Soundclouds of the Underground: La Vie Française Edition

ABOVE: AGLORY

These days, music truly lives online, with an infinite number of websites dedicated to hosting tunes for the laptop-wielding masses. However, the web’s bottomless pit of blogs isn’t the only place to troll for mp3 treasures—some of the newest and most exciting (Internet-friendly) artists can be sought out via Soundcloud, the online stage that allows musicians to promote and distribute their music to fans and friends across the globe. In this weekly column, expert Internet sleuth Alex Chapman goes into the depths of the music-sharing site, in hopes of shedding light on emerging acts, as well as sharing some digital diamonds in the rough.

When it comes to dance music, the French know what they’re doing. If you’re like us, you’ve likely went through a phase as a bass-thumping Francophile: there was the Ed Banger wave when Justice, Busy P and co. reigned supreme, the many phases of Daft Punk and French house, and plenty more artists that have fallen somewhere on the spectrum. We decided to do some digging and uncover some of the most exciting emerging producers in France (Paris, to be exact). Check them out below.

AlunaGeorge x Tchami: “You Know You Like It”

Who: Paris-born producer Tchami might be known to some soundcloud-lurkers for his pulsing power jam “Shot Caller” off the Clubhouse EP with Fool’s Gold. The talent’s hyper-catchy house melodies are ideal for the dance floor, hitting hard and cutting deep.

Song: Tchami takes the AlunaGeorge favorite and spins it on its head, churning a sensual, bass-heavy club banger with a wild synth melody to boot. Tchami doesn’t do much to alter the vocal melodies of the verse, but instead creates a new and much darker soundscape surrounding the original.

Current Project: Keep up with Tchami via his Facebook page.

Saint & Aglory: “Moroccan Candy”

Who: Anthony and Geoffray make up Aglory, a production duo that deals out (for the most part) inventive trap: “Chromaggus” introduces strange, dark echoes before transforming into a wailing synth and big clap, “V” sounds like a trap remix of the musical STOMP,  and “Topless” forgoes a typical drop for a rattling rumble of drums and cut-up samples.

Song: The duo teamed up with LA’s Saint for a recently released EP, which features the trap/Arabic/Moroccan music hybrid “Alhambra” (as well as the equally distinct “Moroccan Candy“). The track takes on the typical weight of a big trap beat, but the idiosyncrasies stemming from the EP’s atypical influence are what make the track stand out.

Current Project: Learn more about the guys by checking out their Facebook page.

Dream Koala: “Ocean” (feat Soko)

Who: 19 year-old Yndi Ferreira (born to Brazilian parents and raised in Paris) is Dream Koala, a producer and singer whose fluttering falsetto fits perfectly over his tracks, which tend to be a combination of hallucinatory indie pop and ambient hip-hop. His remix work is clutch (see his serene take on The 1975’s “Is There Somebody”), but it’s his original material that truly shines.

Song:  “Ocean” is not, by any means, dance music, but Ferreira knows how to create a groove. Here he makes a subtle, hypnotizing beat heavy with guitars and featuring a spoken word portion by Soko. “How long was I sleeping? Hours?” She asks. A sure reaction to the entrancing sounds of Dream Koala.

Current Project: DK has been playing shows and releasing music-keep up with it all on his Facebook page.

Soundclouds of the Underground runs every Thursday. For more, click here.