Concert information

Review

Imagine yourself in the center of the mythical Bataclan concert hall, full to the brim and ready to bounce to the sweet groove of General Elektriks aka RV Salters, with his keyboards and dream team cast onstage (Sébastien Martel, Jessie Chaton, Norbert Lucarain and Eric Starczan). This concert was of such a funky and groovy awesome power: RV is crazy onstage! He jumps and dances, playing the keys and slapping the notes with such a disconcerting dexterity.

Living in San Fran and hangin with the Quannum crew (Blackalicious, DJ Vadim...) and doing keyboards for THe Mighty Underdogs (for example) can only make this frenchy one of the best french artists of the moment!

A must see concert.

Photo credits: thanks to our friend Kmeron

Artist

General Elektriks

General Elektriks is the brainchild of Hervé RV Salters. A French national and a keen vintage keyboard player, Salters was playing keys for his bands and for various artists in Paris (Femi Kuti, M, DJ Mehdi etc ) before he moved to San Francisco in 1999.

He sarted working on funk collages as he was moving to the US, using his favorite keyboards, a computer and a mic. GE became a musical journal that followed RV through his move to Seattle, then back to the Bay Area, in Berkeley, where he currently resides. There, he hooked up with the Quannum crew (Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, DJ Shadow ) and started sessioning for them. He invited Quannum s own Lateef The Truthspeaker and Chief Xcel on a few tracks, then completed the 1st GE album, Cliquety Kliqk. Hailed by URB as Ennio Morricone for the 21st century, the album is a far out mix of vintage funk, hip hop beats, noir riffs, cinematic arrangements, pop melodies and digital twinkle.

After touring behind the album, Salters joined Blackalicious in the studio to work on The Craft and toured with them for over a year. Concurrently, he formed San Francisco trio Honeycut with singer Bart Davenport and drummer/programmer Tony Sevener. Quannum Projects released their critically acclaimed 1st album, The Day I Turned To Glass, in 2006. As he was touring with Honeycut and laying keys down for more artists (Lifesavas, Curumin,, Jel, The Mighty Underdogs, etc ), Salters started working on a second GE effort. Good city for dreamers was completed in the fall of 2008. On 'Good City,' RV whips up his own take on psychedelia, one where future soul, oldschool pop, sampling, indie rock, hip hop and free jazz make sparkles as they collide. In doing so, the French expatriate joins the growing ranks of artists who are citizens of the world, nomads who create a sonic landscape that feeds as much on their origins as it does on their travels.

more>>>

Label

Discograph

French label that started in February 1998 for "the development of French electronic music". Through its distribution division, French artists that otherwise would only be known in France, are now known throughout the world. They have moved from their French house origins to now include jazz, world music, pop and rock.

more>>>

Venue

Le Bataclan

The Bataclan, a huge 19th century chinese pagoda in the heart of Paris, is a reference in the entertainment biz, from big-name concerts in the main room to club nights in the upstairs hall. Personally i'll never forget (re)discovering The Roots in 2007. FYI, the name of the venue references Offenbach's operette "Ba-Ta-Clan". After various changes in ownership & format (from cinema to theater etc.), the Bataclan is a definite must-see for music fans. Good sound, good shows. Too bad the old rooftop pagoda isn't with us anymore.

more>>>

Promoter

3C Tour

3C est une entreprise qui organise et produit des tournées de groupes français et étrangers. Elle développe et gère la carrière des artistes en étroite collaboration avec tous leurs partenaires : maisons de disques, éditeurs, promoteurs…
Fondée en 1994 par Véronique Clémot et Christophe Bosq, 3C est aujourd’hui une SARL pour laquelle travaillent dix personnes. Les bureaux sont situés dans deux villes différentes. Le siège social et le pôle administratif se trouvent à Angers et l’organisation des tournées à Bordeaux

more>>>

Styles

• Funk/soul
• Rock
• Indie Rock

Sounds like

Money Mark, Sporto Kantes, Troublemakers