Emile Londonien (FR)

Emerging from the Strasbourg scene and the Omezis collective – which brings together around twenty artists, musicians, DJs, and videographers – Emile Londonien draws inspiration from the last fifteen years of the UK jazz scene to offer a personal take on it. Trained at the Conservatoire de Strasbourg, the three musicians met during themed evenings organized by the Omezis collective, co-founded by drummer Matthieu Drago. This led to a 2020 studio session paying tribute to the English scene, and the name Emile Londonien – a double nod to their UK influences and a famous French saxophonist—emerged spontaneously.

Regularly playlisted on the BBC, their early productions met with enthusiastic acclaim, starting with praise from influential DJ and producer Gilles Peterson, who saw them as heirs:
« I saw these guys recently live. They are a sort of celebration of the last 10-15 years UK jazz scene (…) It’s a crossroads place. »

Just a few months prior still unknown, the group performed at the Worldwide Festival in Sète, the Montreux Jazz Festival in summer 2021, and Nancy Jazz Pulsations, confirming on stage all the promise heard in their recordings.

Influenced by Yussef Kamaal, The Comet Is Coming, Atjazz, Sun Ra, but also Ornette Coleman and Thelonious Monk, as well as the Broken Beat, jazz, house, and hip-hop scenes, Emile Londonien perfectly embodies the “next generation” of French jazz alongside Léon Phal, with whom they are closely associated. Free of labels, they seamlessly mix tradition and contemporary music with the dancefloor as a benchmark.

After releasing a 5-track EP in September 2022 (Jazz Contenders) and a highly praised debut album in February 2023 (Legacy), the group released their second album in 2024, Inwards.

This project marks the band’s growth and development, paying homage to the UK jazz scene and established artists such as Ashley Henry, CHERISE, and Kazy Lambist. They continue to position themselves as leaders of the new French jazz scene by inviting prestigious artists such as Laurent Bardainne, Jowee Omicil, and Léon Phal to contribute to the album. Once again, Emile Londonien surprises with their unique ability to blend broken beat, house, jazz, and RnB in an exceptionally distinctive way.