Interviews

Chilam Balam return to Partyfine – the Reims based imprint headed up by French don Yuksek – with more stunning sonics! Here we get to know a little more about the Parisian duo. Talking about the health of the scene, why they felt Partyfine was the right home for their releases, and their new EP.

Where are you at this moment and how are you spending today?

We're in the studio working on our music.

Where are you based and where are you from?

We're based in North-East Paris. Bastien comes from the South-West of France but grew up in the US, and Léo comes from Reims.

What is it you love most about the city in which you live?

We love the richness of cultural experiences and the chance to let your music be heard. Paris has so much to offer when it comes to music, arts, food etc…

How is the health of the music scene where you are?

We're not doctors. It's not that easy to give a clear diagnosis but we really feel like the music scene is thriving nowadays, whether it be in Paris or elsewhere. Music genres come and go but there are so many good bands, DJs, musicians releasing incredible music almost every day. The real trouble is keeping up with the amount of music present nowadays.

How is the health of the music scene generally in your opinion?

The music industry is a bit like politics. You can always find something good, something bad to say, it really depends on what angle you look at it. We find it hard to talk about a subject that goes beyond us, as musicians and a band we try to keep ourselves focused on making this as fun and interesting as possible for us.

Who are the icons who have inspired the music that you make?

We like so many artists from the disco scene of the 70s. But if we had to give a name of a recent artists, I think we would both go for the Italian band Nu Genea.

Who are the members of Chilam Balam?

It's just the two of us - Bastien and Leo. We met in 2019 and have been playing music together in various bands ever since.

What you both been doing musically before starting this duo of sound together?

Before starting Chilam Balam, Bastien was part of the electronic pop duo « The George Kaplan Conspiracy ». Leo was starting his Pop/MPB project Leo Blomov, in which Bastien plays the guitar.

Chilam Balam - What is your mission in sound?

We really started this band out of pure pleasure for electronic groove, listening to Herbie Hancock, Roy Ayers, Grover Washington Jr. or more recently Nu Genea, MildLife. We didn’t really have precise goals at first other than having as much fun as possible with our instruments. It turns out Yuksek was really into our early demos and ever since we kept that same energy, playing music, looking for hypnotic grooves.

How did you connect with Yuksek?

uksek lives between Paris and Reims, where he’s a mentor figure in the scene. The Post-Disco scene is a very specialized, and Reims is like a village. It turns out Yuksek was a friend’s friend (as always) and we ended up DJing together, from there we got to know each other, talking about disco, electronic music in general, library music, Brazilian music… On top of that, Yuksek regularly collaborates with Bertrand Burgalat, who happens to be the owner of Tricatel (record label where Leo Blomov is signed).

Why did you feel Partyfine was the right home for this music?

We have so much in common with Yuksek. We love his music and it’s a real privilege to be part of a label run by an artist. We are free and Yuksek helps us so much and gives us his full trust. It’s rare to work in these conditions!

Can you give us an overview of your new release Par La Fenetre.

«Par la fenêtre » is our first song with a singer. Our first EP contains three instrumental tracks influenced by Disco and Electronic Music. Our new track stands out for its vocals, as well as its exotic influences.

How long did it take to come together?

ur pleasure comes from the fact that our ideas come together quickly. We also tend to agree quite easily on artistic directions, arrangements, the mix, and so on.

Tell us about any other artists involved in the release?

We just met Pat Kalla to work on our track. He sings for the collective Voilaaa Sound System, a very cool band here in France. A charming man with a beautiful voice.

Do you tend to take some time – after you have made a track – to leave it alone for a while to evaluate?

t depends on the schedule. There are two ways to look at it: moving quickly can be risky if you fear having regrets, but it also prevents getting lost in mix details that can take up a lot of time. On the other hand, having too much time can lead to doubts and changes that sometimes end up altering the essence of a track.

Do you find the feedback of others is important to you in the production process?

Of course. Taking a step back is necessary, even as a duo. Our partners are often the first to give us their opinion. The perspective of non-musicians is also important. And of course, Yuksek, who helps us a lot with the mix, shares his thoughts as well. His feedback really helps us and gives us a lot of confidence.

What are some of the challenges in putting out music currently?

I think the main challenge is making sure it doesn’t go unnoticed, as we mentioned earlier. There is an enormous number of new tracks released every day - especially if you include those created with AI. Finding a core group of people who enjoy our music and seeing a community form around it is the ultimate goal for any musician, because we write tracks hoping they will resonate with an audience.

What drives you to create music do you think?

For me, it’s a need that has become a habit. The feeling I get while composing a track and bringing it to life is truly unique!

What other artists do you think are making great music right now?

Not to be biased but Yuksek keeps releasing incredible tracks every year. As said before great music is coming out every day, so it really depends what scene you’re into. But to name a few, we could go for (in no particular order) Kaytranada, Getdown Services, Stella, Joy Orbison, Jayda G, Space Ghost, Pellegrino, Another Taste.

What was the last record you purchased?

For Leo, it was a reissue of an album by Mulatu Astatke, an Ethiopian jazzman.

For Bastien, it was "Curtis” by Curtis Mayfield.

What has been a highlight of the last year for you guys?

We released our first EP through Partyfine late '24/early ‘25 so we got to play a couple of DJ sets with Yuksek and the Partyfine team, which was of course a nice ride. We also released a collaborative track with Yuksek and Bertrand Burgalat called “Nuit Bleue”.

What can we hope to see next from Chilam Balam?

Our new song “Par la fenêtre” with Pat Kalla just came out. Following that our goal is to release a new EP and perform our tracks live with live musicians. For now, we’re having fun doing DJ sets. We write our music hoping that one day we’ll be able to play them live on stage.

Check out the latest release from Chilam Balam.