Photos by Dara Feller
When singer Flore Benguigui quit Paris project L'Imperatrice last year after nearly a decade, amidst accusations of an unfriendly work environment, the future of the nu-disco band was very much up in the air. However, they quickly hired Maud "Louve" Ferron, a singer with a solo career off her own already, to help with the existing tour dates, and it was very much business as usual.
We have to be honest--L'Imperatrice is a name that somehow passed us by until very recently, but we've been having a ton of fun catching up. Their three full length albums, including last year's Pulsar, are magnificent, and it's worth deep-diving into the eight EPs and many singles.
On a Friday night early in February, the Shrine Expo Hall was full-to-bursting for the visit of L'Imperatrice. Los Angeles was the final stop on their North American tour, and they were clearly warmed up and in the zone.
Rapper Erick the Architect opened the show and the Brooklyn artist, a member of the Flatbush Zombies, killed it. Tracks from his Future Proof EP sounded magnificent. We do wonder why he didn't appear later with L'Imperatrice for "Sweet and Sublime," the track that he guested on. Apparently he did in other cities. But no matter, he was great.
L'Imperatrice opened with "Cosmoginie" and "Amour ex Machina," both from Pulsar. We get a phenomenal "Voodoo?" then later, the Lazywax remix of the same tune. "Anomalie Bleu" is another highlight, Louve's breathy vocals very much at home amid the swathes of upbeat synth and funky bass.
The cover of fellow French band Daft Punk's "Aerodynamic" is a proper treat, and they end with a lively "ENTROPIA." Brilliant, start to finish.
We only hope that they'll get into the studio with Louve, and cement this lineup soon.
