Beltuner, the band

Beltuner is a french popular band created in Paris in 2001, the original band was composed with Johann Riche (accordion), Pascal Muller (guitar), Arnaud Soidet (guitare) and Nicolas Pautras (double-bass). The four young musicians, essentially self-taught, first played a repertoire of traditional tunes from the gypsy swing “manouche”, parisian bal musette, tango, but also yiddish or balkanic musics.

Soon a special alchemy took place and the band started to get is very own way of playing, mixing the styles, bringing numerous new influences (jazz, world music, classical, pop, funk, etc), replacing traditional tunes by original compositions, and creating a very personnal sound based on impressive energy, expressivity and complicity combinated to a very free and instinctive playing.

But Beltuner especially get famous by his highly generous and communicatives concerts, where the musicians give free to their energy, sensivity and pleasure that allways gain the audience, sometimes up to some kind of trance and concerts frequently finish in dancing party! And if you want some music, the band never refuse, we remember some concerts lasting for at least 6 hours… The continuous live exchanges, improvisations (or even explorations) also contributed to gave a very fascinating side to the band perfomances.

The 2 first albums (simply called Album 1 and Album 2) were recorded in 2005 and 2008 and co-produced by Narguilé Productions and Ici Label, 2 french independent labels. Both albums including live and studio recordings received a very great welcome from the public and the press. Beltuner also appears in numerous compilations or even DJs remixes and in 2010 the band was worldwide high-lighted in the album Paris Café Music produced by World Music Network in the Rough Guide Series, international reference for world music.

From the very first concert in a tiny old-style parisian bar to the tours in Europe, Russia, Asia or even Emirates, from a confortable theater scene to a crazy rock festival, meeting on their road some of great jazz musicians like Richard Galliano or Bireli Lagrène, Beltuner is today at the “avant-guarde of the revival of typical french musics as swing manouche or musette accordion and also affirm the new music they’re creating. Their compositions and unic way of playing influence yet young musicians among the new generation, bringing openings and freshness in those musics that were quiet neglected by the audience.

Beltuner also express his “modernism” through the graphism, giving in charge to the parisian artist Nanad’panam the creation of the poster and album sleeves, allways representing in a few provocative way the imaged Madame Beltuner. By this collaboration Beluner also confirm his place in the new creative popular arts from Paris and especially Ménilmontant, the old district where you can frequenltly meet the band, especially in the popular “bistrot” Le Lou Pascalou, where the band gives since 2005 a free 3 hours concert once a month.