LoJo

Described in The Independent (UK) as "probably one of the best live bands in the world right now," Lo'Jo was formed two decades ago when singer, songwriter, and one-off Gallic visionary Denis Péan met violinist Richard Bourreau at the music school of their native Angers, in the Loire Valley. "Sweetly strange and bafflingly familiar" describes their magpie mix of influences, which combine French chanson and musette, dub reggae, African, Arabic, and gypsy flavors with a jazzy and poetic sensibility. Lo'Jo have never been a band that fits neatly into music industry norms, preferring to concentrate their creative and organizational energies on eccentric and challenging events like The Festival in the Desert, a gathering of Tuareg, African, and international musicians which takes place annually in the southern Sahara Desert. This is music with space, spice, and variety.