Soon it will have been six months since a first assessment of the distribution of contemporary music in Nice was made during the first edition of “Nice Tour de Scènes.” Six months during which grievances were voiced, proposals made, but above all, during which the same shortcomings, criticized during the first edition of the festival, continued to hinder local artistic and sociocultural development.
However, everyone in Nice has been able to witness the musical excitement that marked the year 2006: new events, new audiences, new musical trends. Associative initiatives such as the Nice Tour de Scènes Festival 2006, Nu-Ziq, concerts at the Théâtre de verdure and the 700-seat hall at Nikaïa, as well as the Plages Electroniques in Cannes, were successful both with the public and the media. Private venues have mainly programmed groups and artists from the Nice area, proof of the existence of artistic and professional maturity.
Thus, the findings made in 2006, initially before the first edition of Nice Tour de Scènes, are still relevant. The Nice paradox, which suggests that there is an extraordinary cultural potential scandalously hindered by the lack of venues and distribution means (concert halls, sound and lighting equipment, support mechanisms for the distribution and promotion of contemporary music, etc.), remains as pronounced as ever.
Since March and the end of the first edition of the festival, the Municipality has revised its plans regarding the arrangement of Halle Spada: within a few years, we will find there an auditorium originally planned, as well as a multipurpose hall for live performances and concerts. Dialogue with institutions is thus maintained, but we remain focused on our goal: the establishment of a complex dedicated to contemporary music, managed jointly between institutions and the local associative network.
October will therefore be an opportunity to re-engage the stakeholders of Contemporary Music for a second “Tour de Scènes.” A “Tour 2 Scènes” with distinctly local colors, to showcase the quality and diversity of a Nice scene on the path to professionalization. Scheduled groups, festival hosting venues, volunteers—all participate in the Festival in solidarity with the Collective’s claims, and because they too fight throughout the year for better distribution of Contemporary Music. The objective and framework for this second edition are therefore elsewhere, as this time it will be the “private” distribution venues (pubs, bars, …) hosting contemporary music from the Azure.
Thus, the name “Festival Nice Tour de Scènes” becomes the trademark of the Collective and the concrete expression of its cultural and civic commitment.
• Wednesday, October 25
7:30 PM to 10:00 PM Local des Diables Bleus Presented by Boulega ti Paf: Donation, be generous!
[cougourdenasquee@no-log.org]
– Jukurparvati: Indian and Australian voyages (Band) >> Nice
Music fusing instruments from India, Africa, and Australia, with tabla, didgeridoos, Peul flute, hang…Dinner from 7:30 PM and concert at 8:30 PM.
29 route de Turin (Extension of Avenue de la République, after SNCF Bridge)
9:00 PM to 2:30 AM Pub Les 2 frères Presented by Panda06 Paf: 3 euros
[panda06prod@hotmail.com]
– Bobo Tempo [Justement Music / China bpm]: massive breaks (Live act) >> Nice
DJ since 1993, Bobo Tempo aka DJ Alex Da has played with some big names like Adam-F, Shy Fx, Le Peuple de l’herbe, Agoria. Member of the TMC collective, he is currently working on a live act with Kostia and Sir Jean de Meï Teï Sho or MC Jamalski.
– Phb [United Drum]: latino/liquid beats (Mix set) >> Nice
Founder of the United Drum collective with Kalista and Vag, Phb offers a delicate drum’n’bass, where Brazilian “warmth” meets the old-school groove of a well-crafted mix, bordering on composition. Sex, Samba & Drum’n’Bass: “caliente attitude”!
• Thursday, October 26
12:00 AM to 5:00 AM Le Subway Presented by Fonetiq & Under the Pebbles…the Sound! Paf: 5 euros
[www.fonetiq.org](http://www.fonetiq.org) / [www.myspace.com/bouillaprod](http://www.myspace.com/bouillaprod)
– Topher [Outbreaks]: break (Live act) >> Nice
Co-founder of France Techno in 1996, Topher is one of the pioneers of the “lap top” movement, developing his own plug-ins not found online. He also founded the Nice collective “Outbreaks!” with K 21, dedicated to experimental electronic music.
[www.myspace.com/topheecheesecake](http://www.myspace.com/topheecheesecake)
– Z.Lab [Deontologie]: experimental break (Live act) >> Nice
Producer, composer, musician, graphic designer, Z.Lab favors the meeting of artistic disciplines, drawing from fifteen years of musical research in all directions. His installations combine exhib- performances and original and offbeat electronic creations.
[z.lab.free.fr](http://z.lab.free.fr)
– Stikytox [Revelation / Y Rec.]: breakbeat (Live act) >> Nice
Quintessential dark artist, Stikytox began with SSP of Fréjus in ’97 with DJ Zool and Fabio. He played with major figures of the moment, including Manu le Malin, Micropoint, Joshua…and participated in the Epileptik Tour in 2004.
– Mr. Porc [Revelation]: hardcore (Live act) >> Nice
Seven years of throwing truly fierce sound on local sound systems. And it continues: Mr. Porc is preparing his first vinyl for Revelation very soon, while waiting for the birth of his own label, dedicated to speedcore!
– Puppets Surprise! by Titan and his crew
• Friday, October 27
9:30 PM to 2:30 AM Le Staccato Presented by the Collective for a Concert Hall in Nice Paf: 3 euros
[www.salledeconcert.com](http://www.salledeconcert.com)
– Les Arbres Qui Marchent [pachamamaproject.org]: Ambient (Live Act) >> Nice
Alliance of technology and life, Les arbres qui marchent draw inspiration from nature and tap into its essence for their sound material. Once extracted, this sap is distilled in machines that provide the rhythm necessary for a meditative and pulsating exploration.
www.pachamamaproject.org
– Romten: dub’n’bass (Live Act) >> Nice
After several years of working on the interactions between home/machine, Romten reveals the fruits of this research in a live performance with a clear sound, an expert mixture of dub, breakbeat and drum’n’bass, all punctuated by a few feathery notes of the flute.
• Saturday, October 28
9:00 PM to 2:30 AM Pub Les 2 frères Presented by Yéarts Paf: 3 euros
[assoyearts@unsu.com]
– Selecta Popa Orego: ragga, dancehall (Mix set) >> Nice
In the ’90s, Popa Orego created with his cousin the famous Parisian sound system “Jah works”. Since then, he has multiplied studio recordings with the biggest Jamaican singers for his ragga-dancehall dubplate series.
– Selekta Polak: ragga, dancehall (Mix set) >> Nice
Member of the 06 Dancehall scene for several years, Selekta Polak makes us groove to the most popular Jamaican rhythms.
