L'Impératrice

In a time when the mainstream charts are dominated by hip-hop, L’Impératrice offer a nice alternative: a trip back to the seventies and eighties, in a dark, mysterious club, illuminated by disco balls and sequined dresses. One girl and five boys make up this collective of musicians from Paris. Guitarist Achille Trocellier and bassist David Gaugué are definitely cornerstones in the band’s search for groovy rhythms, reminiscent of Chic. Two keyboardists join them in this hedonistic party, adding entrancing, synthetic melodies played with vintage equipment. Disco and funk come back to life in the hands of these agile performers. Whoever said that nostalgia was boring? L’impératrice proves them wrong.

Since their early days in 2012, L’Impératrice (‘The Empress’ in the language of Nile Rodgers) has tried to create music that is elegant and cosmic, paired with intriguing lyrics. They have toured a lot and built quite a reputation for entrancing live shows. Their current tour will lead them to the prestigious Olympia music hall in Paris, where they will play two gigs in January 2019. Until then, we will keep on listening to their debut album, Matahari, which they released in March 2018 — a sensual collection of neo-disco songs from another era, including hints at the French Touch movement and retro soundtracks. They recorded this first album at Studios Ferber with French producer Renaud Letang (Manu Chao, Feist, Chilly Gonzales…), who managed to pinpoint their passion for undulating rhythms and glittery tunes. The beat goes on.