S01E50: Animaux – Tales, Tunes & Creatures

This episode of Le Sound untamed the airwaves with a captivating exploration of the animal kingdom, weaving together folklore, viral internet hits, and deeply symbolic poetry. The menagerie begins with Dan Bigras, who reinterprets the classic tale of the "Trois petits cochons" (Three Little Pigs), followed by Hugues Aufray’s heartbreaking campfire classic "Stewball," a moving story about a tragic racehorse.

Insects take flight as Dick Annegarn delivers the comic yet touching tale of "Mireille," a fly that transforms a prisoner's life, while Les Négresses Vertes bring a rush of folk-punk nostalgia with their sensual 1988 breakout hit "Zobi la mouche". The episode also showcases traditional roots with Manau’s legendary Breton hip-hop anthem "Mais qui est la belette", alongside an exquisite cross-cultural collaboration where Egyptian poet Abdullah Miniawy and Swiss trumpeter Erik Truffaz exchange creative perspectives in "Peacock dreams".

The darker and more delicate sides of nature emerge through Mai Lan’s deeply symbolic "Le Loup" (The Wolf) and the electronic pop duo O'o, who mimic the haunting, unpredictable flight patterns of a blue tit in "La mésange". Meanwhile, Féloche honors the unique whistled bird-language of the Canary Islands in "Silbo". Aquatic life takes over the finale with Tomo’s viral, lo-fi TikTok phenomenon "Le poisson Steve", Isabelle Antena’s jazzy, elegant "Le Poisson des Mers du Sud", and Philippe Lafontaine’s timeless pop favorite "Cœur de loup," which ultimately gets everyone dancing.

• Songs played
• Pow Wow - Le chat
• Trois petits cochons - Dan Bigras
• Dick Annegarn - Mireille
• Hugues Auffray - Stewball
• Adbullah Miniawy, Erick Truffaz - Peacock dreams
• Manau - Mais qui est la belette
• MAI LAN - Le loup
• O'o - La mésange
• Les négresses vertes - Zobi la mouche
• Féloche - Silbo
• Isabelle Anténa - Le poisson des mers du sud
• Philippe Lafontaine - Coeur de loup

S01E49: L'amitié – Anthems of Solidarity

This episode of Le Sound dedicates its airwaves to "l'amitié" (friendship), exploring the bonds of camaraderie, street loyalty, and cross-cultural brotherhood through a vibrant range of Francophone music. The show kicks off with Pomplamoose’s fresh cover of Georges Brassens’ "Les copains d'abord," a timeless French classic that uses the metaphor of a sturdy ship to celebrate lifelong mates. Shifting to modern sounds, Bigflo & Oli team up with actor Jean Dujardin for the humorous track "Pour un pote" from the Brice de Nice 3 soundtrack.

The theme deepens as the presenters look at friendship born from struggle and shared values. Hip-hop icons NTM deliver "That's My People," a raw anthem honoring neighborhood loyalty and resistance to injustice. In a masterful cultural cross-pollination, Bernard Lavilliers joins legendary Algerian Kabyle singer Idir for a friendly 2017 rendition of "On the Road Again," a track celebrating camaraderie and the shared spirit of travelers.

Emotional milestones follow with Jacques Brel’s heartbreaking masterpiece "Jojo," written as a final tribute to his inseparable late friend and manager. From Quebec, Paul Piché’scampfire classic "Mon Joe" evokes the warmth of summer gatherings, while Mat Vezio provides a dreamy cover of Françoise Hardy’s "L'amitié". The episode wraps up with an R&B twist on Céline Dion's "D'amour ou d’amitié", leaving listeners with an upbeat reminder of the joy of connection.

• Songs played
• Pomplemoose - Les copains d'abord
• Georges Brassens - Les copains d'abord
• Bigflo & Oli, Jean Dujardin - Pour un pote
• Suprême NTM - That's my People
• Zélie - COPINES?
• Bon entendeur, Annie Philippe - Mes amis, mes copains
• Idir, Bernard Lavilliers - On the road again
• Mat Vézio - L'amitié
• Jacques Brel - Jojo
• Mes souliers sont rouges - Maraîcher mon ami
• Les Couch Potatoes, Corneille - D'amour et d'amitié

Le Sound, every Tuesday at 7 pm on 4ZZZ Brisbane
Also at https://www.lesound.live/ 
 

• Songs played
• Pink Martini - Où est ma tête?
• Mathieu Boogaerts - Il faut toujours écouter son corps
• Alain Souchon - Sous les jupes des filles
• Les louanges - Ne me quitte pas des yeux
• Ariane Moffatt - Mon corps
• Arno, Sofiane Pamart - Les yeux de ma mère
• Paul Piché - Ses yeux
• Camille - Que je t'aime
• Arthur Ely, Selim-a - MA GORGE PIQUE (HYPERPOÉSIE)
• Terrenoire - Ton corps de daronne
• Les cowboys fringants - Sur mon épaule
• Les Trois Accords - Dans mon corps
• Mentissa - Balance

