Justice: New album details

Justice have revealed some more detail of their forthcoming third album.

The duo of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay have published the cover of the album, and announced that it is to be titled Woman.

The new album is a follow up to 2011's Audio, Video Disco.  In 2013 they released their Access all Arenas live collection, documenting the lice shows they undertook following the release of Audio, Video Disco.

Justice have been at the forefront of French electronic music, along with Daft Punk, and it's almost a surprise to remember that it's only their third proper album.

The track Safe and Sound came surfaced at a set at the Sónar 2016 Music Festival and was subsequently released as a single.

Woman is expected to be on sale from November 18 and to say it's much anticipated is something of an understatement.

Julien Doré: Le Lac video

A new clip by Julien Doré, ahead of the release of a new album, his first studio release since 2013's Løve collection.

The video for Le Lac features an appearance by American TV icon Pamela Anderson.

Løve was a double platinum seller, his most successful release so far, with the singles Paris-Seychelles and Chou Wasabi making the top 20.

A live album and an EP have followed Løve, 2015's Løve Live reaching the top 20.

His earlier albums made the top five, from 2008's Ersatz onwards he's been a pretty big star in France.

He's come a long way since winning the fifth series of Nouvelle Star  - the French equivalent of Pop Idol in 2007 and since his interesting take on developed into a much more interesting artist that a programme like that might have been expected to produce.

Doré's new album will be released in October.

Christine and the Queens: Spotify Session

A session  by the mighty Christine and the Queens, recorded recently in London for Spotify.

It's been a golden time for Christine, finally making a significant commercial mark in the UK with both her album and the song Tilted. The good reviews that she's received should come as no surprise to a blog like this who has been following her career for a while, but it's encouraging to see an artist get the widespread recognition that they deserve.

Maybe record companies are playing it a bit safe these days, by promoting artists who have already established themselves in other territories, but none the less it's no small thing to see one of France's best acts in recent years attract both critical and conmmercial acclaim here.

If anything it will hopefully encourage other music companies to consider French acts as a valid proposition for a UK audience. We can only hope.

You can go to the Christine and the Queens session here>

Trans Musicales festival 2016: First names

The first 15 names have been released for the 2016 Trans Musicales festival, taking place in  Rennes this December.

French acts include Fishbach, Moon Gogo, Chouette, Octave Noire and Pyrit.

So far international acts on the bill include Anna meridith, BCUC, Nova Twins, Rozzma,  Cabo San Roque, Däs Mortal, PWR BTTM, Reykjavíkurdætur, Talmud Beach and Tiggs Da Author.

There might not be many household names so far, but that's never been the agenda of the Trans Musicales. It's always been a forward-looking event,  showcasing the developing acts that you'll hopefully be hearing more about before too long.

Think of the likes of Benjamin Clementine, Jeanne Added, as well as Moodoid, France and Grand Blanc who have all played in the last few years.

Its experimental spirit has guided it over the decades since it began in 1979, with Noir Désir, Mano Negra, Zebda, Daft Punk and Stromae having graced the stage.

The Trans Musicales runs from November 30 to December 4 in Rennes.

Editorial: September 2016

A busy month in August, and while intentions were good to provide more content for the blog, things
got the better of us and there was a lot less content than we might have liked.

Still, there were some major events such as the  Rock en Seine festival near Paris marking the unoffial end of the summer music festival season.

August was significant in that it saw Christine and the Queens firmly establish themselves in the UK, with their debut album selling enough copies to qualify for gold disc status.

Also we were delighted to see a song by Gaspard Royant being used in a high profile advertising campaign.

Looking ahead, September sees la rentrée , with more new releases in the busy months leading up to the end of the year, and there's no shortage of live activity from French artists.

September sees French prog legends of the 70s Magma play in the UK, and there is a significant French presence at the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia this month.

 We'll be upping our game, getting over our summertime slumbers and keeping a close eye on the French music scene.

As always, I can be contacted on johnkilbrideAThotmailDOTcom, with the appropriate punctuation where you'd expect it to be. I'm always pleased to hear from record companies, PR companies and promoters, so do get in touch.

The blog is also on Twitter as @viveleroq or you can find me at @karnag

If you're around Facebook, remember to like the French Music Podcast UK page, where you can get regular updates with both fresh and vintage French music.

Thanks as always to the French Music Office in London and to the Institut francais in London for their help and encouragement.

Merci et à bientôt

John K

Rock en Seine festival

The Rock en Seine festival kicks off today in Paris, one of the most significant summer music
festivals in France.

While not the biggest, it's location near Paris at the Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, the Château de Saint-Cloud's park, gives it a high profile and a massive audience on its doorstep.

This year's again sees a well-curated bill, with French acts as well as international names, ranging from the developing artists to the massive headliners.

Friday sees The Last Shadow Puppets, Bastille and the Brian Jonestown Massacre on stage. Meanwhile, Flavien Berger, Caravan palace and Rendez-Vous fly the flag for French acts.

Saturday includes Wolfmother, Sigur Ros and Massive Attack, and Casseurs Flowters, Grand Blanc and La Femme are among the French names.

Iggy Pop, Chvrches and Peaches play on the Sunday.

There's no Eagles of Death Metal, after their ill-considered comments  earlier this year. They're at Reading and Leeds instead.

This year it takes place in a heatwave, and with the three day ticket coming in under 120 euros, it's not only better value for money but probably a much more pleasant experience than Reading or Leeds festivals in the UK this weekend.

Gaspard Royant: Citroen C4 Rip Curl advert

A surprise appearance by Gaspard Royant as the music behind the new advert campaign for Citroen cars.

The track Marty McFly is soundtracking the new ads for the C4 Cactus Rip Cury, an appropriately sharp tune for one of Citroen's more stylish offerings. I have my doubts about the advert, not really my thing, but there's no disputing quality of the tune.

The track comes from Gaspard's Ten Track Wonder debut album, originally released in 2014. We've been fans of Gaspard since then, so it's nice to see him get this kind of exposure in the UK.

Gaspard's most reccent album Have You Met Gaspard Royant was released in April this year, a fine follow up which was produced by Scottish music legend Edwyn Collins.

Great to see a French artist getting played on prime time television, and hopefully more people in the UK and beyond will get to know the king of the Haute Savoie Doo-Wop Garage and Roll scene.

He's just released the track Sevcen Inch Club as a single and Gaspard's got live dates scheduled across France, and plays Paris on October 12 during the MAMA Festival.