Photo by Sarah FouassierWe owe more then a few things to the French. They gave us champagne, the metric system, baguettes, the modern pencil, and, of course, Daft Punk. Beyond those helpful and/or delicious technological innovations, the French have birthed some of the best and brightest that electronic music has to offer, from the sultry house grooves of Fred Falke, Alan Braxe, Breakbot and Laurent Garnier to the gritty techno and electro of Gesaffelstein, Brodinski, and Justice to the more commercial offerings of David Guetta, Martin Solveig, and Bob Sinclair.When most people think of partying en français, their minds will inevitably turn to Paris, but let us not overlook Lyon, the third most populous city in France. Lyon is a beautiful city with the requisite museums, restaurants, and architecture to run with the best of them, but what you might not know is that it also has a thriving electronic music culture that's growing by the day.Recently I got the chance to talk with a French lad by the name of Quentin Moskovtchenko who last month opened up the Groovedge record shop in Lyon. This shop, which also houses a DJ collective and record label, is as much a clubhouse as it is a retail outlet—boasting open decks on Saturday afternoons and "Sunday chill-out sessions" where the city's DJ community can grow roots.I talked to Quentin about the realities of running a record shop, about his most ambitious pipedreams, and about the electronic music scene in his hometown of Lyon. He also included a list of favorite tracks that have given him inspiration in building and maintaining what promises to be one of the best record shops in all of France. Voilá!THUMP: Tell me a little bit about your relationship with music and DJing growing up in Lyon. What's the scene like there?
Quentin Moskovtchenko: Music is omnipresent in the city and musicians are everywhere, so we really are linked with music each and every day. You also must know that Lyon orginally had one of the most productive scenes in all of France—electronic music was very important before the year 2000. Since then, record stores have opened and closed constantly but the scene has really been buzzing again over the last four years! Collectives are putting forth their vibes all over the city; some of them just organize club nights, others transform private flats with parties, and there's constantly music in various buildings, on the street, and in a lot of other places.Nuits Sonores is one if the biggest European electronic festivals and really helps to further the overall scene in the city. Electronic music and DJ culture has really become on of the biggest musical scenes in the city and newcomers are popping up each and everyday. Groovedge is here to help these people push the scene forward to new heights!
Photo by Marion Nigoghossian for Le Mauvais CotonAre there good clubs around the city? What's the nightlife like?
Clubs, clubs, and more clubs. There also is a jazz venue, Hotclub; a reggae outpost, Les Valseuses; Le Periscope is more of a fusion club, and the list goes on. But electronic clubs are the main offering in Lyon. Club Transbo is the more rave-ish spot. Le Sucre is is the big posh club. Ambassade is the disco, hip-hop, house music church of Lyon. But there are also some great more intimate clubs like Terminal or DV1! You could easily go partying from Thursday to Sunday in this city and the options and offerings are becoming much better year after year. Lyon is a city enjoyed most by night!What were some early styles and DJs that you liked and who are some your French DJ heroes? What do you think of the electronic scene in America compared to France?
We mostly like house and old-school techno and all the roots that are found in these two styles: jazz, soul, funk, disco, reggae, dub… you get the idea! The one and only DJ who is able to perfectly mix together all of these sub-genres is is Sacha Mambo aka MZKBX, who is running his own record label Macadam Mambo. He is from our city and is our godfather! American producers and DJs invented most of the electronic music we listen to, and Europe just kind of stole some of those ideas and made it into our own similar style. Right now, the European scene is what's most exciting to us. There's proof: so many America DJs want to come play here in France!
When did the idea come up for Groovedge come about? Tell me a bit about the shop and the label? What is the overall vision for the shop?
Groovedge lived on the dark side of the moon for a long time, and we only recently made this dream a reality. We are a small family business and we like it that way. We started putting our collection of records together throughout the last winter and began forming a collective. We were moving from one venue to another, inviting different artists to play. We did it with friends and met people along the way who were producing music—it was all really natural. The idea of the label was born before the real shop came into existence, but we created the shop with this vision in mind. We are not in a rush. We take time to do it like we want. We want to manage people in their own way and not in the "big business way." The shop is also an exchange place; you can come in to buy records but also can meet that person who has that piece of hardware that you've been searcing for throughout the last year. Then maybe you can go to his or her studio to produce with them.To my understanding, there are not many record shops in Lyon right?
