- Though less adventurous than past editions, this year's Villette Sonique was still an exciting offering. The pre-opening night at la Cité de la Musique launched the series on a somewhat polite but satisfying note: the Lune Argent Ensemble was an all-star cast of Parisian acts, including Zombie Zombie, Turzi and Joakim. Led by Etienne Jaumet and joined by a handful of extra musicians, the 11-member troop ventured into epic synth-fueled rock suites, some verging towards techno, others towards jazz. The exercise proved spectacular (thanks in part to a dazzling light show) and showed a strong sense of musicianship but sometimes felt a bit pompous and over-the-top. Neu!'s Michael Rother followed with a band of young Germans who made the krautrock sound their own. The relentless and metronomic beat coupled with the typically naive and serene melodic lines sounded surprisingly fresh in spite of Neu!'s legendary sense of economy.
Rougher sounds could be heard a week later at Wip, a new venue that was perfectly suited for what ended up being the peak of the festival. In Paradisium, a crew that supports industrial-leaning techno in Paris, built the lineup together with Vilette Sonique. French newcomer Somaticae discarded the goth tones of his recent (and brilliant) first album to deliver an incredibly mature live set. The most anticipated name that night was Vatican Shadow, whose performance lay somewhere between a cathartic mind-fuck and a playful charade. Over about 40 minutes, we witnessed a possessed Dominik Fernow having bouts of theatrical madness, going on and off the stage for no reason, playing his own brutal tracks but suddenly skipping through them once he felt bored. Supported by a brilliant video made of press excerpts about death, terrorism and conspiracy, his live set embodied the confrontation at the heart of industrial techno.
The Cómeme label night that followed felt like light entertainment in comparison, but proved Matias Aguayo and Gary Pimiento's outfit is still relevant. Daniel Maloso's lo-fi disco established a good-natured atmosphere and breathed some humor onto the dance floor. Aguayo's appearance, his first here in quite a while (he used to live and perform a lot in Paris), felt like a homecoming. Still as playful and warm as ever, the Chilean artist teased the audience in French ("you want some MINIMAL don't you?"), favored live vocals over samples and showcased his rather odd new LP, The Visitor.
Decent weather graced the festival's last day, allowing the free outdoor gigs to take place. Mykki Blanco surprised everyone with his gender-bending, poignant and mature performance. Daphni merely went through the motions during his uninspired DJ set. Apparently crippled by some sound system issues, TNGHT turned out to be the worst performance of the weekend. A weak way to close a festival that otherwise had its share of strong points.