Are you considering a trip to South of France ?
Whether you’re flying to Marseille, Biarritz or Montpellier, we’ve put together a playlist of music that originates from this beautiful area and represents its sonic identity.
To get an even more insight of the area, we spoke to record label owners and artists, Chinese Man, and asked them about their thoughts and tips regarding the spirit of your destination.
When did you start making your own music and what was it like to begin with?
We started to produce music in 2004, we used to be DJs and we wanted to produce our own vinyls so we created our label Chinese Man Records in 2005. In the beginning, we only had turntables, a computer and some vinyls, so our first records were made exclusively with samples.
Describe where you live in ten words or less.
South, France, Marseille, Sea, Sun.
What is your favorite place to lunch when you have 10€ in your pocket?
A pizza bought in a pizza truck close to my place. Pizza trucks are a famous specialty in South of France.
What are the top things you’d suggest to music fans visiting your region to go and see/do/eat/drink?
If you need a good record shop, you should go to Galette, where you can find a great selection and a nice team! For a restaurant, you could try Le parpaing qui flotte for good food and great cocktails. Then, you must have a drink at the Longchamp Palace, it’s a great bar to have a great party. And if you’re not tired, try Le Cabaret Aléatoire where you can find a good DJ or good live music.
Do you have any favorite record stores or flea markets?
Yes, Galette Records is a cool place to visit. There are also occasional flea markets in the city.
Does living in Marseille influence the music you make?
Marseille is a very chill city and I think you can feel this influence by the way our label has been running for more than ten years now. We really take time to do our things and we don’t put too much pressure on ourselves, it would be more difficult for us to be so relaxed if our label was based in Paris, I think.
What are the top things you’d suggest visitors of South of France to see/do during summer?
The Calanques national park in Marseille, Montpellier is a cool city, the Luberon is a nice region, la Côte Bleue for the beaches… There’re so many nice places!
Who’s your biggest local musical influence, past and/or present?
Marseille does not have so many famous bands. One of them includes “IAM” which was not a big influence for us but we used to listen to them a lot before creating Chinese Man and they might have influenced our attitude: take your time, don’t take things too seriously and keep it simple.
Which museums or art galleries are not to be missed?
MUCEM in Marseille, Matisse museum in Nice, Picasso national museum in Vallauris and Granet museum in Aix-en-Provence.
