“It was like a heart attack,” she said, after searching for the right English words to describe how it felt when the band’s sound came together. Group members, said ZoÃ©, share a passion for manouche (Gypsy-style) jazz and the more contemporary styles of electro, house, dub and hip-hop. And it was difficult to find anyone to invest money in the album. “Before people could buy the album it was done for maybe three years.

“Like a submarine, it was a long time behind the scenes,” she observed. release shortly after the Ann Arbor show.Īlthough the band seems to have caught on in Europe rather quickly, ZoÃ© said that’s not really the case. We mix electronic performance with machine and computers and real instruments.”Ĭaravan Palace performing “Ended with the Night“ live:Ĭaravan Palace’s self-titled CD was released in France in 2008, preceded by the single “Jolie Coquine” and followed by the equally infectious “Suzy.” Video clips for both these tunes, available on YouTube, show the band sporting a 1940s fashion sense (Parisian proto-punk?), an eye for the visual, and a compelling beat that dares listeners not to dance. “If I had to explain the sound of our music, I would say a mix between old, like swing and jazz, and also Gypsy jazz, mixed with new sounds or house music or electronic,” she said. Aficionados of the movie “The Triplets of Belleville” will instantly recognize this style of music, which has been taken to a new level with the addition of hot electronic beats.Ĭaravan Palace consists of Charles Delaporte (bass, programming), Arnaud Vial (guitar, programming), Hugues Payen (violin, programming), Colotis ZoÃ© (vocals), Antoine Toustou (electronics, trombone) and Chapi (clarinet).Ī caught up with ZoÃ© by phone one afternoon recently, while she was shopping in Paris. With such disparate influences, it's not surprising Caravan Palace’s live shows attract club kids and swing-jazz fans alike. The electro-swing sextet from Paris - with violin, double bass, guitar, clarinet and trombone, driven by dance-club beats and electro-scat vocals - plays Saturday night, July 3 at Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre as part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival.Ĭaravan Palace’s most obvious influence is Django Reinhardt however, its members are also inspired by French electronic music artist Vitalic, American jazz icon Cab Calloway, French electronic music duo Justice, jazzman Lionel Hampton and the modern electro-pop duo Daft Punk.

Caravan Palace plays Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre Saturday as part of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's mainstage series.

Caravan palace tour new york