Editorial: January 2020

So it's been a quiet place here for the last few months, I guess what looked initially like a time when I had to focus on other things became a full-on hiatus for this blog.

Time to switch the lights back on and boot up the laptop again.

When I've been away from here there's always a thought that I'll upgrade the blog with some huge improvements, spend some time on a new home page and get some more feature-length pieces ready. But rather than set myself up for a fall I'll just start things with small steps, getting back into regular posts with some fine French music to enjoy, and build from that.

A bit more organic, a bit more achievable.

Why? There's more motivation than ever. The French music scene is vibrant and still remains a secret to far too many. It deserves all the attention we can give it and there's much to cover.

It's a strange time with media becoming more focused and narrow while the torrent of great material is more accessible than ever. I love being able to immerse myself in new music from France - whether punk from Rennes, Paris hip-hop or Provençal psych - online and can investigate new releases by established acts without having to pay my salary directly to Fnac every month. Just don't expect to hear any of it too soon on the radio in the UK.

You'll find it here.

We aim to bring updates about French music, from developing acts to the established names, with an eye on new talent and an awareness of the rich heritage of French music that still remains something of a mystery to the anglophone audience.

As the UK moves towards greater anglophone insularity, we believe entirely in the value of introducing French culture in our own small way as best we can. It enriches us artistically in the UK and helps our many friends in France as well.

We hope some acts that have built a reputation in France get the opportunity to reach a wider international audience. Acts who have an audience already in France can move easily onto an global stage as Christine and the Queens and Daft Punk show, but smaller acts can benefit from establishing themselves in the UK and beyond. A successful indie release or a tour can be a major opportunity for an artist in a new market.

So we aim to do what we've been doing for the last few years, but doing more of it this year. Whether it's brief new articles or longer features, video clips or reviews, we'll be across as much as we can be here. We've got some plans and some new things that we'll hopefully get to but in the meantine, allons y!