You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed Paris and London are better-known Monet destinations spectacular lake and medieval castle really captivated the artist As my train inched its way into the station at La Souterraine some three hours south of Paris on a blisteringly hot June afternoon the woman in the seat next to me asked: “Vous descendez ici?” Her expression seemed to say “Really Behind the wire fencing lining the platform lay a handful of industrial buildings alongside nondescript looking farmland I had arrived in La Creuse – one of the departments the French call la France profonde – deepest darkest France – and apparently the country’s least-visited region north of Limoges and 65 miles south-east of Poitiers things started to look up: I found myself driving through rolling hills and strikingly green valleys with overhanging hedgerows separating fields and pastures where the rust-coloured Limousin cattle were grazing in the sun I was on a quest to find the landscape that had inspired the painter Claude Monet Claude Monet Photograph: incamerastock/AlamyIn early 1889 several years before he started his world-famous water lily series Monet spent several months in the countryside near the small village of Fresselines Monet was captivated by the dashing rapids and heather-laden granite gorge where two sections of the Creuse River convergeLike his fellow impressionists 49-year-old Monet was on the lookout for locations to paint in the open air Monet was soon captivated by the dashing rapids and angular heather-laden granite gorge where two sections of the Creuse River converge and spent days over the course of several visits that year clambering along the often-slippery rocks accompanied by a farmhand who carried his canvases he had completed 23 paintings featuring the dramatic landscape in different lights using a vivid palette of bold mauves and often almost fauvist reds and oranges it was in La Creuse that he first attempted to capture the same landscape at different times of day and in different lights From Fresselines, a self-guided walking route (maps are available at tourisme-creuse.com or local tourist offices) takes in the sites Monet painted, and so, after a night at the delightful Domaine de la Jarrige – a rural B&B with foxglove- and hen-filled gardens – I set off to see them three-kilometre route with art historian and Monet expert Christophe Rameix and we were walking through the dense beech-filled woodland that lines the banks of the Creuse Information posts dot the makeshift path showing copies of Monet’s paintings at the spots where he created them This is “a place of terrific and savage beauty” He wore special lined gloves in an attempt to keep his hands warm Rapids on the Petite Creuse at Fresselines after clambering over slippery rocks and up steps we reached the bank from which Monet had looked down positioning his easel at the confluence of the two rivers “Monet was fascinated by the water,” Rameix told me as the river whooshed past us Crozant had become a go-to countryside destination for impressionists and post impressionists, spawning the ‘Crozant school’In Fresselines – a tiny hamlet of neatly tended houses, including a church with a bas relief by Rodin – the main attraction, apart from the Monet walk, is Espace Monet–Rollinat barn-like building with a permanent display about Monet’s time in La Creuse and copies of each work he created here Monet was by no means the only painter to be drawn to La Creuse. From around 1880, the village of Crozant, 15 minutes’ drive from Fresselines, had become a go-to countryside destination for impressionists and postimpressonists, spawning what became known as the “Crozant school” dadaist and surrealist) as well as the English impressionist Wynford Dewhurst descended on the area attracted by the water mills along the Sédelle river and the ruined castle looming high above the Sédelle and Creuse rivers (Since a dam was built in the 1920s the valley is occupied by the spectacular Éguzon lake – imagine a Gallic Lake Windermere waterfront cafes and Bateau Mouche-style guided river boat trips.) After an amazingly good value lunch at the fine-dining Auberge de la Vallée opposite (two courses €26) it was only a few minutes’ walk to the Sentier des Peintres (Painter’s Path) which follows a circular route along the banks of the Sédelle River past rapids and 19th-century mill buildings with information boards showing the works created there I found myself seemingly on top of the world looking down on ruined Crozant castle with rivers on either side It wasn’t hard see why the rock had proved such an inspiration I only wondered why La Creuse was not better known This article was amended on 26 August 2024 because Lac d’Éguzon did not exist when the 