| Paris
Branché: A Guide to the hottest and hippest. |
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A
few weeks ago, a French magazine asked this question. If just two
or three years ago, London was the rage, Paris is now swinging: it
is alive with music and fashion and theater and startups, a new word
in the French vocabulary. "Two years ago, everyone thought Paris
was dead," says Alexandre Cammas, a journalist who is the foremost
trend spotter for the monthly magazine, Nova. "Now the
city is back, more influential than ever." It is in part the
result of the booming economy and the power of the new economy which
has seized France, lifting everyone's spirits. But it is many other
things. Tom Ford, Gucci's creative director, showed his first collection
as head designer ofr Yves Saint-Laurent at the musée Rodin,
a few days ago; the FIAC, the largest art fair in Europe, was a huge
success, and the Mois de la Photo is celebrating its 20th anniversary
with hundreds of exhibitions all organized around one theme: Paris.
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| Here
is our journey through the swinging Paris. |
Buddha Bar. Just
push the heavy cast iron door and go up the huge flight of stairs
and you will enter another world. You are inside a Tibetan temple
with smells of incense. In the center, a huge bronze statue of Buddha.
Friday and Saturday evenings are a little too crowded to remain zen,
but the music played by DJ Guru Claude Challes will appease your senses.
A little expensive, but worth the journey. Daily, 6pm to 2am. 8, rue
Boissy d'Anglas. Tel: 01 53 05 90 00 Metro: Concorde. |
Le Divan du Monde. "Each
district of Paris flavors the music that thrives in it. North of the
city, the 18th arrondissement, which encompasses Pigalle and Montmartre,
is a richly cross cultural environment where hip hop culture exists
alongside eastern expressions," says Arwa Haider, who reports
for London's Time Out. In this part of the city, the place
to go and go back and go again, is the wonderful Le Divan du Monde
("the sofa of the world"). The "sofa" promotes everything:
rai music, grunge, latino; sometimes it's theater, another day it's
hip hop. But the best usually happens after the concert. They empty
the room and around 11:30pm, let people in to dance through the night
with "Noites do Brasil", or "New Bled Vibrations",
or something else, but it is always the best. Afterwards, you can
walk around Pigalle and admire the architecture of its seedy nightclubs
and bars (many are landmark buildings), or go up to the Sacred Heart
cathedrale.
Le
Divan du Monde. 75, rue des Martyrs. 75018. Tel: 01 44 92 77 66.
Metro: Pigalle. |
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Les Livreurs. This
is an unusual troop. They don't sing, don't dance, don't play. Les
Livreurs do one thing only: they read. Every Thursday, they chose
a theme and read from their huge selection of texts. They will read
texts about chocolate, about medicine, about books for children
that adults love or home improvement. One of their recent readings
(in French) was called: "One Day I'll be a Latin Lover".
They find texts which they have compiled in their computers from
various literatures around the world. Regularly, they stage something
they call "Le Bal à la Page", a bad play on the
words page (page) and "plage" (beach). The ritual is simple: people
dance to great music and after maybe 30 minutes, the music stops
and the Livreurs read (last time it was excerpts from hard boiled
crime novels), and after 10/15 minutes, dancing starts again and
then reading. This way, both mind and body get a workout. Better:
it is free, but you have to call to make a reservation. Les Livreurs.Tel:
01 47 39 03 42. E-mail: leslivreurs@aol.com |
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Le
Batofar. One of the most interesting spaces in Paris.
The Batofar is a houseboat moored on the Seine, near the new Bibliothèque
de France, in the 13th arrondissement. Everyone is there: trend
spotters, clubbers, techno purists and those without any labels.
You can listen to music with great DJs, watch screenings, go to
their trans-European events. Batofar's mission is to promote "new
urban sounds", blending music with cultural events in an intimate
environment. It invites other European capitals: Berlin, Lisbon,
Naples, London. Every night, 8:30pm until dawn. Closed on Monday.
Some nights are free. Weekdays: 40F-60F.
Le
Batofar. 11, Quai François Mauriac. 75013. Tel: 01 56
29 10 00. Metro: Quai de la gare e-mail: batofar@club-internet.fr. |
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Rue Louis Weiss. If you are in
the 13th arrondissement, walk around the new neighborhood coming
out of this no man's land. The rue Louise Weiss, a street out
of TriBeCa, in New York, or out of Leningrad in the best years
of Soviet architecture - graceless ministry of finance buildings,
streets with no life - is the outpost of some of the most interesting
art galleries in the city. The most interesting: Art, Air de Paris,
Almine Rech, and Jennifer Flay. The rue Louis Weiss is where the
avant garde is showing its work. All the galleries are located
from number 20 to 34 and 5 to 11 rue Louise Weiss. 75013. Metro:
Chevaleret. Tues-Sat., 11am-7pm |
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Favela Chic. The only place in Paris
where you will dance the Samba on the tables. The food and the music
are hot. Everyone is sitting at the same long table. When Jérome,
the DJ starts working his turntables, the rooms starts to swing.
Favela Chic is a unique phenomenon in the Paris night life, a sensuous
place, hot, but with very good vibes. The place is located in the
building which is ground zero for the new economy, a former leather
factory turned into a startup incubator.
Favela Chic. 18, rue du Faubourg du Temple. 75011. Metro:
République. Tel: 01 40 21 38 14. |
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Café du Trésor. The
place is always full. It's "before hours" (starts at 9:30pm) is
legendary. Diwn tempo, house, etc. Café du Trésor.
