Nuits Sonores 2015

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  • Lyon, France's second largest city, sits on the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. Wherever you walk in the city's central neighbourhoods, you're never far away from catching the sun glistening off the water. Details like this, together with Lyon's many green open spaces, its world-famous gastronomie and abundance of very large industrial units, make it a wonderful location for a festival. The first time I walked from my hotel to Confluence, the area where the bulk of Nuits Sonores takes place, I was struck by how pleasant and picturesque it was. The sun was shining, people were sat drinking shop-bought beers by the river, and there was a nervous, excited energy in the air. Nuits Sonores turned 13 this year. Founded with the aim of reinvigorating the city's nightlife, the festival has a strong cultural edge to it. This is partly because of the myriad free events, workshops and talks that happen in the city as a result of the festival, but also because partying in Lyon just feels more sophisticated. The clientele are mostly young, French and effortlessly chic, and this year's two main locations—La Sucrière during the day and Ancien Marché de Gros at night—are both grand and laid out in such a way that nothing is ever stressful or difficult. The organisers describe Nuits Sonores as "a big festival on a human scale" and they're exactly right. You walk everywhere. Across the weekend, there was always space to dance, and I never waited more than a minute for the toilet or a beer (though at €7 a pint the prices were a little steep). As important as the little things are, it's the music that makes a festival. On Wednesday night, it was off to Ancien Marché de Gros for the first taste of the extensive lineup. The site was formerly a wholesale market and it is vast, made up of three rooms of varying sizes. The first port of call was the intimate Halle 3 for Insanlar, the Turkish group recently remixed by Ricardo Villalobos. Their psychedelic take on techno was flagrant and slyly infectious. The same can't be said of Voices Of The Lake, whose live show in Halle 2 felt dry and overtly functional by comparison. Halle 1, the largest and busiest of the arenas, was also the most spectacular, with crisp, thunderous sound embellished by a huge array of lights and 25 retractable disco balls, which hung suspended over the crowd. So immersive was the experience there, that I found myself hanging out even when the acts weren't exactly to my taste. Recondite's thumping melancholia, for example, sounded richer than I'd ever heard it. (That said, the stage's headliners and curators, Tale Of Us, still managed to sound dreary.) Away from the music, the site didn't offer much by way of distractions, but the one thing they did have was really cool. Raised on a three-metre high platform, a giant megaphone loomed over the concrete walkways. Revelers were invited up to sing/scream/whisper into the mic and see their voice projected as amorphous images onto the festival's main wall. It was a neat, artistic detail. Day two saw the first of three artist-led programs at La Sucrière, a former sugar factory on the banks of the Saône. Ben Klock went first, pulling together three stages of ambient, jungle, house and his own sleek techno. He churned out a characteristically tight and lively five-hour set, which might have felt at odds with the previous day's golden weather had there not been a storm brewing. For his last track, he dropped "Subzero" and the place went mental. Behind him, musicians from L'Ensemble Links took their seats and began trying to replicate the track with their instruments, while Klock edged down the volume on his mixer. It was ambitious, but it didn't really come off. That night, with Ancien Marché de Gros closed, the focus shifted onto Lyon's various bars and clubs, where 15 parties were programmed as part of Le Circuit. For obvious reasons, I spent my time at the RA x Nuits Sonores bash at Le Sucre, but there were plenty of other options besides (a party called Le Terminal: The New French Scene, or the chance to see Gerd Janson DJ at an Afrobeat party.) Where I was, Young Marco's joyful workouts were the highlight. The rain continued from Thursday afternoon through Friday, which put a dampener on John Talabot's day schedule. As it was, though, Joy Orbison indulged his jubilant side to a packed main room, before Talabot, late off the plane, took things in a broodier direction. Next door, a mix-up with the times meant that Niños Du Brasil were delayed and I ended up missing them. Things got considerably better that night. With the clouds clearing, I headed down early to catch Blue Daisy, an artist I was more curious than knowledgable about. Starting out hunched over his laptop in a hoody, the Londoner ended up topless in the crowd, screaming "We're all gonna die!" while aggressively rocking his entire body. I haven't seen a performance with that much raw energy in a long time. In Halle 1, RBMA were collaborating with Carl Craig's Detroit Love, and DJ Deep did a good job of keeping the room grooving when Moodymann was 30 minutes late. When he finally showed up, the masked renegade played a familiar but fun set of all his usual bits, including Nirvana, Depeche Mode and J-Dilla, plus the odd cheesy track ("Howling"). The sun really shone on the final Saturday. On-site, Jamie xx's London-focused curation offered up some of the weekend's top treats. Floating Points was masterful as ever, moving between Brazilian samba, house and Aphex Twin with aplomb. When the inevitable came, and he dropped his banger "Nuits Sonores," the floor erupted. Outside on the cute Esplanade stage, Principals trio Bradley Zero, Nic Tasker and Charles Drakeford played all-day long and their summery set was one of the weekend's best. For the latter part of their performance, a passing crowd gathered and danced on the other side of the festival fence. Bradley shouted them out, and everyone cheered. There was a strong French presence on the final night, which felt fitting. With Rone in Halle 2, it was left to Voiski and Laurent Garnier to close out the main stage. Watching Garnier close out an 8,000-strong arena on home turf was every bit the spectacle it was meant to be. For the most part, he played stadium tech house and techno, but delivered in a way that felt fresh and invigorating. He ended up running 30 minutes over, at which point the entire Nuits Sonores staff took to the stage and surrounded him, champagne bottles flailing. Garnier played "The Bells," then Oxia's "Domino" and with that the festival ended. In 2016, Nuits Sonores won't be able to use the Ancien Marché de Gros, which is being turned into offices for tech companies. In a cruel twist of fate, the gentrification the festival brought to Confluence is now pushing them out. The future of La Sucrière is also up in the air. But part of Nuits Sonores' MO, and one of the main reasons why it's so good, is that it has always embraced change. The organisers have switched venues countless times, so there's nothing to suggest that future editions—wherever they end up—won't be every bit as brilliant as this one. Photo credits: Anne Simonnot (River scene), Gaetan Clement (Ben Klock, Laurent Garnier), Nicolas Dartiailh (Blue Daisy), Kevin BUY (Moodymann)
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