I spot Folamour from afar, standing by the blue bus, dressed in dark blue with his face prominently displayed: this is the unconventional setting from which he will unveil his new album ‘Movement Therapy’ in collaboration with Beatport Live. This event marks one of a series of successful gatherings worldwide that began this Spring.
This year, Beatport has initiated a live strategy to enhance its brand presence beyond being merely a leading online platform for DJs, actively engaging with the global electronic music community through events. The series commenced at WMC in Miami, featuring a lineup of free events in unique, intimate locations with artists like Patrick Topping, Maz, and Shimza. In May, Beatport held a string of sold-out parties in UK car parks, showcasing talents such as Simo0ne and DJ FuckOff Special Request. These unconventional and intimate gatherings foster a creativity that is often lacking in the larger festivals where Folamour typically headlines. The bus, illuminated with vibrant blue lights and equipped with speakers, has been transformed into a micro-rave space that will take 35 dedicated Folamour fans through central Paris on a warm evening.
As Folamour begins his set, any potential awkwardness from being in close quarters with a large group of stylish young Parisians dissipates, resulting in a vibrant atmosphere. The fans are thrilled; who wouldn’t be excited about a free opportunity to meet one of their favorite DJs, followed by an open-air meet and greet? With no tables and no barriers, Folamour expresses his appreciation for such settings, stating, “While the energy in front of ten thousand people is incredible, I don’t feel that genuine musical connection on those stages. For me, the real connection occurs when we can look each other in the eyes.”
This partnership between Folamour and Beatport Live marks an innovative approach for Beatport in releasing albums or EPs, historically marketing digitally but now integrating real-life events to generate excitement and enhance artist visibility and sales.
Folamour comes across as warm and welcoming; his eagerness to gauge the crowd's reaction in such a cozy space is evident. He shares, “Most of the time, I feel like just another person in the crowd, only I happen to be on stage.” Dressed in a Movement Therapy bucket hat and a custom T-shirt featuring the lyrics to ‘Pressure Makes Diamonds’ on the back, he notes he chose attire to honor the album without prominently displaying his name, revealing a modesty about his brand. Events like this allow his genuine character to shine through.
Before the performance, Folamour appears effortlessly relaxed and cheerful. He observes a shift in the scene, remarking, “This is less common in the UK, but across Europe, I sense that the youth are reconnecting with club music similar to previous generations. They’re not connecting with the urgency of being eighteen like I did, where going to clubs every weekend was the norm." On the bus, there's cold brew tea and soda, with remarkably little alcohol present. As the set begins, the single-decker bus comes alive with fashionable and optimistic young Parisians eager to enjoy a DJ they clearly admire—all for free. The absence of visible alcohol hasn’t deterred anyone from dancing. The low ceilings and neon blue strip lights attached to the handrails create an atmosphere so intimate that everyone is acutely aware of one another's presence. He expresses concern over the closure of smaller-cap venues in Paris, worrying that their disappearance might hinder the emergence of new DJs, stating, “I started at 50-capacity venues for years, playing six or seven-hour sets, and that’s how I honed my craft… Nowadays, I see many talented young artists, but without venues to grow, it's quite challenging. I hope people in cities appreciate the significance of attending smaller venues and supporting these artists and spaces."
Beatport has been striving to create opportunities for artists during music releases. As one of the few DJ stores, they are capitalizing on real-life spaces to help artists promote their music. Since Folamour is French and wished to host an event in Paris, Beatport collaborated with Believe to envision the party bus, providing a venue for fans who don’t want to stay out all night to see Folamour. A videographer is seen climbing the handrails to capture footage of fans dancing. The crowd bursts into laughter when the bus’s accordion-shaped center pivots almost 90 degrees during the set.
Over the past seven years, Folamour has become an iconic figure in music, refining his message as a socially and spiritually aware DJ over the past four years. With ‘Manifesto,’ he presented a social vision of Utopia, and 'Movement Therapy' expresses his practical approach to achieving that Utopia through meaningful movement. He passionately discusses the beauty of communal gatherings and dancing, explaining, "I started to see the value beyond just making people feel something for a couple of hours; it’s about the social
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I spot Folamour in the distance, standing by the blue bus, dressed in deep blues with his face prominently displayed: this is the peculiar setting from