Wednesday, August 29, 2012

OohLaLA! Festival Returns, Expands To NYC, San Francisco, Montreal



The OohLaLA! Festival has become a trusted brand for discovering the Francophile in us all, and this year's festival not only returns to its home base in Los Angeles but will expand to additional cities. The festivities will kick off October 11 at the El Rey in Los Angeles and go for three nights in various locations including Club Nokia and The Satellite. As in previous years, this event will be presented/executive produced by Goldenvoiceand presented by KCRW. Meanwhile, San Francisco will join in on the fun onFriday, October 12 at Rickshaw Stop presented by Popscene and KCRW, followed by SAT in Montreal on Tuesday, October 16 presented by Evenko and CISM, and ending at Highline Ballroom in NYC on Wednesday, October 17 as part of The Agency Group showcase at CMJ. Tickets are currently on sale and can be purchased via various outlets, to be found at the Festival's official website: www.oohlalafestival.com 

Originating in Los Angeles in 2009, OohLaLA! is continuing to push the boundaries of discovery as they consistently strive to present the best and most interesting talent emerging from France, exposing enthusiastic attendees to breakout performances. Los Angeles will launch this now traveling extravaganza on Thursday, October 11 with "Kitsuné Maison Night" at the El Rey, featuring the exciting lineup of Citizens!, Housse de Racket, Lescop and Tomorrow's World. Kitsuné has emerged as one of the prominent labels to discover hot, new talent and are pleased to showcase their signees Citizens! and Housse de Racket, while both Lescop and Tomorrow's World were included on their revered Kitsuné Parisien II compilation. Tomorrow's World is set to make their US stage debut in the US during this Festival. Comprised of Jean-Benoit Dunckel, half of the duo Air - unmistakably one of the most respected electro-pop bands in the world since their debut album Moon Safari in 1998 - and the London-based singer Lou Hayter (The New Sins, New Young Pony Club), the duo formed two years ago with no expectation other than to record one track for their own pleasure. It quickly turned out that their artistic universes fused so well and so naturally, they couldn't help but record dozens of additional songs. London-based Citizens! are following closely in label mates Two Door Cinema Club's footsteps, who were crowned "the biggest band on the planet" by NME, while Housse de Racket embody the most essential artistic skills: very specific and genuine song-writing enveloped in exquisite pop-electro tunes. Their formation evolved after numerous stints alongside one another as the go-to session players for the likes of Phoenix, Air and OohLaLA! alum Gonzales. Meanwhile, Lescop has been busy reinventing the French New Wave, somewhere in between Etienne Daho, Taxi Girl and Joy Division.

Night two will continue at the El Rey with the unanimously-praised -M- (Matthieu Chedid) who is coming over for his very first appearance in California. The highly accomplished artist has played to crowds of hundreds of thousands in France and is readying the release of his sixth studio album, destined to reap accolades equivalent to his past releases. Night three in Los Angeles will be a double header: the beloved Nouvelle Vague will return, this time stepping up to Club Nokia, while Chocolate Genius and François & The Atlas Mountains will take over The Satellite. The former, signed to French label No Format, is making his triumphant return to the stage in LA while François and his collective will unveil their unparalleled sound rich with lyrical, energetic Afropop and tight and catchy melodies, showcasing why they've become the first French band to sign to Domino Records.

Having secured the reputation to seamlessly bridge continents through song, the OohLaLA! Festival has efficaciously dazzled residents of the City of Angels, and now ready to expand beyond. San Francisco, Montreal and New York will all get their taste of international flavor as the OohLaLA! Festival makes its way to each city, showcasing the chic lineup of Citizens!, Housse de Racket, Lescop and Tomorrow's World, all presented by The Agency Group.

The OohLaLA! Festival was created in 2009 by Sylvain Taillet, a top A&R executive at the prestigious French record label Barclay/Universal Music France with the support of the French General Consulate in L.A. The Festival is honored to be sponsored by Air France US, Pernod-Ricard USA, TV5MONDE, FLAX (a Los Angeles-based foundation dedicated to fostering a better understanding of France through public and cultural art events that promote cross-cultural learning), SACEM (the French equivalent of ASCAP), as well as the Farmer's Daughter hotel and French kitchenware producer Mastrad.  

Institutional partners for OohLaLA! include Institut Francais (the French agency of the ministry of Foreign and European Affairs for International artistic exchange), French Bureau Export (financially supporting the artists to play this tour), and the French General Consulate in Los Angeles since the start of the project. Last but not least, Societe Perrier is offering promotional support in the US and Canada.

Thursday, October 11, 2012 // El Rey (Los Angeles, CA)
"Kitsuné Maison Night"
Tomorrow's World - Jb Dunckel (AIR) & Lou Hayter
Housse de Racket
Citizens!
Lescop

Friday, October 12, 2012 // El Rey (Los Angeles, CA)
-M-

Friday, October 12, 2012 // Rickshaw Stop (San Francisco, CA)
Tomorrow's World - Jb Dunckel (AIR) & Lou Hayter
Housse de Racket (Kitsuné)
Citizens! (Kitsuné)
Lescop (Pop Noire Records)

Saturday, October 13, 2012 // Club Nokia (Los Angeles, CA)
Nouvelle Vague

Saturday, October 13, 2012 // Satellite (Los Angeles, CA)
Chocolate Genius
François & The Atlas Mountains

Tuesday, October 16, 2012 // SAT (Montreal, Canada)
Tomorrow's World - Jb Dunckel (AIR) & Lou Hayter
Housse de Racket (Kitsuné)
Citizens! (Kitsuné)
Lescop (Pop Noire Records)

Wednesday, October 17, 2012 // Highline Ballroom (New York, NY)
Tomorrow's World - Jb Dunckel (AIR) & Lou Hayter
Housse de Racket (Kitsuné)
Citizens! (Kitsuné)
Lescop (Pop Noire Records)

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