FRENCH Side Story!

The final act of the year 2005 has now been performed. Punctuated with diverse scenarios, sometimes even disconcerting, that will obviously raise your interest, dear reader, but that are foretelling a very promising next season for the French Side Story.

Beyond the huge restraints that break us here in France : the difficulties to rent a location, a rising loss of the public which is somehow blasé, and the leaving of recognized party promoters, some persevering actors  are going on acting now and ever !

Indeed, more and more small parties are enjoying the party-goers and federalizing the community , but the main problem is still there : despite the courage of some promoters, the frequency and the quality of the parties went down for want of financial means, amateurism, and of course the loss of the public. If we can talk about persevering actors, it is because a general taking of consciousness that happened lately.

To understand better, let’s go back a few months before, following the heels of the French Side Story troupe. Even if we want to forget some regrettable episodes of the previous acts, it is useful for the recollection and the taking of consciousness to focus on the prominent acts like the episode of the Freaky Dragon festival, set up in May 2005, the first one for ages in France that has almost felt in because of a last minute retraction of the authorities, the episode of the Gaia party set up in June 2005, where a “welcome committee” more than repressive cost a lot to Gaia Concept, or a Mushroom event, subtitled “party from another world”, another world at the point that most of the artists announced were not there.. And we will pass on other crusty details that make the public slowly but surely deserting the parties.

Happily everything is not that dramatic. Another indicative act of changing : the Aqua-Veda festival in September 2005, that was promising good moments, with a varied line-up in an enchanting forested area, with a durable development friendly concept, the using of bio goods in the location and last but not least a professional event, was deserted by the French crowd while a lot of foreigners gathered there to party the end of the European festivals summer season. Same statement for the Hadra festival in a smaller scale, but that had to face a huge financial loss too. Same goes for the Psy Tawa around Toulouse that we hope to see again soon.

It was sad to establish that these troupes were about to give up, trying to get out of these financial pits. But not !! And that’s why it is good to note that collective taking of consciousness, because the public comes back, aware that it’s also up to it to make the things move on. The promoters are getting more professional, and it is easy to witness that most of them are giving a lot of their time and energy. We’re happy to know that, despite these failings, they are doing it again !  We could have witnessed that the Gaia party organized while the Techno Parade in Paris could gather an adequate amount of spectators. Also the announced parties are foretelling good things to take place venir (Gaia vs Neotek, Electrohm at Le Mans, Neo Tek Spirit, Body ‘n’ Mind in the south of France, Transubtil, Hadra, Aqua-Veda, Freaky Dragon, Trance Embarquement,  and so on).

When we talk about French scene, we can’t limit us to the public and the promoters, and it would be unthinkable not to quote one of our biggest pride : the artistic scene ! From both established and newcomers, we’re longing to listen the upcoming productions and releases of amongst others ALTÖM, PRINCIPLES OF FLIGHT, PHONIC REQUEST, XSI, SOLEAD (Motion & Triptych), DSENS, SILICON SOUND, EVEN 11 (Jaia & Silicon Sound), PHATMATIX, TRISKELL, DIGITAL TALK, HYPER FREQUENCIES, SHAGMA, PLASMOTEK, and so on.. And if the musicians are kicking, the labels “made in France” are not left in the lurch ! To quote some of them, TURBO TRANCE rec, MIND CONTROL rec, MANDALA  rec, MAHOGANY rec, HADRA rec, RED CELLS rec, and some of the newcomers : ADDIC SOUNDS rec, FAT FORM rec, SONIC MOTION rec, BUS rec will cook us some exciting stuff, not to forget the distributors FUGU SAN and TOPPLERS.

If we were talking about, in the beginning of this text, a promising next season, it is amongst others thanks to four good news that are likely to golden again the French coat of arms : the French Side Story will go on with the Freaky Dragon festival in May 2006, the Gaia Global Vision in June, the Hadra festival in July and a lovely summer closing by the Aqua-Veda team in September : Arcadia. Knowing the qualities and the engagement of these latters, we only can wish them the best, and hope for strong moments, in an atmosphere of an highly psychedelic year !!

Text by Miss Tick  -

translation by KakoOlalaJwal             

photo by Raphael Ragdam

photos by Mikael Desbois (2)