Now in its fifth year, Reunion’s Electropicales Music and Arts Festival is a catalyst for bringing the sometimes disparate worlds of art and music together. Four days, four different venues, a cultural mix of people and a unique opportunity to explore this tropic beauty.
To be a clear reflection of the island’s multicultural background, which is embedded in a ‘Let’s all live happily together’ model. (Electropicales motto)
VJ Zero and Blindoff
DJs/Producers feat. at Electropicales
Reunion FYI:
Reunion is a European island huddled under the shadow of France. In fact, flying to France is considered a local flight, the currency is euros, and there’s an ever-growing community of relocated Frenchies who have realised that 26 degrees in winter is something they prefer. Alongside its distinctly French culture, Reunion has a thriving skateboard scene, the world’s 3rd most active volcano; an ever-present exhibition of street art; and over countless music and art festivals each year. Often overshadowed by its neighbour, Mauritius, I was informed by locals that many foreigners are not even aware of this culturally-rich island, and perhaps even less about one of its most prized music festivals, Electropicales.
Electropicales: A 3-part series
We’ve taken it upon ourselves to be the foreigners that bring Electropicales to the rest of the world in a three-part series that brings the festival to life: Part 1 gives a day-to-day breakdown of the festival with our highlights; Part 2 is a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the men and women backing Reunion’s ever-growing yet somewhat ambiguous art scene, with a specific emphasis on the artists who coloured the festival and others who paint the streets of Reunion. Part 3 will be a number of interviews with some of the festival’s big-name artists, including Jeff Mills, Jazzanova, Culoe De Song, Niveau Zéro, SFR, Alex Rolland, Guillaume Lebourg, VJ Zero, Gorge-One, JACE and Blindoff. The Part 3 interviews will be put up online over a period of time — so keep posted to onesmallseed.com, our Twitter and our Facebook!
Teat Champ Fleuri, image: © Gwael Desbont
Koudlam, image: © Gwael Desbont
Thursday
Venue/s: Teat Champ Fleuri and Pot’Irons
Full Line-up:
Hiroaki Umeda
Koudlam
Django
Sal Paradise
Culoe De Song
art/performance highlights:
Hiroaki Umeda
Hiroaki Umeda, image: © Gwael Desbont
Diversely talented as a choreographer and performer, composer and video artist, Tokyo-based Hiroaki Umeda has developed his work into a visual sound environment with minimalist styling and radical imagination. Between projections and bright explosions of hallucinatory colours, Umeda uses videos and electronic music to transform dance and the human body. His work is an artistic pursuit that embarks on the discovery of a new hybrid art. The opening night of the festival saw Umeda deliver a 20-minute live cinematic thrill-ride that left the audience hypnotized and slightly unhinged. The only way to describe it is through comparison: think of the opening sequence of Gaspar Noé’s Enter the Void and the mind-invasion that took place in Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, Clockwork Orange. All in all the performance was a show that I’m not entirely sure I would commit myself to any time soon.
Guillaume Lebourg, image: © Gwael Desbont
Guillaume Lebourg is a self-taught artist who has pioneered a variety of techniques to generate different perceptions of an object, a place, and a situation. His use of unlikely materials is a challenge to the world and its crisis, questioning the structure and actions of society. As an artist, Lebourg has grounded his work with a message that offers audiences a new view of the world.
Guillaume’s exhibition premiered on the opening night of the festival, where he showcased larger-than-life artworks made up of wood, pen, paint and other materials. The simplicity in its form leaves room for the art’s underlying political theme. Messages like ‘Fuck art as decoration’ and ‘Think different’ leave little room for misinterpretation and, for Guillaume, art should be a statement rather than just aesthetically pleasing. Ultimately, it is cultivating discussion which Guillaume is most interested in executing through his art.
Aside from the exhibition, Guillaume was pivotal in the overall design of the festival: the artist was the ‘scenograph’ of the event and the man behind the incredible stage setups on Friday and Saturday. The inspiration for this multi-level arena was drawn from the infamous Joy Divsion Unknown Pleasure cover. The original conception revolved around themes of landscape, science, space and sound to create a multi-modal spine-tingling experience.
NOTE: More on Guillaume in Part 2 (stay posted!)
music highlights:
Culoe de Song, image: © Gwael Desbont
Since his arrival in the South African house scene in 2007, Culoe De Song has captivated music-lovers with his afrocentric and soulful beats. With a first name that means ‘Our Song’, one could say that Culolethu Zulu aka Culoe De Song was destined to make music. It all started in Durban when he was 16 and learning how to play vinyls with his long-time friend DJ Kabila, who introduced him to Black Coffee. Fast-forward a few years and this humble producer became a solid fixture in Black Coffee’s Soulistic Music family — a move that has helped Culoe transform into an international artist. With projects commissioned by Red Bull Music Academy and Germany’s Innervisions, he remains one of South Africa’s premier house icons and a global symbol of SA’s African-branded house. Taking the last set on Thursday night, Culoe was faced with an overwhelming and highly diverse mix of people — all were welcome in the entrance-fee-free festivities. Culoe filled the dance-floor with his distinct soulful, tribal rhythms that permeated into the crowd creating a potent energy that connected people in an atmosphere of loving, living and longing for more. Needless to say, the dynamic DJ was a proud showcase of SA’s talent.
