Like a giant, buzzing sound insect, La Tène moves somewhere between the psychedelic and the primitive, the minimalist and the overwhelming. With cabrette and bagpipes, percussion, harmonium and electronics, the French-Swiss sextet creates music that feels both ancient and futuristic. Come and surrender to a droning, trance-inducing sonic embrace when La Tène takes the stage at ALICE, presented in collaboration with Final Descent. The concert is supported by Nørrebro Local Committee.

“La Tène deliver one of the best gigs I have ever seen, a mega-maximal expulsion of magma that builds and builds until it reaches totally ecstatic overwhelm.” – The Quietus

Since the release of their debut album ten years ago, La Tène have developed a distinctive sound that blends folk music, noise, dub and hypnotic minimalism. First a trio and now a sextet, they have released four albums, with influential publications such as The Quietus and The Wire highlighting them among their albums of the year. Through a wide range of collaborations, the group has also repeatedly explored the cracks between ancient musical traditions and contemporary experimentation.

Repetition is at the heart of La Tène’s music, acting as a kind of engine in which small musical movements are repeated, shifted and amplified until they take on an almost physical force. The roughness of wood and metal meets electronic textures and layers of dub, while the mechanical pulse of machines intertwines with the organic breath of the harmonium. With cabrette and bagpipes, guitar, bass, drums, harmonium and electronics, La Tène creates music that feels both ancient and futuristic. La Tène are renowned for their live performances, where long, repetitive pieces slowly unfold and take shape as living sonic creatures. This November, you can experience the sextet live as they perform material from their three most recent albums in a rare and intense listening experience. The concert is presented by Final Descent and ALICE and supported by Nørrebro Local Committee.

Line-up
Cyril Bondi: drums, percussion
Laurent Peter / D’incise: Indian harmonium, electronics
Guilhem Lacroux: guitar
Jérémie Sauvage: bass
Louis Jacques: cabrette (bagpipe from Auvergne), bagpipes
Jacques Puech: cabrette (bagpipe from Auvergne)

What they say about La Tène
“Another gem from France’s experimental hurdy gurdy underground, with a more traditional but no less mind-melding approach. La Tène is another example of this cyclic, repetitive trance music, but it’s mainly acoustic instrumentation which I think is really interesting. You don’t often hear that as new music.” – Stephen O’Malley from Sunn O))) in Bandcamp Daily