Le Bateau Ivre
Clubbing meets poetry in the first in a series of curious events

Courtesy of La Fabrique

Poetic inspiration may not be the first thing that comes to mind before a night on the dancefloor, but when the poet under consideration is decadent 19th-century French figure Arthur Rimbaud, things begin to make sense.

“Le Bateau Ivre” (The Drunken Boat) takes its name from Rimbaud’s famous, fantastical poem, and is the first of what French outpost in Shibuya La Fabrique intends as a series linking famous literary masterpieces to music and performing arts in a club environment. The idea for “Le Bateau Ivre” is that the voyager rocked by waves on the boat described in the poem serves as a metaphor for the clubber, who is instead moved by waves of rhythm and melody, sound and image.

Organizer Thierry Vergon from Agence A explains the overall aim of the series. “The majority of artistic disciplines are nowadays very inspired by one another. Thin boundaries between disciplines are becoming even thinner. The result is richer, and there’s finally no need to categorize or label those creations. I want to input some of those crossings into entertainment and pop culture.”

The party also serves as the Japan debut for Franco-Finnish duo the Penelope[s], who have just released their first album, Steal This, in Japan on P-Vine. Inspired by post-punk, synthetic disco and electro, the duo dish out decadent and theatrical electro-pop that Rimbaud might have been proud of had he lived in the present era.

Behind the decks are two DJs whose tastes also run to electro. Samy Birnbach, aka DJ Morpheus, was the lead singer of Belgian ’80s new wave band Minimal Compact before reinventing himself as an electronic music creator and impresario. Tokyo’s Duck Rock, meanwhile, is well-known as one of the meanest mixologists around, shamelessly yoking together rock classics with cutting-edge breakbeats.

The visual end of “Le Bateau Ivre” promises something different to the ordinary eye candy one sees at club events. Kaori Tsukikaze, who calls her innovative work “Calligraphy of Winds,” will be presenting live calligraphy painting in a personal evocation of Rimbaud’s poem. VJ Flyflyfly will put a final touch on her creations before they are projected on the wall at La Fabrique.
Oar not included.

La Fabrique, June 22. See club listings for details.

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