Biography
A two headed logo for a six legged band, electronic bass for a rock record, Solange La Frange uses it's
ears as a compass and heads out north on a southbound road. Appetite for destructuration has led the
way to a raw, basic, eponymous first album. The trio, from Vevey, Switzerland, were able to capture on
tape the wild hedonism of their live performances: Wakawak, a poppy Apache western dance tune or
Open The Door My Dear both sweat of childish abandon. The frantic rage of Love Affair opens the parade
followed by the punk cavalcade of Elektrik City, before giving way to more edgy sounds (Grind, I'm Wild)
Written in Nantes at Katerine's drummer's place, recorded in Bristol by Alistair Chant (PJ Harvey),
mixed and mastered in Switzerland, Solange La Frange is a brutally overwhelming record. The basic
original line-up is unchanged: Tristan Basso plays analog keyboards and machines, Julie Hugo sings
and Luca Mango plays bass and guitar. But the band also incorporated a drummer and a few organic
instruments: congas, bells and cymbals give the recordings a tribal swing, precluding any sense of
electro-by-numbers and placing the band in a more subtle grainy noise territory. You Broke My Heart
Baby (feat. John Parish) or the instrumental Morse are fine examples of these risky out of bounds excursions.
This fertile musical territory has benefited Julie Hugo: without letting go of the orgiastic energy that defines the
band, she unleashes an array of lascivious vocals, voracious chants and savage choruses, culminating on the dry,
weeping softness of The Black Rocks.
Born of pop music, raised in rough and arid badlands, dressed in elegant graphic clothing by Thomas Koenig, Solange
La Frange is an unpredictable, audacious and truly dazzling creature.