Bambounou
Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, France for Cercle
Nothing says 'underground electronic music' quite like a fleet of 4K drone cameras swooping over a crowd of incredibly posh people who look like they accidentally wandered out of a fashion week afterparty. The Bambounou Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, France for Cercle tracklist is peak architectural raving, where the aesthetic of the venue is discussed just as loudly as the basslines. It’s absolutely mad watching these highly curated crowds trying to nod off-beat to avant-garde rhythms without spilling their natural wine. The vibe is breathtakingly cinematic, framing brutalist Techno against a stunning Parisian sunset to create pure Instagram gold.
Diving into the mechanics of this Bambounou live set reveals a DJ who completely refuses to play by the standard festival rules. Averaging a slick 130.3 BPM, the mix relies on a deeply hypnotic 12A Camelot key progression, building a strange, alien energy arc. His mixing style is famously stripped-back and cerebral, letting bizarre percussive loops stretch out and breathe. The crate digger selections are absolutely sorted, pulling strictly left-field cuts that confuse as much as they captivate.
Dropping Folamour's 'Ça Va Aller' is a surprising splash of warmth, while Per Hammar's 'Passing By' keeps things firmly in the warehouse. The weird and wonderful journey begins with the opening track 'Woodall 0217' by Yaleesa Hall, setting a distinctly trippy tone. It peaks through a maze of polyrhythms before the closing track 'Ajeeba Meena Wa' by Sardar Ali Banosi leaves the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, France for Cercle crowd beautifully bewildered.