NOTE: Interview with Culoe De Song coming soon!
Missill, image: © GWAEL DESBONT
Friday
Venue/s: Sports complex field
Full Line-up:
Matt Waro
Ziloub
Level Zero
Missill
SFR DJ
VJ Zero
Hakim Moindjie – Gorg One – Jace
art/performance highlights:
Hakim Moindjie – Gorg One – Jace
Gorge-One, image: © GWAEL DESBON
Featured on both Friday and Saturday night, the three graffiti artists — Hakim Moindjie, Gorg One and Jace — conducted live graffiti that followed the theme of the festival: ‘Landscapes’
Note: A more in-depth look at their work, including some interview snippets and footage, will come in Part 2.
VJ Zero and Blindoff’s Visual Mapping
VJ Zero and Blindoff
VJ Zero worked alongside Blindoff for two days during the festival, being responsible for the VJing and various visual mapping. Before his foray into the world of digital art, Blindoff worked as an ecologist with a specialisation in insects. He became inspired by Lille’s underground art scene and has since architectured the performance displays of Jeff Mills, Birdy Nam Nam and Carl Cox to name a few. VJ Zero and Blindoff worked collaboratively, using their imaginative skills to create a visual artwork that harmonised the music performances and showcased the often-overlooked world of digital art.
More on this in Part 2, stay tuned!
music highlights:
Matt Waro
Matt Waro, image: © Gwael Desbont
This young DJ and producer has already made his mark on the local electronic scene through being one of the first artists to have brought the Moombahton to Reunion. He took the stage first for the Friday night line-up, and was — despite his age — one of the best performers at the festival. Experimenting in various electro styles — from progressive house-based melodies to trap blends of hip hop combined with electronic sounds — this is one jack of all trades we’ll be keeping our eyes on this year.
Niveau Zero, image: © Gwael Desbont
Moving from dubstep to breakcore, and hip-hop to metal, Niveau Zero is one of the most prominent artists in the French underground scene. He emerged with ‘Electro Revelation’ in Bourges in 2008 and has since signed a series of collaborations in the form of Drum Beating, Aucan, Balkansky, and Dubsidia. Zero’s second album Jasmine was released last October on the Berlin label Ad Noiseam. His technical skill and impressive music knowledge cultivated in a set that was uncompromising and full of force. Niveau Zero also stunned audiences with his explosive live performance that proved to be one of the show-stoppers of the festival. While many electro artists struggle to create absorbing performances, Zero displayed an energy and confidence that left festival-goers enthralled.
NOTE: Interview with Niveau Zéro coming soon!
SFR, image: Gwael Desbont
Upon arrival, we realised that SFR was a local mobile company, making DJ SFR a household name! He played the last set for Friday night and it was a closing that set up the weekend for an outrageously exhilarating musical feast. For those of you that aren’t familiar with SFR, he has played electrifying sets across South Africa and has toured Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Switzerland and the UK on numerous occasions since 2007. His experience on these global stages was brought to the forefront at Reunion. The DJ gave audiences a teasing peak at what the weekend would bring, while delivering a set that had people calling for more. Having just released a new single on N-type’s Wheel & Deal Records, things can only get bigger for this South African talent.
NOTE: Interview with SFR DJ coming soon!
Âme, image: © Gwael Desbont
image: © Gwael Desbont
Saturday
Venue: Palaxa and Sports Complex
Full Line-up:
Alejandro Paz
Jessy
Alex Rolland
Prommer & Barck
Soul
Jeff Mills
Hakim Moindjie – Gorg One – Jace
music highlights:
Alejandro Paz, image: © Gwael Desbont
Definitely one of our favourites during the festival was the performance from Chilean producer-DJ, Alejandro Paz. Paz has collaborated with bands like Genéricos and The District Union as well as remixed artists such as Javiera Mena, DJs Pareja and Auntie Flo. He is currently working alongside Avril Ceballos to produce ‘Ladrones’ – a radio show for Radio Cómeme. His most recent work includes his hit single ‘Callejero’ on Scotland’s Huntleys & Palmers label and his invigorating EP called Free released on Cómeme. He headlined the festival by taking over Palaxa’s intimate space. With the sun still shining bright, the charming DJ was welcomed by the crowd as a long lost friend. Paz’s performance stood out from the rest as the innovative talent performed tracks that mixed DJing techniques with his live vocals — it wasn’t rapping, or talking, or singing… But a bit of all! It created a new element of electro performance that I had never experienced before. Listen to the track above to get an idea of what I’m talking about. A one-man act that had the sound of a band… Awesome! http://www.musicacomeme.com/
Alex Rolland, image: © Gwael Desbont
Alex Rolland grew into the electro scene from the fresh, nostalgic tunes of the early ’90s. Immersed in the art of sound, he took to the musical lab and began experimenting with the chemical sounds of Detroit and Chicago. While finding his rhythm, he had the opportunity to keep close to the specialists of the genre: Eric Rug, Swag, Soldiers of Twilight, Ellen Alien and Jeff Mills to name a few. Unlike most artists, Rolland never chose between (deep) house and techno, and instead produced a sound that carries elements of both subgenres in an explosive mix of sonic dynamite. His spectrum of sounds and the emotions he evokes have inspired dancefloors across the globe.