S01E47: Free Flow – Borders & Horizons

This episode of Le Sound breaks away from strict themes to deliver a fluid, "free flow" exploration of Francophone artists operating across borders and genres. The journey opens with Montreal-born jazz vocalist Dominique Fils-Aimé and her track "Echappée belle," which subverts a traditional French idiom into a feminine anthem of escape. The soulful momentum continues with Brussels-based Belgian-Congolese artist Nsangu, whose raw, chanson-infused track "Quand on arrive" offers a potent blend of emotion and fury.

Listeners are then introduced to Chaton Laveur, an indie duo from Liège blending German krautrock pulses with melancholic shoegaze textures on their track "Contre la montre". Border-crossing sounds take center stage with the Brussels duo Sages comme des sauvages, who weave multilingual lyrics with global instruments like the Greek lute and the Brazilian cavaquinho guitar. Environmental consciousness emerges through veteran artist Charlélie Couture, who teams up with his daughter Yamé for a modern, eco-minded reimagining of his 1994 song "Chanson de la petite rivière".

The emotional landscape deepens with Margaux Simone’s retro-rock love song and Quebec legend Jean Leloup’s poetic road-trip track "Je suis parti". Viktor Lazlo brings an elegant Creole touch with a live performance of her 1987 hit "Canoë rose", paving the way for the explosive, festive punk-folk energy of Québec Redneck Bluegrass Project.

The global flow winds down with Franco-Lebanese pianist Noor. and a classical crossover feature by composer Sophie Lacaze, this time to shed light on the musical thread that links Éric Satie to Arthur H.

• Songs played
• Dominique Fils-Aimé - Echappée Belle
• Chaton-Laveur - Contre-la-montre
• Nsangu - Quand on arrive
• Charlélie Couture, Yamée Couture - Chanson de la petite rivière
• Lailakomo - Sages comme des sauvages
• Margaux Simone - Ah l'amour! Ah l'amour!
• Jean Leloup - Je suis parti II
• Viktor Lazlo - Canoë sauvage
• Quebec Redneck Bluegrass Project - Sevrage
• Noor - H24
• Erik Satie, Alexandre Tharaud - La gnossienne No.1
• Arthur H, Feist - La chanson de Satie

S01E46: The Evolution of Francophone Rap

This episode of Le Sound celebrates the vast diversity of rap across French-speaking regions. The journey begins with the legendary Diam’s, who in the mid-2000s became the first woman to bring French rap to a massive audience while addressing mental health and social tensions. The show then shifts to global connections, featuring Ivorian star Didi Bcollaborating with Nigerian and South African artists , and Jewel Usain, who bridged cultures by recording with Japanese rapper Acchi Mello.

The episode also honors regional roots, specifically the Brussels "Strictly Barrio Sound". Listeners explore the career of Uman, a Belgian maverick who transitioned from rap to reggae , and the collective De Puta Madre, who in 1995 released Belgium’s first independent rap album. Fannie adds a touch of nostalgia with Benny B, the Belgian-Moroccan rapper who pioneered old-school hip hop in 1990.

Modern sounds are well-represented by Big Flo & Oli’s introspective "Karma" and THÉA’sgenre-bending hyperpop. Closing the show is Jimster, a Brisbane-based artist whose track "Alien" weaves French and English together, reflecting the fluid, bilingual identity of the Francophone diaspora.

What aspect of this global rap journey interests you most—the old-school pioneers or the new bilingual collaborations?

• Songs played
• Diam's - La boulette
• Sarhamée, Souldia - Fuego
• Didi B, Zlatan, Chlé - Je m'appelle
• Benny B, DJ Daddy K - Vous êtes fous
• Jewel Usain, Acchi Mello - Otoko
• Big Flo & Oli - DU RAP HARD CORE
• Nouvelle École, Somyke, Elten, 2L, Ziena, Zedié - Cypher Team SDM
• Uman, Little Lion Sound - Ma liberté
• Da Puta Madre, DJ GrazzHoppa - La Primera
• Shurik'n, Fat Larage - La garde meurt mais ne se rend pas
• Scylla, Furax Barabarossa - ROIS DE LA JUNGLE
• THÉA - Y a rien à faire
• Jimster - Alien

This episode of Le Sound dives into the universal theme of "vacances" (holidays), spanning decades of Francophone pop, indie, and protest music. The journey kicks off with L’impératrice, whose nu-disco track "Vacances" follows a flight from Paris to Mexico. The playlist quickly shifts to more meaningful shores with "Mal à la mer," a collaborative charity single featuring Renaud and Les Ogres de Barback to support Sea Shepherd France.