19th century painters mentioned visited the area The lake was created in 1926 when the Éguzon Dam was completed Try a different filter or a new search keyword “There’s all these great artists and musicians in France because they’re kind of odd compared to the normality so enforced upon us You’re not allowed to be a freak in France.” These words were spoken to me last year in an interview with Laetitia Sadier cofounder and leader of the legendary band Stereolab The topic came up when I asked her about La Souterraine a French music collective that released a compilation on which she appeared Founded by Benjamin Caschera and Laurent Bajon precisely to give a voice to all those “freaks,” La Souterraine’s now-extensive catalog documents the French underground (its name literally means “the underground”) through smooth variations on classic French pop precise performances; solo projects sit side-by-side on the label with avant-garde groups The one constant is that all lyrics are written and sung in French (One of my favorite recent discoveries was listening to one of the label’s releases and realizing the artist was delivering a melodramatic version of “Hotel California”—in French “La Souterraine isn’t a label,” Caschera says the seeds for La Souterraine were planted three years ago “I co-run a music company with Baron Rétif called Almost Musique—we’re a record label when the radio station which hosted our show was collapsing we decide to start a free download compilation series about the Franco pop underground Our growing network started with the few bands I already worked with We wanted to support our cause: non-standardized ‘chanson’.” Caschera chose eight releases from La Souterraine’s rich catalog as an introduction to what they’re all about If you’re wondering what the term ‘mostla,’ which pops up in a number of titles Caschera is happy to explain: “Mostla is ‘Almost’ in ‘verlan,’” he says “and ‘verlan’ is a French version of slang.” The latest in the label’s regular series of compilations Vous et Nous agreeably captures the multifaceted nature of the label as a whole ranging from the clipped synth/rock drive of Ben Kerber’s “Azaka” to the scrabbling clatter of PoulainJars’ “Le Calme.” We’re trying to become sharper and sharper in theming our compilations But we also have so many tracks to premiere We have stockpiled tracks and wait for a good fit—it could be from six months to a year There are so many rhythms to handle—it’s a big machine we will soon be able to have a franco folk volume Originally a one-person project by Marion Brunetto Requin Chagrin gradually evolved to become a full band Their songs have an ear-catching ease that recalls classic indie-pop with surf and psych touches we listened to it and both decided “Adelaide” was a hit 5 [another of La Souterraine’s many compilations] to include it her first show—we pushed her to build a band—then her first French tour since it’s not that easy for a Parisian band to find shows by itself There was a sold-out limited edition LP on Objet Disque which we remastered and released officially on Almost Musique It’s a very young band—less than one year old!—and they have a lot of work to do to become pro Her sound instantly reminded me of the Canadian band Shimmering Sars by whom we released two albums on Almost Musique DIY bedroom pop with a rock’n roll / garage mood slightly-swooping vocals are set in a classic chanson style but the bubbling keyboards and squalling guitar jams and unexpected twists like “Si…,” a lovely translation of Pink Floyd’s “If,” exist in another dimension entirely France doesn’t have a wide-open underground tradition we’ve always had a long tradition of classical chanson everything is blurred; there’s a lot of creativity everywhere Most of these artists are influenced by the US DIY scenes (K Records for instance) in the music and the aesthetic Underground bands mostly sang in English for the past 20 years we have a rising scene of ‘chanson française expérimentale’—indie pop vs And she’s one of our babies—her first single was on Vol Julien Barbagallo maintains a high profile job as Tame Impala’s drummer but he also is part of La Souterraine mainstays Aquaserge I started working on PR for Aquaserge back in 2009 One of the reasons La Souterraine was to be a tool to grow their profile—they’re so unique we became their record label and their publisher When Julien sent me his first nine demos in French He didn’t have any expectations or ambitions and a couple of French labels had rejected his music I proposed releasing it and making a limited edition CD-R through Objet Disque so we could sell some stuff and I could also have promo copies to send to journalists and his sophomore album will be released by Arista/Sony Music under exclusive license from