The guy with the Scottish accent is also an avid air guitar player and one of the friendliest people you will ever meet! His approachable personality is a rarity in the DJ universe, shaping his music into something that can be enjoyed beyond the dancefloor. He also played a helluva fun set that sent us back to a time when all that mattered in music, was the music itself — feeling it, moving to it and leaving a place for it in your heart — rather than holding yourself down to its formalities or searching for acknowledgement by intellectualising yourself. Alex Rolland made music an experience for everyone, leaving behind the constraints of rationality, and tuning people to an airwave of pure, rhythmic musicality!
NOTE: Interview with Alex Roland online soon!
Jeff Mills. image: © Gwael Desbont
The festival’s highlight was definitely Jeff Mills; the music maven who is famed for using four turntables in his set. Mills began his career in music over two decades ago as a guest DJ on radio shows, and he has since risen the ranks of the techno hierarchy to become known as one of America’s most established techno creators. Hailing from Detroit, the DJ first made waves as a founding member of Underground Resistance – a Motor City music project. Since those early days Mills has moved to New York, created his own label (Axis), scored a contemporary soundtrack for Fritz Lang’s famed Metropolis, and taken over venues like London’s Royal Albert Hall, and the Vienna International Film Festival. From Detroit city to Paris, Jeff Mills has conquered the world of techno. We featured an interview with Mills in Issue 25, and were very fortunate to have the chance to speak to him in person, getting a glimpse into his extraordinary mind. Soft-spoken and focussed, this former architecture student is highly passionate and knowledgeable about exploring themes involving space and time, man vs. machine and the underlying ‘spirituality of techno’.
NOTE: Interview with Jeff Mills online soon!
Marion (Radio Nova), Quentin (Tsugi) and Laure (PR)
Sébastien Broquet (artistic director), Thomas Bordese (Chair), Jeff Mills, Bernard Feuillade (President of Dionysian XV)
Sunday
Venue: Barachois
Full Line-up:
Titus
1 Al-
Dani Llonga
Wave
Reworks
Jazzanova (DJ set)
art/performance highlights:
Student Graffiti
Student, image: © Gwael Desbont
Partnering up with Electropicales was the École Supérieure d’Art de la Réunion and on the Sunday the public was exposed to large live graffiti artwork by six of the art school’s students. Various other mapping and visual art by the students took place during the festival, with their involvement being directed by two teachers from the school, Florent Konne and Yohann Quelan de Saint Pern.
NOTE: Interview with Florent Konne and Yohann Quelan de Saint Pern and art students online soon!
music highlights:
Reworks
Reworks, image: Gwael Desbont
This young protégé of Sound Nights once again brought new sounds to shake up the Reunion electronica landscape. His deep house styles are laced with percussion rhythms and catchy melodies. A self-proclaimed geek and graphic designer, Reworks is known for his powerful and hypnotic live performances. After running the master-class session of Electropicales he joined the stage for a sunset showcase.
Alex Barck, image: © Gwael Desbont
Jazzanova has taken over the electronica circuit for over fifteen years with their fresh mixes injecting funk and jazz into electro beats and vice versa. The eclectic collective met while roaming the Berlin nightlife in the mid-nineties, and began a journey of musical discovery and re-invention. Producing, composing, arranging, remixing, and DJing… Jazzanova does it all, and their musical input has helped define a new era of electronica.
Flanked by the darkening Indian ocean, the last day of the festival was appreciated not just by electronic-lovers, but the entire island. Alex Barck‘s remix of Fatboy Slim’s ‘Praise You’ could not have been a better choice for the last day of the festival: it filled the air with nostalgia, smiles and celebration. Jazzanova was the ultimate finale to an electrifying experience, demonstrating some skills and tricks that had me truly appreciating the art of DJing. The end of the set was not just the closing of the festival, but an ode to the electro landscape and all the artists that work in dialogue to create an ever-evolving musical genre.
NOTE: Interview with Alex Barck online soon!
Keep posted for Part 2!
IMPORTANT LINKS:
Electropicales Website
Electropicales Facebook
Electropicales Twitter
images: Gwael Desbont
artist bio source: Electropicales.com
words: Sarah Claire Picton
Journalists and Artists
