Nina Las Vegas Guest Blog: Club Cheval
Photography by Yimmy Yayo.
DJ/Triple J presenter Nina Las Vegas has been travelling, so we asked her to keep a travel diary for us. This is her first entry. Enjoy!
While in France (and for a couple of hours in Belgium), I hung out with Club Cheval.
Comprising of hometown-connected-friends turned music-producers-slash-DJs; the group warmly welcomed (our wonderful contributing) photographer Yimmy Yayo and I into their new studio.
Forming around March 2009, Club Cheval is made up of four energetic French producers: Canblaster, Myd, Panteros666 & Sam Tiba. Each member brings something different to the collective, be it a passion for 90s trance chords, drumming skills, video production experience or an impressive knowledge of Miami bass music — it’s no surprise that when they work together their sound is distinctive and exciting.
Currently residing in a building filled with half the Parisian club scene (Boston Bun, Busy P and the like), their immediate physical environment oozed originality and creativity.
Filled with synths, computers, MIDI controllers, travel souvenirs, bright wallpaper, trophies and a framed picture of a hand-drawn banana smoking a joint (no lie), we arrived to find the guys busy preparing for a gig filled weekend.
Club Cheval have just begun a crazy busy touring schedule throughout the European summer and all four of them will appear together at each gig.
The video for their latest single on Brodinski’s Bromance Records, 'Now U Realize', also reflects this season’s brotherly vibe. Rather intensely too, with the boys appearing on screen as one alongside a of hell of a lot of dance royalty cameos (shout outs to Annie Mac, Surkin, Brodinski and more!).
The clip dropped while I was in Paris and it's super creepy, yet weirdly engrossing. I'd know, too — I’ve watched it at least eleven times since:
Written and composed by Quentin Lepoutre, Cédric Steffens, Samuel Tiba and Victor Watel.
"'Now U Realize' is our first track as a group, a trancy combination of the influences and talents of the four of us. Club Cheval can now be considered more like a four-headed hybrid robot developed with four different – but connected – brains." — Club Cheval.
Unity aside, I still get excited about what each of the guys have done (and will be doing) as individuals. For example, Myd's 2009 topical house jam, 'Train to Bamako', is still a favourite of mine. Sam Tiba opened up an entire of movement to me through his Jersey Club mix for Pelican Fly.
Red Bull Music Academy alumnus Canblaster’s production is downright flawless, and Panteros666’s original music aside, he’s one of the few people that make me want to improve my French — he hosts Vice's Guide To Festivals, and I’m dying to laugh along with the thousands of channel subscribers. Oh, and he directs music clips too. With Myd. #obviously
The following Saturday I jumped on a train to Brussels and witnessed their impressive MPC and 3 x CDJ2000 setup, flawless mixing and forward thinking, trademark sound in front of a heaving tent at Dour Festival. Fan girl, much? Probably, but it’s valid. Club Cheval (which translated means club horses) are pushing new and exciting club sounds, reminding why the French really are the pioneers of dance music.
Between now and when they debut in Australia on the Stereosonic lineup alongside label mates Brodinski and Gesaffelstein, the four guys will keep busy playing around Europe and the rest of the world, writing new music and remixes (another Club Cheval EP is on the way), producing video clips and collecting toys for their playroom AKA their studio.
STEREOSONIC 2012 NATIONAL TOUR DATES
Saturday Nov 24 – SYDNEY – Homebush 12pm-11pm
Sunday Nov 25 – PERTH - Claremont Showground (subject to council approval) 12pm-10pm
Saturday Dec 1 – ADELAIDE - Bonython Park 12pm-10pm
Saturday Dec 1 – MELBOURNE - Melbourne Showgrounds 12pm-10pm
Sunday 2nd Dec – BRISBANE - RNA Showgrounds 12pm -10pm
Nina Las Vegas' two-disc mix of party jams, Triple J House Party, will be released both in stores and online on August 3. Cast your eyes beneath the poster for the full track listing!
CD1:
1. Parachute Youth - Can’t Get Better Than This
2. The 2 Bears - Bear Hug
3. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Tapes & Money
4. The Chemical Brothers - Do It Again
5. Nero - Must Be The Feeling
6. Afrojack & Steve Aoki feat. Miss Palmer - No Beef (Radio Edit)
7. Knife Party - Internet Friends
8. Flux Pavilion - Daydreamer (feat. Example) (Jack Beats Remix)
9. Ladyhawke - Sunday Drive (Gigamesh Remix)
10. Van She - Idea Of Happiness (What So Not Remix)
11. Sinden - Keep It 1000
12. Miike Snow - Paddling Out
13. Gerling - Dust Me Selecta
14. Mr Little Jeans - Runaway (Yelle DJs Remix by TEPR)
15. Friends - Friend Crush (Jake Bullit Remix)
16. The Whip - Secret Weapon (Alex Metric Remix)
17. The Presets - Talk Like That (Jence Remix)
CD2:
1. Hilltop Hoods - Rattling The Keys To The Kingdom
2. M.I.A. - Bad Girls
3. dead prez - Hip Hop
4. Hermitude - HyperParadise (Flume Remix)
5. Electric Guest - This Head I Hold
6. A$AP Rocky - Goldie
7. Urthboy Feat. Daniel Merriweather - Naïve Bravado
8. Missy Elliott - Get Ur Freak On
9. 360 - Child
10. Diplo feat. Flinch & Kay - No Problem
11. Django Django - Default
12. The Rapture - Get Myself Into It
13. YACHT - Le Goudron
14. Twinsy - Water Bombs
15. The Temper Trap - Need Your Love (Fort Romeau Remix)
16. Beni Feat. Prince Terrence - Last Night
17. Hot Chip - Night and Day (Daphni Mix)
18. LCD Soundsystem - Daft Punk Is Playing At My House
