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The first progressive girl group of the French Occitan languagepop scene bring you folk funk, sun-baked bossa, Coltrane jazz andtheir own brand of punky ‘Dizco Rural’ against an untouchedFrench Balearic backdrop spanning the late 70s and 80s.
If even the most assiduous of European record collectors considerthe Occitan language music scene to be France’s best-kept secretthen it’s as fair to say that the incredible multifaceted recordings oflangue d’oc prog girl group Lei Chapacans have spent the last fourdecades hiding in plain sight. In all fairness this overlookedtreasure chest of minority language excursions into folk funk,Balearic, bossa, John Coltrane-penned jazz, baroque psych,Palestinian poetry, comedic synth skits (and even the rawest formof femme-fronted multilingual punky disco) has been stowed awayin inconspicuous photographic record sleeves, falsely evokingsomething closer to contemporary C&W while oft-misplaced inrecord shop cassette racks alongside ‘traditional’ spoken-word andscholastic albums.
So, for the uninitiated, don’t be too hard on yourself. The fun startshere. For those who are familiar with the rare and sought-afterone-off solo album by Occitan singer Miquela and have craved formore, then you’ve come to exactly the right place. Lei Chapacans(a name that roughly translates to The Vagabonds) is the all-girlvocal group assembled by Miquela herself just two years after herdebut release, having toured the word and snubbed major labelrecord deal offers with a steadfast allegiance to the protection ofthe Occitan language in which this album is primarily penned andperformed (minus a small amount of German and sarcasticEnglish in one rebellious instance).
For European collectors with a penchant for French savoir faire,but have further yearnings for folkloric femme funk, then it’s timeto look towards the Occitan sunset where you will meet Lolo,Miquela, Sophie, Irena and Denise.
These amazing, and undeniably culturally important recordingsmight have taken some time to find a wider audience, but formusic lovers, crate diggers and vinyl vultures alike there are still alot of tasty morsels out there to be scavenged and devoured, askany self-respecting Chapacan and they’ll concur wholeheartedly
Tracklist
Au jardin
Siau pas poeta
Tu e Ieu
A cantar
Dizco rural
Basta (Naima)
La pub
Tais-toi
Dialogue
Airplane
Leberon
Me demandes pa
A la guerra