#achille trocellier

[nofatclips]

L'impératrice live at Findspire [Alt. link: Facebook]

Agitations Tropicales

La Lune

Je Suis Music (Cerrone cover)

[nofatclips]

Erreur 404 by L'Impératrice, live @ France Inter

[nofatclips]

Instrumental version of Séquences by L'Impératrice

[nofatclips]

Sultans des îles by L'Impératrice from the EP Séquences - Directed by Les Parachutes

[nofatclips]

Parfum Thérémine by L'Impératrice from the Odyssée EP - Directors: Bill Fabre & Martin Neumann

[nofatclips]

Acoustic version of La lune by L'Impératrice from the EP Odyssée (Version acoustique)

[nofatclips]

Agitations tropicales by L'Impératrice from the Odyssée EP - Video by @zeugl

[thebowerypresents]

L’Impératrice Go Big at Terminal 5 on Saturday

L’Impératrice – Terminal 5 – January 18, 2025

Back in April, French disco artisans L’Impératrice played a rather thrilling gig at Racket, the midsize Meatpacking District club. It turns out that was just a beta version of their show, a functional, get-’em-dancing act that got the job done. Nine months later, the band has returned to the States and on Saturday played their first of two nights at the much larger Terminal 5, this time bringing their fully featured, powerhouse production, a visual feast to match their progressive dance sound.

The six-person ensemble played as if from within a futuristic disco ball, with oversize mirror sequins, beads of LEDs, and the band’s name lit up in bold sans serif in the middle of a multitiered bandstand. They have a replacement vocalist since their last visit, and, after an introductory section of bass and synthesizers, Louve led the band through the opening “Amour Ex Machina,” her voice a dreamy soprano countering the thumping low-end grooves. The ensuing set was an ecstatic overload of funk and synchronized lights, the band continually going deeper with their grooves, the lights continually augmenting the experience. 

The set list featured many song pairings with one track flowing into a second via an inventive instrumental bridge. The many-textured “Anomalie Bleue” transitioning to the poppier “Me Da Igual,” blue lights going full pastel to match. The addictive “Danza Marilu,” like a Bee Gees via Italy burner, segueing into “Sweet & Sublime,” and then “Matahari,” with its raw deep bass and DJ-in-the-club drops, and the impressive set-ending pairing of “Submarine” and “La Piscine,” expert band interplay and chops mixing in with fun choreographed dance moves to thrill the packed house in more ways than one. As great as that April gig was, full-strength L’Impératrice are a whole other sensory cocktail.  —A. Stein | @Neddyo

Photos courtesy of Adela Loconte | www.adelaloconte.com