Paradis (duo)

Paradis
Background information
Origin	France
Genres	House, pop
Years active	2011 (2011)–present
Labels	Beats in Space, Barclay
Website	http://www.paradis.fm/
Members	Simon Mény Pierre Rousseau

Paradis is a French electronic music duo consisting of Simon Mény and Pierre Rousseau. The duo is currently signed to Universal label Maison Barclay.^[1] They grew to fame after releasing their first 12" single on Beats In Space titled Parfait Tirage featuring a cover of Alain Souchon's "La Ballade de Jim". The duo have appeared on the French DJ scene with sets at Nuits Sonores and Rex Club.

Early years

Simon Mény and Pierre Rousseau met through friends one night in Paris. After talking and realising that they had two quite different backgrounds in terms of music, they found themselves creating pieces with each other. With two completely varying musical ideas, Mény and Rousseau seemed to be able to merge their differences to create what can be argued a new genre inviting us to the unlikely meeting of French pop with the contemporary textures of dance music.

Career

2011–13: Signing, soundtrack and work with APC

Paradis were first discovered by DJ Tim Sweeney after submitting demos to the Beats in Space radio show hoping for airplay. Sweeney eventually decided to sign the duo for the first release of his then-newly established label Beats in Space. Paradis have appeared on many mixes, some for contemporary fashion labels such as Etudes Studio and for popular music sites such as White Light Mixes.

In 2012 Paradis made the soundtrack for Sacha Barbin's short film Mes Amours Décomposé(e)s. In September of that year, Paradis collaborated with APC releasing a T-shirt as part of an APC wide collaboration with various artists. The T-shirt features a small print bird widely used by the duo as a mark of their brand alongside a print with blue accents.

2014: "Garde le pour toi"

In anticipation of their debut album, in June 2014 Paradis released a first single entitled "Garde Le Pour Toi" via Universal label Riviera/Barclay. The song is a merge of French pop and soft house vibes with a touch of French vocals.^[2] The second single release entitled "Sur Une Chanson En Français" was released in November.

2015: Couleurs Primaires EP

Couleurs Primaires, an EP containing three original songs was released on January 19, 2015. The EP has three main songs each uniquely attributed to a primary colour, hence the name "Couleurs Primaires" in French meaning primary colours in English. Paradis have adopted new sounds incorporating heavy elements of pop, techno and house music. Although the duo explains that finding a genre to describe their music poses a certain difficulty, the album itself is based heavily on expression and the sound that comes about by mistake. The album is then complimented by 2 other remix tracks composed by Tim Goldsworthy and Superpitcher. Although each track on the EP is unique, it still retains the elements of contemporary house in each of the tracks. "Primary Colours" is based on the first three tracks of their studio album, which was planned to be released in April 2016 but pushed back to September 2016.

2016: Recto verso

Paradis left Paris for the south of France in 2013 to work on their first album. It was originally set for sometime in spring 2015 but the release date was pushed back to give the record time to mature. The album is the first recorded by the duo and will be their second release after their new EP with French label Barclay. The album, titled Recto Verso, was released in September 2016. The album retains Paradis' core elements, merging pop music with the textures of contemporary dance music whilst adding their own melodies and synths to each track. The album contains 12 tracks. The duo confirmed that there are no collaborative appearances on the record, however the recording and mastering stages of production were aided by Julien Delfaut and Antoine Chabert affiliated with Daft Punk.^[3]

Music

The duo have a unique sound, merging traditional French pop and contemporary house.^[4]

Discography

Albums and EPs

Singles

Remixes

Paradis have featured on many 12" releases. In 2012 they remixed a song by Jacques Renault titled "Back To You" which gained popularity in the house scene. The duo have also released two other remixes of songs by Agoria and Cale Parks. In 2015 the duo remixed a song by French revelation Christine and the Queens titled "Christine". Paradis covered a popular Alain Chamfort song titled 'Rendez Vous Au Paradis' which featured on a tribute compilation of some of Chamfort's best songs released on January 22, 2016.^[8]

References