Door 21:00
Mad'am 21:30
L'Eclair 22:30
L'Eclair
An hour of finely crafted grooves where cosmic atmospheres meet late night bangers.
New Release Confusions
A band as kinetic as L’Eclair cannot stay idle. So when the pandemic hit, they stayed true to form and began recording a new album. With their former records usually recorded in a few days, live to tape, they took a decidedly different approach with this LP. Recorded in four sessions spread out over nine months, the group and their trusted engineer (and manager) Benoit Erard were able to spend more time, energy, and consideration on the production. This new approach gave them the ability to reflect and revise, allowing them to focus more on composition, arrangements and structures. The result is their fourth album Confusions: a sprawling hour-long, 12 track record- their most diverse, concise, and focused effort to date.
Confusions finds L’Eclair finding themselves, having distilled their mastery of groove and rhythm down to a science. Club vibes, psych grooves, rhythmic trances, and ambient comedowns are all present in equal measure, while maintaining a cohesive and consistent flavor throughout. Confusions is both expertly crafted and joyfully spontaneous, danceable yet ethereal, emotive yet cerebral. The shifting moods and melodies imbue the album with a depth that demands repeat listens.
Their influences are on full display here, with nods to CAN, Piero Umiliani, and Tangerine Dream- seamlessly blended with the unique sound L’Eclair has established over the years. New influences are also apparent, such as the house grooves of 80’s Madchester and Aphex twin, as well as the textures and ambience of Boards of Canada. As with past L’Eclair releases, Confusions is sure to attract some fans of hip-hop, recalling the likes of producers Madlib, MF doom, and Dilla. The ever-present dub and house influences bubble up here and there but despite the many inspirations behind Confusions, the sound is pure L’Eclair.
The opening track P+R recalls the New York post punk sound of Liquid Liquid, blended with the frenetic energy of a CAN live show. As with songs like Clubless and Timbacrack, P+R was conceived as a psychedelic thunderstorm and sets the tone for the duality to come- modern and classic, synthetic and organic- all integral parts of L’Eclair’s sonic identity.
Verso and Whirlwind recall the golden age of Library Music, but with a modern twist. They blend groovy cinematics with a tension and release approach- leaving the listener unsettled but tapping their toes nonetheless, with this dichotomy being central to the narrative of the album.
Cosmologies can be seen as the record’s centerpiece- a long and free flowing track containing several distinct movements. They run from nerve-wracking trap rock, to spiritual kraut, before finally settling into a neo-classical new-age soundscape. This song is emblematic of L'Eclair’s modus operandi; to blur genre lines and push musical boundaries to their breaking point.
Their fascination with G-funk and boogie are apparent on Concorde, while Transmission I, Etoile, and Pangea show the band reaching out for more experimental and textured sounds. Transmission II and Uscita display another of the band’s strengths, highlighting their mastery of melody and arrangement. Confusions stands out in L’Eclair's catalog as a diverse and dense collection of songs- while remaining altogether consistent and firmly rooted in the omnipresent airtight rhythms and cohesive production L’Eclair has given us thus far.
Confusions is released by Bongo Joe records on November 12th, 2021
About L’Eclair
L’Eclair is a cosmic instrumental six piece from Geneva, Switzerland. Their origins can be traced back to 2015 when, while studying in London, keyboardist Sebastien Bui and guitarist Stefan Lilov recorded several demos together in their hotel room. Hearing something special in this batch of songs, they returned to Geneva and enlisted Yavor Lilov (drums), Alain Sandri (percussion, keyboard), Quentin Pilet (percussion) and Elie Ghersinu (bass) to flesh out these ideas into a full fledged band. The relentless grooves, classic tones and silky smooth melodies were instantly present, and L’Eclair was born.
Mapping sounds that go deep’n'dig in the darkest places of your mind aiming to release the pres'sure of your fantasy.
Add flavours of joy and grief like candy and eaten up candy but stay serious in forming the ambiance that is about to follow.
Drums’n’tuba’n’keys’n’vocals’n’guitars’n’bass’n’trumpet songs will let you dream then let you shake till they catch up with you later.
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Adam El Hlimi Lukas Weidmann Maria Rebecca Sautter Alper Yagcioglu Markus Pupato Urs Humbel these guys from Zürich.
Make this journey happen, so let them take you here to get you there and find out how to handle the inspiration along the way.