The band’s style is predominantly a mix of mellow gypsy jazz and French house music - much more refined and careful than big band swing or American electronica.Ĭaravan Palace’s lack of popularity outside of Europe has meant that the band tours constantly to make ends meet. Carrying on the tradition of earlier counterparts like Parov Stelar, Caravan Palace’s versatile multi-instrumentalists represent the forefront in a genre that aims to marry the musicianship and complexity of jazz and swing with the thumping, bass-heavy beats of electronic music.Īlthough they’re still not any huge force with American audiences, Caravan Palace’s eponymous first album placed 11th on the French charts, and their 2012 release, Panic, placed 20th, perhaps because of their distinctly Francophone roots.

Such was not the case when Caravan Palace visited the Paradise at the beginning of this month.įew if any bands today have the energy and chemistry displayed by France’s reigning electro-swing darlings. Very few people will dance and what little dancing that does occur will likely be of the vertical variety, only occasionally accompanied by nodding heads and pumping fists. The mood at the Paradise Rock Club, or any other venue like it for that matter, isn’t usually very electrifying.

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