Almost Musique it’s a big step and he’s a figurehead for us Feeling like a chilly afternoon somewhere—in Crampes’s case Toulouse—this collection showcases his easy ruminative singing and sometimes energetic but often understated accompaniment—a chanson singer for the after-echoes of the rock era He’s not an indie guy; he’s only into popular music Or he could play a live performance on France Inter That’s one of the ways the label works—friends of friends send us music and we can include the more random songs on our comps We also regularly dig on Bandcamp for all bands with the ‘french pop’ or ‘chanson’ tags We also suggest bands who sing in English to try to record a French song A collective group—this release is a compilation as much as anything else—La Nòvia works with older traditional instruments and styles to create something new: a dreamy flow that could be called acid folk traditional folk music is perceived as cheesy La Nòvia are building a bridge between popular folk music and experimentation—in a punk rock they bring this oral tradition somewhere else This compilation was an attempt to put all the bands from the collective on the map They told me it helped them to be conscious of what they are understated electronic arrangements are reminiscent of the early ‘80s movement now known as ‘minimal wave.’ Dancefloor fillers for bedsitters An instrumental duo that feels like what would happen if a funky political thriller needed a good soundtrack: There’s shadows where some sort of government agent is lurking but at the same time the bar’s lit up the vibe is warm and maybe the heroine just wants to dance a bit Baron Rétif is my business partner on Almost Musique We had to find a way to include him in the family because it’s nowhere and everywhere—live and organic I’m pretty sure they’ll grow their profile in the coming years La Souterraine’s network is only francophonic and instrumental music from France We tried to bring the “mixtape” concept which is huge in the hip-hop scene 2015Save this storySaveSave this storySave Nearly 400 years ago, the chief minister to King Louis XIII established l’Académie Française a council whose aims were to prevent “impurity” from sullying the French language The Académie operates to this day as a coven of cloak wearers who preside over matters of linguistic importance: A recent decision had them lowering their shields against the scourge of Anglophone terms like “email” and “chicken nuggets.” either you were simple or preachy—totally uncool nothing to do with the radical possibilities of rock that you imagined when you were a teenager.” and La Féline are now among those who are rebelling against the rebellion by spearheading the unlikely rehabilitation of French as the language of pop within France it’s almost tacky to sing in English,” Gayraud suggests “It means sacrificing your creative desires for the promise of an international career—which This new generation has crystallized around a loose collective, more mood than movement, called La Souterraine It translates literally as “the underground,” but it’s also named after a village of 5,000 people in Creuse economically isolated region in central France Benjamin Caschera and Laurent Bajon founded La Souterraine in 2013 and although they’re keen to avoid defining the organization it’s something akin to a non-profit record label: They release all their music—most notably a regular series of compilations—as free downloads no rigorous ideology; they chose the domain name souterraine.biz as an ironic nod to their lack of commercial motivation Their wider motivations aren’t particularly easy to identify at least within a country that’s never had a strong DIY or underground culture but they have a militant approach,” says Didier Varrod director of music programming at France Inter “If it had been presented as a project that defends the French language and other outsiders people wouldn’t think about it the same way.” Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier, who is featured on the fourth La Souterraine compilation offers up her interpretation of their ethos: “It’s a form of chanson française that says loud and clear: I want to live.” La Souterraine co-founder Benjamin Caschera. Photo by Louis Canadas speaks of Caschera as a “mythological figure” and a “larger-than-life personality.” and the press only just started talking about us a year ago,” says Glibert “It’s not exactly a profit-making band,” according to Caschera and they don’t make super sellable music—and anyway they don’t even know how to sell themselves.” Caschera would take Differ-Ant’s acts in to appear on Laurent Bajon’s “Planet Claire” show on community radio station Aligre FM he was invited to join Bajon as co-presenter “I could see that he had tons of