57, rue du Trésor. 75004. Tel: 01 44 78 06 60 metro: Saint
Paul |
L'Alcazar. The same DJ from Batofar,
is now rocking this trendy restaurant. He takes possession of the
bar, "La Mezzanine", on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, after 9pm.
Before going to the Rex or the Queen, all the French "clubbers"
stop there to have a drink (50/70F), or to have a bite (115F).
L'Alcazar. 62, rue Mazarine. 75006. Tel: 01 53 10 19 99.
Metro: Odéon Open until 2am |
Project Café. This café
is owned by France's most interesting movie producer, Marin Karmitz.
It is many things to many people: a cocktails bar, a restaurant,
a screening room. The Project Café is really two rooms: a
bar/restaurant space and a screening room. Every two months, new
artists are invited to show their "video journal" projects. There
are four screenings per day with a regular schedule, justs like
a movie theater. In the evening, the café becomes one of
the best places to listen to music and dance. Groove, hip hop, house,
techno cool, etc. Free admission. Open 12pm-2am, Tues-Sat, 12pm-midnight,
Sun and Mon.
Project Café. 4, rue Belgrand. 75020. Tel: 01 43 49
01 99. Metro: Gambetta. e-mail: mk2projectcafe@mk2.com. |
La Périphérie. Martine
Camilleri and Bernard Richter were both working in advertising and
are art lovers. They decided to transform their apartment into a
gallery. On Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, you can come to their
loft which is their gallery and discover new artists, videos, design,
photography. Each opening is also a celebration. Martine cooks for
everyone. Open to everyone, but you need to make an appointment.
La Pˇriphˇrie. 17, rue Rouget de L'Isle. 92240 Malakoff.
Tel: 01 46 57 70 10. Metro: Concorde |
Le Balajo. The Balajo is one of
Paris's most authentic dance halls. For decades, it was owned by
a former pro wrestler. On Sunday afternoons, blue collar workers
would come to dance to the sound of java music and musette. The
beautiful 1950's decor has been preserved. Every Wed., the Balajo
is the place for swing-rock fanatics, with the music played by Turky,
the house DJ.
Balajo. 9, rue de Lappe. Tel: 1 47 00 07 87 Metro: Bastille.
web site: danse-a2.com/Paris
This is the site to go to find out everything that happens in Paris
if you like to dance -hip hop, swing, salsa. |
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La Flèche d'Or. Every Sunday
after 5pm (except the first Sunday of each month, when it is a Breton
celebration), the former Charonne train station becomes the center
of the salsa universe. Other nights, its reggae, blues, rock. One
of the most swinging places in the capital. 120 bis rue de Bagnolet.
75020. Tel: 01 43 72 42 44. Metro: Alexandre Dumas. Until 2am |
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Le Sanz Sans. The look is trashy-chic:
purple velvet sofas and wallpaper, old chairs with big leopard prints,
gilded molds. The Sanz Sans offers two levels and a little restaurant
corner where you can have a bite in comfortable chairs. Groove,
hip hop and dance music. After a few margaritas, the rooms starts
to swing. 49, rue du Faubourg Saint Antoine. 75011. Tel:01 44 75
78 78. Metro: Bastille Daily 9pm-2am. |
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Bubbles. This is the place to go
if you like Champagne. Far from the madding crowd, Bubbles opened
its doors a few months ago and it is a huge success. The food is
good, but the decor is really the attraction of Bubbles (don't confuse
it with "Bulles", the bar located in the Galeries Lafayette which
serves both Champagne and sparkling mineral water). 6, rue Edouard
VII. 75009. Tel: 01 47 42 77 95. Metro: Opéra Open until
2am |
| Montreuil
is Paris' TriBeCa or maybe Brooklyn. This suburb of Paris (Metro:
Mairie de Montreuil) is the new territory of all the artists, intellectuals,
musicians, who are looking for big spaces and small rents. Montreuil
is hot. |
- Les
Instants Chavirés.
One of the most innovative spaces for music in France. 7, rue
Richard Lenoir. Tel: 01.42.87.25.91
- Interstice.
This collective of artists, urban designers, and musicians,
do installation in the most unlikely places: city dumps, old
factories... 15, rue de la Beaune. Tel: 06.61.13.08.23
- Les
Couleurs de la Ville.
A permanent exhibition in the center of Montreuil about the
old and the new city. Espace Coeur Expo. Place Jean-Jaurès.Tel:
01.70.07.93.10.
- Folies
d'Encre. A big and beautiful library located in a former
hardware store and a tailor's shop. 19, rue du Général
Gallieni. Tel: 01.49.20.80.00
- Association
Murs à Pêche.
Every Sunday, visit of the old peach walls. 10:30am-12:30pm.
Tel: 01.48.70.23.80
- Le
Rendez-Vous du Marché. The anchor of the new Montreuil.
Meeting place of all the artists, musicians and young families.
Music or theaters several nights a week. The place to go before
you go anywhere else. 9, place du marché. Tel: 01.42.87.05.12.
- Le
Der des Der.
Restaurant which attracts both the locals and the new "Montreuillois".
Spicy but good food. 80, rue François Arago. Tel: 01.48.51.70.87.
- Rio
dos Camaros.
Good cuisine from Cameroon (African pistachios -a sort of zucchini-
with cod). 55, rue Marceau. Tel: 01.42.87.34.34
- Office
du Tourisme. 1, rue Kléber. Tel: 01.42.87.38.07.
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