Émilie Simon @ Grappa’s Cellar – 8pm, 26 March, 2015

Émilie Simon @ Grappa's Cellar - 26 March, 2015

With her unique mix of electronic, pop, and Bjork-like vocals, Émilie Simon has performed at sold-out shows across the world. Now, following on from her sold out show in Hong Kong in 2010, Emilie Simon is back this March.

Surrounded by music from an early age, Émilie Simon won critical plaudits as early as 2003, when she recorded a debut album largely written, composed and produced by herself. The self-titled record, Émilie Simon, won Album of the Year at Victoires de la Musique, France’s most prestigious music award ceremony.

Born in Montpellier in Southern France, Émilie grew up bathed in the Mediterranean sun and immersed in the sound of clarinets and electronic melodies. Wishing to imbue her second album with a more wintry and polar vibe, she began to record sounds that related to coldness.

Coincidentally, in the midst of her search for sounds for the album, she was contacted by film producer Luc Jacquet to compose the original soundtrack for his Oscar award-winning documentary film La Marche de l’empereur (March of the Penguins), concerning the annual migration of emperor penguins.

In 2009, Émilie started writing songs arranged for accompaniment on piano, rather than a computer. “I even forbade myself to go near a computer for a year and a half,” Emilie said, “I wanted to see what I was capable of without my usual comforts around me.” The result was a collection of sounds reflecting Émilie’s impression of New York City — an urban, black and white musical that became her most recent album, The Big Machine. On this album, Émilie’s experimental inclination involved the clever use of traditional Chinese instruments – together with keyboards – as a vestige of her long stay in the heart of Chinatown.

In 2011, the album Franky Night, (dedicated to her late fiancé) won her many more fans in France as most of the tracks were sung in French, as opposed to English. Her latest album, Mue, hit markets in 2014 and includes tracks like Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Games” cover, and other heartfelt songs featuring both English and French lyrics.

Émilie Simon
When:– 8pm, 26 March, 2015
Where: Grappa’s Cellar
Tickets: $420 (inc one drink) from Ticketflap
More info: www.emiliesimon.com

Émilie Simon @ Grappa’s Cellar – 26 March, 2015

Émilie Simon @ Grappa's Cellar - 26 March, 2015

With her unique mix of electronic, pop, and Bjork-like vocals, Émilie Simon has performed at sold-out shows across the world. Now, following on from her sold out show in Hong Kong in 2010, Emilie Simon is back this March.

Surrounded by music from an early age, Émilie Simon won critical plaudits as early as 2003, when she recorded a debut album largely written, composed and produced by herself. The self-titled record, Émilie Simon, won Album of the Year at Victoires de la Musique, France’s most prestigious music award ceremony.

Born in Montpellier in Southern France, Émilie grew up bathed in the Mediterranean sun and immersed in the sound of clarinets and electronic melodies. Wishing to imbue her second album with a more wintry and polar vibe, she began to record sounds that related to coldness.

Coincidentally, in the midst of her search for sounds for the album, she was contacted by film producer Luc Jacquet to compose the original soundtrack for his Oscar award-winning documentary film La Marche de l’empereur (March of the Penguins), concerning the annual migration of emperor penguins.

In 2009, Émilie started writing songs arranged for accompaniment on piano, rather than a computer. “I even forbade myself to go near a computer for a year and a half,” Emilie said, “I wanted to see what I was capable of without my usual comforts around me.” The result was a collection of sounds reflecting Émilie’s impression of New York City — an urban, black and white musical that became her most recent album, The Big Machine. On this album, Émilie’s experimental inclination involved the clever use of traditional Chinese instruments – together with keyboards – as a vestige of her long stay in the heart of Chinatown.

In 2011, the album Franky Night, (dedicated to her late fiancé) won her many more fans in France as most of the tracks were sung in French, as opposed to English. Her latest album, Mue, hit markets in 2014 and includes tracks like Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Games” cover, and other heartfelt songs featuring both English and French lyrics.

Émilie Simon
When:– 8pm, 26 March, 2015
Where: Grappa’s Cellar
Tickets: $420 (inc one drink) from Ticketflap
More info: www.emiliesimon.com

Ólafur Arnalds @ Grappa’s Cellar – 8pm, 16 September, 2013

Fragile and emotional neoclassical are perhaps the best terms to describe Ólafur Arnalds music, a man who over the past 5 years by combining classical instrumentation with an ambient aesthetic has established himself as one of the most interesting musicians to emerge from Iceland’s vibrant music scene. His sorrowful neoclassical pieces evoked the stark minimalism of Sigur Rós, combined with the simple ambience explored by Brian Eno. Through these influences and others, Arnalds has created a simple, short-form take on modern classical music that has enough crossover appeal to be enjoyed by fans of post-rock, ambient, and even pop music genres – but Arnalds by mixing strings and piano with loops, ambiance, electronics and beats is sculpting his own epic, string-laden compositions.

Only 26 years of age, Arnalds returns to Hong Kong (after a sold out show in 2010) hard on the heels of his well-liked soundtrack to Broadchurch and in support of his ‘major label’ debut For Now I Am Winter which sees Arnalds adding an impressive amount of variety into what is already a well-established formula, what will be interesting is how the vocal embellishments to some of the new album’s tracks come across live?
To find out more have a listen https://soundcloud.com/olafur-arnalds

What: Ólafur Arnalds
When: 8pm, 16 September, 2013
Where: Grappa’s Cellar, Basement Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Hong Kong
How Much: $300 from http://olafurarnalds.ticketflap.com
Ólafur Arnalds @ Grappa's Cellar – 8pm, 16 September, 2013

Dirty Projectors + Ra Ra Riot – 7:30pm, 29 January 2013, Grappas Cellar

Dirty Projectors + Ra Ra Riot – 7:30pm, 29 January 2013
Grappas Cellar, Jardine House, Central
Tickets $320 (advance), $360 (Door)
Beta Love – Ra Ra Riot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ4iHeMyrrs

Dirty Projectors + Ra Ra Riot - 7:30pm, 29 January 2013
Dirty Projectors + Ra Ra Riot – 7:30pm, 29 January 2013

Up Dharma Down Live in Hong Kong – 21 February 2013

Up Dharma Down Live in Hong Kong - 21 February 2013
Up Dharma Down Live in Hong Kong – 21 February 2013

Up Dharma Down Live in Hong Kong – 8pm, 21 February 2013
Grappa’s Cellar – Basement, Jardine House, 1 Connaught Place, Central.

TICKETS:
Advance: HK$200 + 1 Free Drink
Regular & At the door: HK$250 + 1 Free Drink