The next day was the beginning of the three day residency in L’usine a chapeaux with Atomic Project. The first day was spent mostly preparing the stage and setting everything up for recording, the two groups got to know each other and find out more about their music. The following two days were entirely spent in improv-jamming together and making many hours of interesting recordings. Karim and Gerome from Atomic Project took advantage of the situation and returned to their first instruments (bass and drums), proving themselves to be wonderful musicians, while Moveknowledgement found it very refreshing and inspiring to have two new ’members’ in the band, bringing new ideas and new ways of playing.
Three days passed quickly and the two groups parted ways, Moveknowledgement heading back to Paris for two great gigs, one in Dame de Canton with a great group The Latitudz, and one in Kfet, where they also met an interesting band from Finland. The group found a very receptive and wild audience on both gigs.
Next morning saw the band heading south to Lyon for a concert in Splash, which was unfortunately flawed by technical difficulties. Nevertheless the group spent an interesting two days in a local squat, meeting musicians and travelers from across the globe and getting to know how the movement functions. The following night though, was a disappointment, as the gig in St.Etienne had to be canceled due to poor attendance.
Returning to Paris, the band seized the opportunity to spend two days in Studio La Chaufferie to record two of their new songs. Everything went according to plan and they finished this project in time.
Perhaps the most interesting concert of the tour was the one in Prison Choconin in Meaux, where the group was welcomed by a very warm organisation and met the entire prison staff, played a gig for about 15 prisoners and found them very receptive of their music. Unfortunately the process of getting in and out of a jail is long and frustrating, so they could not spend much time getting to know the place and the people, but it will remain a special moment in their concert history.
The same day they played a concert in Antony, where they were able to attract a crowd of locals and friends, and the next day they returned to Rambouillet for the finale of the tour: the gig with Atomic Project. This was perhaps the best concert of the tour, with good conditions, powerful sound and a larger audience. Moveknowledgement and Atomic Project each presented a couple of their songs and then performed a group improvisation, showing the crowd what they had achieved in their three day residency.
All members of the band agree that this tour was the most successful yet and are very satisfied with the organisation. What made the tour easier and less stressful than usual was the fact that Yann or Vincent from AOLF were present at all the gigs and took care of all the logistics, leaving the band no other worries but to play their songs. There was a friendly atmosphere throughout the tour and Bino (in who’s flat the group stayed for the two weeks) was a wonderful host. It was the first tour in which the group formed strong bonds with the organisers and both parties look forward to cooperating again in France or Slovenia, hopefully attracting a larger audience and doing even more concerts.