Over the past four years, Hexagone has become a ritual evening, shining the spotlight on the best in French-speaking music production today, this year with guests from the Swiss scene.

Vendredi sur Mer
Originally from Switzerland and now based in Paris, Charline Mignot has spent two years navigating hybrid forms of rap and song, setting her texts and video  stories to disarmingly hypnotic electronic music. Also a photographer, she offers a razor-sharp regard on her era, her youth, her versatile loves, her desire for dizziness and her digital shipwrecks. Somewhere between realism and aquatic reverie, her troubled little world is a charming home port, soon to throw open its gates with the release of her first album.

Nelick
Equally at ease in taut and edgy rap and rounder, more languid pieces, Nelick belongs to the generation of artists erasing the lines between R&B and rap with liberal use of autotune. From his early, self-taught explorations to an EP with Lord Esperanza, and a mix of projects he has grouped under the name KiwiBunny, Nelick has emerged as one of the most promising young rappers in the French hip-hop scene.

Muddy Monk
Also from Switzerland, Muddy Monk was first noticed working with others (Myth Syzer, Ichon) before revealing his own airy melodies on his first album Longue Ride, a biker’s ode to the open road, as well as journeys in place and nostalgic trips. He could be called an underground Swiss cousin of Sébastien Tellier, and a distant son of Christophe for the voice and trippy lyrics, but Muddy Monk is much cleaner than his name suggests, exploring translucence and the depths of transparency, and playing with imperceptible synths and phantom rhythms.

Johan Papaconstantino
His upbringing in Marseille and Greek origins gave this young composer a unique vantage point, infused with equal parts autotuned rap and Oriental music, with a regular dose of 1970s Greek pop. It is this fusion of influences that gives his songs their singular charm—touching, yet disconcerting, and made even stranger by his sleepy drawl and the effects on his voice. With his hybrid brand of catchy and minimalist dance music, his next big break cannot be far off.

Hervé
Hervé creates a fusion of electronic music and songwriting—juxtaposing soulful, mantraesque lyrics with powerful electro, and tying it all together with artful piano. His first EP, Mélancolie FC, looks back on the dream of being a professional footballer, an aspiration he gave up at age 16. Ten years later, after a UK period with his duo Postaal, Hervé turned to solo work. He quickly found himself in the spotlight, opening for Eddy de Pretto at major venues (various Zéniths, Olympia), and for Juliette Armanet and Clara Luciani, who have both performed at Days Off (in 2017 and 2018, respectively).

Joanna
At just 20 years old, this young Rennes artist caused a sensation last year with her self-produced clip of “Séduction”, an ultra-sensual ballad featuring crudely poetic language, placing her at the forefront among rising talents in the French R’n’B scene. Her undulating voice instantly brings to mind English singer-songwriter Jorja Smith, and her multiple talents in video production and musicianship show enormous potential. Called “Solitude”, her equally compelling second release suggests that on the contrary she is soon destined for much greater notoriety.

Fils de Vénus Dj Set

Timetable:
19h00 - 20h00 : Fils de Vénus Dj Set - Rue musicale
20h05 - 20h50 : Muddy Monk - Salle des concerts
20h55 - 21h25 : Joanna - Rue musicale
21h30 - 22h20 : Nelick - Salle des concerts
22h25 - 22h55 : Johan Papaconstantino - Rue musicale
23h00 - 00h00 : Vendredi sur Mer - Salle des concerts
00h05 - 00h45 : Hervé - Rue musicale

FREE SEATING / STANDING