Editorial: December 2016

A busy month for French music last month, with a spectacular number of French acts playing in the UK and some significant new releases hitting the shelves and their digital equivalents.

Much of that is set to continue over this month, with events like the Transmusicales in Rennes kicking off today as a showcasae of some of the finest emerging international and French acts.

In releases, there's a new album by Saez, entitled Le Manifeste, out next week. To these ears he's one of the finest contemporary songwriters in France, and the two tracks that have emerged so far suggest the album will be something quite special.

He plays the Bataclan later this month, a venue that finally opened to the public again last month, almost a year after the tragedy that unfolded there.

Meanwhile, a French act who has become a household name releases a landmark album this month, with Jean Michel Jarre's Oxygène 3, a final part to what became a trilogy started by his 1976 album.

You can get a hold of me at 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