There are less than 10 record stores in the town but they are all super specific to certain genres. Buffet Froid (translation: Cold Buffet) is where you can find experimental and breakbeat, Sofa is more about world and jazz music, while Dangerhouse is definitely the place for rock music. We tend to carry music in a more general sense; we care a lot about the story and history of each record but we don't just want to focus on one side of music. We are the electronic generation but we know that there's so much history from what came before us; we are here trying to continue the story and are doing so by spreading the love for great music. It's a full circle!
It seems to me like the shop is very unique in that people can go in and test equipment and practice their spinning. Do you ever coach people in the shop?
Yeah! We aspire to be one of those meeting grounds for musicians and DJs where experts and beginners can both go and exchange music and tips with each other. We sell all sorts of electronic equipment as well as records. Everything from turntables to beatboxes, synthesizers, modulators and a lot more. Some things are brand new, others are secondhand so people can come in and try them live in the shop.We also organize open decks every Saturday. It really is best to practice having people spinning around you. It definitely is better than spinning alone in your room, garage or basement! We also invite people to come play sets in the shop. We had the opportunity to have Chicago newcomer and Smart Bar resident Garrett David, Swedish kings Frak, local heroes like Wild Aspect, MZKBX, Aphotic People, Perrine, and Nyco since the opening, which was only three weeks ago. And that's just the beginning—we have a lot of big plans ahead.What's the Sunday chill-out session?
We like Sundays here in Lyon! People are relaxed after their weekend and it's definitely the best mood of the week. We want help increase these chilled-out vibes even more by putting on some sort of live show, often with everything from experimental music to offbeat, jazz, reggae or hip-hop. This is a free-format day were we can just have fun, relax, and experiment a bit. What else? It's tea time!
Are you looking to discover up-and-coming DJs through the shop?
That's our mission, dude! Our first ambition above all is to promote local producers and their records. Of course we will help push the work of bigger names if we like their music but are also really excited about helping to discover up-and-comers to help them get to where they want to be. We did this for Aphotic People and Feivo and will continue to do so as long as we can. We are a collective, label, and family. We all help each other.
The French scene is exciting and repulsive at the same time. Some people are doing it right, others are doing it because it's the cool thing to do. As they say at Nike, "Just do it." People will know quickly who are the people doing it for real and who is not. People pretend but everyone knows who these people are.Is the Lyon scene a small DJ community? Does everyone know everyone?
You got it! It's a big little city. People know each other and there's more of a human exchange compared to Paris. Lyon is the best of both worlds, and the best place to shake your body shaker!
Check out more from Groovedge:
https://twitter.com/groovedge_labs
https://www.facebook.com/groovedge.posse
https://www.facebook.com/groovedgemusic
https://www.groovedge.com
https://soundcloud.com/groovedge David loves Lyon and once got slapped in the face by a Parisian. True story. - @DLgarber
Advertisement
Quentin Moskovtchenko: Music is omnipresent in the city and musicians are everywhere, so we really are linked with music each and every day. You also must know that Lyon orginally had one of the most productive scenes in all of France—electronic music was very important before the year 2000. Since then, record stores have opened and closed constantly but the scene has really been buzzing again over the last four years! Collectives are putting forth their vibes all over the city; some of them just organize club nights, others transform private flats with parties, and there's constantly music in various buildings, on the street, and in a lot of other places.
Advertisement
Clubs, clubs, and more clubs. There also is a jazz venue, Hotclub; a reggae outpost, Les Valseuses; Le Periscope is more of a fusion club, and the list goes on. But electronic clubs are the main offering in Lyon. Club Transbo is the more rave-ish spot. Le Sucre is is the big posh club. Ambassade is the disco, hip-hop, house music church of Lyon. But there are also some great more intimate clubs like Terminal or DV1! You could easily go partying from Thursday to Sunday in this city and the options and offerings are becoming much better year after year. Lyon is a city enjoyed most by night!What were some early styles and DJs that you liked and who are some your French DJ heroes? What do you think of the electronic scene in America compared to France?
