French Music Podcast show on French Radio London

Tonight sees the final French Music Podcast show on French Radio London, so a hearty well done to DJ Parris is on order for flying the flag for French music on the airwaves.

There's been some great material played in the series, some of it familiar, some of it less so, and there have been some absolute gems getting a well-deserved airing.

The show is pretty much essential listening to anyone with an interest in or appreciation of French music

The previous ten editions of the show that were on RFL, and earlier editions as well, are all available to listen here > 

It looks like the show will be back in December for a new series, so until then you can follow them on Facebook by liking French Music Podcast UK.

French Music Podcast UK - FRL - Number 10 - 24th August 2012 by French Music Podcast Uk on Mixcloud

Rétro: Johnny Hallyday - Mon Fils

With Johnny Hallyday in hospital in the Carribean, I thought I'd give this week's retro spot to a great piece of film of Johnny in the 60s, at the peak of Johnnymania.

The video is from a performance at a UNICEF Gala in December 1968, the song Mon Fils is a melodramatic work, a perfect teenage opera.

You can hear echoes of Dylan, as well as chanson, but above all there's the sound of a singer pushing the limits of what a pop song could be.

Obviously very much of its era, of course, but it's the kind of work that for other artists would be a highlight of their career.

Interesting that much of Hallyday's work remains not so well known in the UK, where he's though of as either a recycler of American songs into French or as an ageing rocker.

Johnny is expected to resume his tour, which sees him play his first full concerts in the UK in October. Get well soon Johnny, and hopefully see you there.

Alex Ferrari: Bara Bará Bere Berê

Most days listening to what's going in in the French music scene is an absolute joy.

There's a huge number of artists I've come across, whether old or new, whose work has impresssed me deeply. many of these I listened to for the first time as a consequence of putting together this blog.

Of course, this isn't always the case.

This is one such tune, and associated video. Alex Ferrari, the current number one in the French charts with Bara Bará Bere Berê.

There are those who hold French music in low esteem. They'll point to the likes of Renée la Taupe, forgetting the musical careers of Bob the Builder, Crazy Frog and Mr Blobby.

I'll always fight the corner defending French music. But sometimes I can't, however hard I try.

If you thought a singer with a name like Alex Ferrari would deliver some Eurotrash summer dance tune, you won't be disappointed. Maybe Brazil is the new home for cheesy summer Europop.

In its favour I suppose is that at least it's not Carly Rae Jepsen, who has been at number one for long enough.





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Médine: Alger Pleure

I've been listening to a fair bit of French rap this week, and this track was one that stood head and shoulders above all the others.

It's an extraordinary piece of work from the rapper from Le Havre with a French mother and Algerian father.

With namechecks for Jean Moulin, Jean-Paul Sartre and discussion of the Algerian independence struggle at its most personal level, it's rap at its most articulate and intelligent, unafraid to confront big philosophical and political issues.

The track comes from the forthcoming album "Don't Panik", on Din records, and comes at the time Algeria marks its 50th anniversary, becoming independent in 1962.

Médine, has released three previous albums, Arabian Panther (2009), Jihad (2005) and 11 Septembre (2004), where he's eloquently worked around the issues of being a Muslim in France, and the social inequalities in society.

He also wrote an article for Time magazine ("How Much More French Can I Be?") calling for France to reject outdated labels that define French people by race, and how the gap between the banlieue and the rest of French society has to be bridged.

The article's still available to read online in English here > 

More information about Médine here>

Sexion D'Assaut - Wati House

France's number one hip hop act are back in the French singles charts with Wati House, a summer-vibed track from their massive-selling L'Apogée album.

The last few weeks have been fairly static on the French charts, with Carly Rae Jepsen holding the number one position for what seems like ages.  Nice to see some French hip hop giving it a challenge.

It's the fifth track from L'Apogée to be promoted as a single, another success from what must surely be one of France's most successful rap acts ever.

As ambassadors of the French rap scene, they've probably introduced rap to a wider audience than any previous act, and I'm sure their success will see other urban acts achieving considerable commercial success.

The album has already sold triple platinum in France, selling 350,000 copies so far.

Eluveitie - The Early Years

I've long had a theory that metal is a modern take on a type of folk music that's been around for thousands of years.

There have probably always been songs about war, brave deeds, evil men and the supernatural sung round campfires by groups of men to a receptive audience of similar young men. I'm sure that these would have been sung to the tempo of a galloping horse, with as much thunder as a hand drum and a lute could muster.

However, modern heavy metal hurdy gurdy and mandolin are quite a proposition, but in the hands of Swiss band Eluveitie they're a natural mix.

The band release a new collection entitles The Early Years on Nuclear Blast records, essentially a re-mixing of their debut album Spirit and a re-recording of their debut EP Ven. Both items have been out of print for years, and had become collector's items as the band's career took off, and both certainly deserved to be heard by the wider audience the band now has.

A special edition also  includes a newly recorded track.

The band released their most recent full studio album Helvetios earlier this year

Eluveite are currently touring with sweden's Sabaton, in what promises to be one of the best metal bills of the year. This video captures them playing at the Summer Breeze Open Air festival in 2008.

Superbus: A la chaine

A winning blend of Gallic cool and modern rock on the new single A la  by Superbus.

It's big-budget production, souding like more pop-orientated Garbage and it's the second single they've released following their hiatus since 2010.

It's always a risk for a band when they make a re-appearance after keeping out of the limelight following a period of success. Superbus took a step back despite their Lova Lova album being their biggest seller of their career, and there are no guarantees that any band can just return to where they left off.

Fans can move on, and styles can change while bands aren't on the scene.

But it can also give them a chance to think about what they're doing, concentrate on what they do well away from the treadmill of promotion and the pressures of delivering more product.

All Alone came out in June, the first outing for their new material, and it certainly seems like the break has done them good.

Their new album Sunset is expected to be released at the end of the month, just in time for La Rentrée.

A series of club dates around France with some shows in Belgium and Switzerland are scheduled for the end of the year