Listeners travel through time and space, from the playful, 1950s music-hall humor of Paola’s"Si t'as été à Tahiti" to the nostalgic 1980s synth-pop of Gilbert Montagné’s "Sunlight des tropiques". The episode also explores the darker side of travel: Thomas Dutronc laments the stress of Paris, while Sttellla satirizes mass tourism in the Belgian classic "Torremolinos".

The escape continues across the Atlantic with Quebecois artists like Ariane Moffatt, who brings us to Miami, and Salomé Leclerc, who offers a poetic look at Barcelona. Closing with Pierre Flynn’s "Sur la route," the show captures the timeless, rebellious spirit of a road trip, proving that whether through humor or heartbreak, the music of vacation always finds a way to transport us.

Which of these musical destinations would you like to explore first?

With Marie-Hélène, Cyril, Pieter & Fannie

4ZZZ Brisbane, Saturdays 10pm

Francophone beats from around the world 

• Songs played
• L'impératrice - Vacances
• Elmer Food Beat - Les traversées sont solitaires
• Matjé, Renaud, Guiz, Les ogres de Barback, Gérome Briard, Alee, Mourad Musset, Guillaume Meurisse, Didier Wampas, Fanfare Eyo'nlé - Mal à la mer
• Paola - Si t'as été à Tahiti
• Johnny Montreuil, Rosemary Standley - Vers les îles
• Oscar les vacances - Fissa Fissa
• Thomas Dutronc - J'aime plus Paris
• Gilbert Montagné - Sous le sunlight des Tropiques
• Sttellla - Torremolinos
• Ariane Moffatt - Miami
• Crenoka - Je te donne l'océan
• Salomé Leclerc - Tes yeux à Barcelone
• Pierre Flynn - Sur la route

• Songs played
• Sahélie - Rodéo
• COLT - Cicatrice
• Alphone Bisaillon - Dessins désanimés
• Pierre Lapointe - Dans nos veines
• Aurus - Omni
• Xmen - Retour aux pyramides
• Fonky Family, Le 3eme Oeil, Faf Larage, K-Rhyme Le Roi, Freeman, Akhenation - Le retour du Shit Squad
• Yael Naïm - La fille pas cool
• Margane - Cette fille (version acoustique)

• Songs played
• Zachary RIchard - Ma Louisiane
• Les frères Balfa - Les haricots sont pas salés
• Wyclef Jean, Ms Lauryn Hill - Sang Fezi
• Melissa Laveaux - Kouzen
• La Compagnie Créole - Ba Moin En Ti Bo
• SOFT - Krim Cont la Gwadloup
• Malavoi - Caressé Moin
• Kassav - Zouk-la Sé Sel Medicamen Nou Ni
• Bisso na Bisso, Tanya St Val, Jacob Desvarieux - L'anmou pas méchan
• Jean-Marc Voky - Gou Kréol
• Danyel Waro, Emily Loizeau - Dis-moi que tu ne pleures pas

Not a concept. A feeling. And it turns out francophone music has been sitting with that feeling for a very long time.

It starts with Bashung singing Léo Ferré's "Avec le temps" like someone who already knows how the story ends. With time, everything fades. Not in anger. Just gone. Then it gets personal: Vitaa singing as a mother to her children, telling them to look after each other when she's not there. Time as urgency. What do you say when it feels short?

Les Cowboys Fringants wrote "La fin du show" while their singer Karl Tremblay was dying of cancer. He died in November 2023. Carla Bruni answers with exactly one minute of song: since my life is nothing, I want it all, and I want one more minute. Two very different artists. One conversation.

Paul Piché stops at the top of the stairs, hand in his pocket, checking what he's forgotten. Eddy Mitchell mourns the neighbourhood cinemas of Paris, closing one by one. Grand Corps Malade asks Kimberose where the best years went, and suggests we take them with us to visit the future.

And Moustaki's "Les eaux de Mars", Jobim's bossa nova masterpiece turned into an impressionistic list of fleeting objects and sensations. A hypnotic portrait of existence that surprises with every listen.

One hour on time. None of it wasted.

• Songs played
• Alain Bashung - Avec le temps
• Carla Bruni - La dernière minute
• Les Cowboys Fringants - La fin du show
• Georges Moustaki - Les eaux de Mars
• Paul Piché - L'escalier
• Emma Peters - Le temps passe
• Eddy Mitchell - La dernière séance
• Bigflo & Oli, Julien Doré - Coup de vieux
• Grand Corps malade, Kimberose - Nos plus belles années
• Vitaa, Slimane - Le temps
• FREEMAN, Pit Baccardi, Oxmo Puccino - Le temps reste