ideas,” says Bajon “We became closer quite naturally because we had the same taste and came from the same kind of backgrounds—we’d both studied history.” La Souterraine co-founder Laurent Bajon. Photo by Louis Canadas. Bajon is a librarian at the prestigious Paris Institute of Political Studies; he spends all of his free time scouring Bandcamp and SoundCloud “Laurent is the finest and most furious amateur A&R in France,” says Caschera but he does it with enormous professionalism.” Working together at “Planet Claire” they realized that more and more young bands were singing in French—and that they were actually good If a band like Aquaserge could exist and never get noticed they figured that there must be others like them in France featured the cold-wave band La Féline—who already had an audience and didn’t stand to gain much from being included but more to show belonging and lend my support to their project,” says La Féline’s Agnès Gayraud “Benjamin and Laurent had supported me at crucial moments Aquaserge. Photo by Louis Canadas. La Souterraine like to describe themselves as a vecteur—literally a vector Tame Impala drummer Julien Barbagallo had been recording his own music for a while he suggested that I appear on one of their compilations bringing together the best of unknown singers,” says Barbagallo Caschera decided to put out Barbagallo’s demos in a series of limited physical releases and some of the biggest French weeklies were talking about Julien,” says Caschera we even signed a co-publishing deal with Warner/Chappell.” Given La Souterraine’s anti-business stance it might seem surprising to see them collaborating with a major global publishing company “We’re not going to bring down the system tomorrow,” Caschera reasons and it’s better to take the money where it is and it’s necessary to compromise and then set our conditions the role I gave myself is to play intermediary between the underground and the sharks.” Caschera also knows that the way to get his protégés known is to get them on the radio who controls the music schedule at France’s third most-listened-to station says he values the ingenuity of Caschera and Bajon as much as the artists that they bring to him (Barbagallo notes that “Caschera is as at home in the office of a powerful programming director as in a DIY venue.”) Matthieu Conquet the music editor at radio station France Culture was one of the first to represent La Souterraine on the airwaves He describes it as a project “that’s not searching for the rare pearls; their thing is more making a broad range of voices heard from people who are totally ploughing their own furrow.” To wit, La Souterraine’s biggest coup thus far is the discovery of the self-sustaining la Nóvia collective a sort of secret society that operates at the crossroads of the traditional and avant-garde a mountainous region in central France that’s long been cut off from the rest of the country La Nóvia play around with transforming the region’s ancestral music into something radical “They’re dusting off traditions and tearing down the old schools of thought,” says an enthusiastic Caschera they would never have broken out of experimental music circles.” Just a few weeks after La Souterraine posted the la Nóvia compilation online in March several of its members were booked for shows in Paris and they were profiled in the daily left-wing paper Libération Le Souterraine artist Maud Nadal, aka Halo Maud. Photo by Louis Canadas “It’s a real problem for me to release anything, so I took the opportunity,” says Nadal, an Auvergne native, like the members of la Nóvia. “One thing is certain: I wouldn’t have come out when I did without them.” In just a few months, she’s met with potential publishers and managers, and has been offered opportunities to play shows. La Souterraine’s balance sheet is solid—they’ve had just under 500,000 streams overall. Bajon and Caschera organize nights in Paris and Nantes, showcasing bands that have never played before, or rarely beyond their close circle, which invariably sell out to audiences of several hundred people. But the success of La Souterraine is best measured elsewhere. The three major labels of the French music industry have already approached Caschera and Bajon, though their advances have been ignored. “The goal is to influence the influencers, to infiltrate the system,” says Caschera. “The idea isn’t to adapt to the system. We have the capacity to be self-sufficient. It could continue like that for our entire lives. We don’t want to change.” “These are amateur musicians who aren’t doing this for fame and glory, and they’re not preachy,” suggests Caschera. He pauses and raises his eyes. “Perhaps it’s the system, the world, that doesn’t satisfy them, and that affects them deeply within themselves.”