The New LoFi

L’Eclair’s limited edition purple vinyls of “Polymood” are still available

We featured the Swiss-based band L’Eclair last month when we covered their album Sauropoda. It’s an album that was recorded in the mountains of the Swiss alps and explored a “freer sound” according to the band. It pushed their unique sound which crosses jazz with psychedelic rock to new places. But if you really want to understand L’Eclair (or if you just want to hear more of their music) you need to go back to their previous album, Polymood.

Or perhaps we go even further back to when the band was conceived in 2015? Sébastien Bui and Stefan Lilov came up with the idea for the band while they were living in London. Hazy nocturnal walks around London in the winter gave them inspiration but they wanted something bigger. They were in search of a groove. A “Swiss groove.” So they returned home to Geneva, Switzerland to recruit more band members and commence their quest to form a new sound.

Shortly after, long times friend Elie Ghersinu and brother Yavor Lilov joined the band on bass and drums. Then they recruited Quentin Pilet on percussion and Alain Sandri on keyboards and cowbell. Their band was set and a sound began to appear. Swiss Groove™ music.

Polymood is a further expansion on L’Eclair’s quest to channel and honor this new sound and get back to their original 70s influences (Afro-Disco, Kosmische, and early House music).

I’ve picked out the first and last track off the album here, but you should go check out the L’Eclair Bandcamp page if you want to buy a limited edition purple vinyl copy of Polymood (they’re still available!).