Orelsan et Gringe sont les Casseurs Flowters, which was released in November last year.

 Casseurs Flowters consists of rapper Orlesan and Gringe, who have been working together since 2004.

Last year saw the pair release their first full album together, having previously released a mixtape in 2004.

Orlesan  has of course established himself as one of France's foremost - and most controversial - rappers, his most recent collection being 2011's Le Chant des sirènes.