We mostly like house and old-school techno and all the roots that are found in these two styles: jazz, soul, funk, disco, reggae, dub… you get the idea! The one and only DJ who is able to perfectly mix together all of these sub-genres is is Sacha Mambo aka MZKBX, who is running his own record label Macadam Mambo. He is from our city and is our godfather! American producers and DJs invented most of the electronic music we listen to, and Europe just kind of stole some of those ideas and made it into our own similar style. Right now, the European scene is what's most exciting to us. There's proof: so many America DJs want to come play here in France!
Advertisement
Groovedge lived on the dark side of the moon for a long time, and we only recently made this dream a reality. We are a small family business and we like it that way. We started putting our collection of records together throughout the last winter and began forming a collective. We were moving from one venue to another, inviting different artists to play. We did it with friends and met people along the way who were producing music—it was all really natural. The idea of the label was born before the real shop came into existence, but we created the shop with this vision in mind. We are not in a rush. We take time to do it like we want. We want to manage people in their own way and not in the "big business way." The shop is also an exchange place; you can come in to buy records but also can meet that person who has that piece of hardware that you've been searcing for throughout the last year. Then maybe you can go to his or her studio to produce with them.To my understanding, there are not many record shops in Lyon right?
There are less than 10 record stores in the town but they are all super specific to certain genres. Buffet Froid (translation: Cold Buffet) is where you can find experimental and breakbeat, Sofa is more about world and jazz music, while Dangerhouse is definitely the place for rock music. We tend to carry music in a more general sense; we care a lot about the story and history of each record but we don't just want to focus on one side of music. We are the electronic generation but we know that there's so much history from what came before us; we are here trying to continue the story and are doing so by spreading the love for great music. It's a full circle!
Advertisement
Yeah! We aspire to be one of those meeting grounds for musicians and DJs where experts and beginners can both go and exchange music and tips with each other. We sell all sorts of electronic equipment as well as records. Everything from turntables to beatboxes, synthesizers, modulators and a lot more. Some things are brand new, others are secondhand so people can come in and try them live in the shop.We also organize open decks every Saturday. It really is best to practice having people spinning around you. It definitely is better than spinning alone in your room, garage or basement! We also invite people to come play sets in the shop. We had the opportunity to have Chicago newcomer and Smart Bar resident Garrett David, Swedish kings Frak, local heroes like Wild Aspect, MZKBX, Aphotic People, Perrine, and Nyco since the opening, which was only three weeks ago. And that's just the beginning—we have a lot of big plans ahead.What's the Sunday chill-out session?
We like Sundays here in Lyon! People are relaxed after their weekend and it's definitely the best mood of the week. We want help increase these chilled-out vibes even more by putting on some sort of live show, often with everything from experimental music to offbeat, jazz, reggae or hip-hop. This is a free-format day were we can just have fun, relax, and experiment a bit. What else? It's tea time!
Advertisement
That's our mission, dude! Our first ambition above all is to promote local producers and their records. Of course we will help push the work of bigger names if we like their music but are also really excited about helping to discover up-and-comers to help them get to where they want to be. We did this for Aphotic People and Feivo and will continue to do so as long as we can. We are a collective, label, and family. We all help each other.
What are some misconceptions about French electronic music that bug you?
The French scene is exciting and repulsive at the same time. Some people are doing it right, others are doing it because it's the cool thing to do. As they say at Nike, "Just do it." People will know quickly who are the people doing it for real and who is not. People pretend but everyone knows who these people are.Is the Lyon scene a small DJ community? Does everyone know everyone?
You got it! It's a big little city. People know each other and there's more of a human exchange compared to Paris. Lyon is the best of both worlds, and the best place to shake your body shaker!
https://twitter.com/groovedge_labs
https://www.facebook.com/groovedge.posse
https://www.facebook.com/groovedgemusic
https://www.groovedge.com
https://soundcloud.com/groovedge David loves Lyon and once got slapped in the face by a Parisian. True story. - @DLgarber