***Off The Radar Club***

La Tène in Hafenklang

Ten years ago, La Tène released their first record, then as a trio with Cyril Bondi, d’Incise, and Alexis Degrenier. A decade, four albums, and multiple collaborations later, the group returns with Moreïne/Déclives—an album that feels as much like a celebration as it does an upheaval. True to its identity, La Tène continues to explore the cracks between tradition and experimentation, between hypnotic drone and repeated gestures, but this time they choose to move onto new ground: the hurdy-gurdy, the group’s emblematic instrument since the very beginning, disappears in favor of a stripped-down setup centered on two electronic percussions and live dub work.

This is not a mere stylistic twist: it is about transforming a constraint into a creative drive. Alexis Degrenier, long associated with the telluric sound of the hurdy-gurdy, can no longer play it. Yet he remains, above all, recognized as a percussionist and composer. With his companions, he decided to inscribe this transition into the very heart of the album: a way of thumbing their nose at fate, of turning a great and beautiful page, and of reminding us that La Tène has always fed on accidents, detours, and bifurcations.

https://lateneband.bandcamp.com/music