The more esoteric tendencies would be jettisoned when it came time to write Robot Face. It’s hard to imagine an audience that would be disappointed with such a record because even with its complexities there’s still room for joy and positive expression. “It was music for musicians.” The hallucinatory qualities of the first album’s “Ended with the Night” became more pronounced on pieces such as “Glory of Nelly” and “Clash”. The second LP, 2012’s Panic, had a particularly labored birth. That dedication to musicianship, he adds, caused some consternation. We just wanted to play good music, although that’s something very subjective,” he says, “sometimes you think you are playing good music but you are not.” It’s most important for us to focus on playing our instruments as much putting energy into the show. “We were serious musicians at the beginning,” Payen says, “and we never forgot about this. Payen, guitarist Arnaud Vial, and bassist Charles Delaporte had struck upon something with a deeply theatrical twist that didn’t compromise musicality.
Songs such as “Dragons” and “We Can Dance” demonstrated perfectly the direction the group would take on future releases while “Ended with the Night” paid closer attention to tradition while enveloping the listener in a blanket of almost hallucinatory sounds. More than a year would pass between that gig and the release of the first album but there were more high-profile concerts in between. We had people hanging off of the balconies because there were too many people in the venue. Our first show had so many people there,” he continues. “But when you are in the flow there are a lot of signs you don’t see. “At the time we didn’t think anybody would be interested in it,” he recalls. Though, he adds, he didn’t initially think it would take off. Payen says that the group’s blend of gypsy swing and contemporary electronic music hit at the right time.
Its 2008 self-titled debut spent more than a year on the French album charts and became a favorite among Swiss and French audiences rather quickly. And no doubt Payen will be conducting more English language interviews soon as his band’s star continues to rise.Ĭaravan Palace has been on a collision course with success from the start. No doubt the success of the seven-piece outfit’s 2015 release 2015’s ≤|°_°|≥ (also known as Robot Face) helped paddle the boat that brought them to these shores. A few days after our conversation he and the rest of the band will land in Canada and begin a major North American tour. He’s at home in Paris, speaking on a remarkably clear transatlantic line. “You’ll have to forgive me, it’s been several months since I’ve done an interview in English,” says Caravan Palace co-founder and violinist Hugues Payen.
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