C2C is not yet a household name for electro/urban music enthusiasts. But the three-letter name is nonetheless legendary in the world of “turntablism,” a highly technical yet intensely musical discipline, with performers using turntables as a bonafide musical instrument.
A story built from scratch
The four members of C2C met in high school during their teenage years, and soon started developing their own unique performing style. Their achievements in the competition circuit come second to none. The quartet has been ranked #1 in the DMC World Competition four times in a row (2003-2006), thanks to their unique blend of breathtaking technical dexterity and innate musical sensitivity. Audiences are continually astonished by their highly playful, yet incredibly precise and spectacular routines, and the intoxicating jazzy tunes they manage to create through their deceptively simple contraptions. To this day, their live performances remain extremely popular, totaling more than 7 million views on Youtube alone.
Individual search
Aside from their adventures within C2C, the four members have been very active in the French music scene. 20Syl and Greem founded Hocus Pocus and released a gold-certified album on Motown. The band is now widely considered to be one the classiest and most accomplished hip-hop acts of Europe. Atom and Pfel created Beat Torrent on the side, one of the most popular formations on the dynamic French electronic scene. Collectively, they can boast more than a thousand live performances. They never stopped working together, continuously being featured on eachother’s albums, but 2011 is the year when they finally reunited to produce C2C’s first proper album.
Reunited
“We had to close the loop,” they say with a single voice. C2C’s true purpose, beyond competition, has always been to produce music, or rather to devise a brand new way to create and perform music. Now in their thirties, and freed from the constraints of the competition circuit, the quartet has matured, without losing any of its enthusiasm and energy. Rather than relying on borrowed samples and scratches, C2C has recorded an extensive palette of instruments: strings, brass, guitar, bass, keys, etc., often played on vintage instruments and equipment to capture the elusive 70’s sounds they so cherish. The same goes for the vocal tracks, featuring talented vocalists like Olivier Daysoul, Gush or Pigeon John. The result is an acrobatic, yet deeply melodic and atmospheric series of pieces, a uniquely electrifying blend of electro, soul and hip-hop moods.
2012
C2C’s first EP « Down The Road » was released on the 23rd of January 2012. The album is scheduled to be released next fall. The 2012 live tour will feature all the skills that has made the quartet an instant success on stage, all the while introducing a plethora of innovative musical and visual elements.
2013
January 29, 2013 saw the digital release of C2C’s debut full-length Tetra in the US via Casablanca Records (with the physical release following on February 11). The band is also confirmed for Coachella, with more US tour dates to follow.
