Watoo Watoo is Pascale & Michaël . Michaël usually records new songs on his computer, emails friends to help with the guitars & the piano, and then asks Pascale to add her lovely voice. But Pascale is always busy doing something else, so Michaël often needs to ask her some time in advance.

Over 10 years, Watoo Watoo have released 3 albums & 3 E.P.s on various labels throughout the world & have made appearances on an impressive number of compilations.
The music was strictly indiepop in Watoo Watoo's early years, but now other influences have surfaced. "Felt is still an obsession but Serge Gainsbourg also is one. I also discovered a lot of new music in the last few years thanks to the internet, so bossa beats or jazz chords sometimes subconsciously appear when I write a new song", says Michaël.

Le tourbillon ep is released by Duffelcoat Records, almost 5 years after the duo’s last lp, La fuite. The ep features an ode to Felt called Whirlpool of Pride (tourbillon means whirlpool in French), an acoustic version of Ce qu’il va en rester (a Stereolab-esque song released on La fuite), and four covers: L'amour en fuite (an Alain Souchon tune, soundtrack of François Truffaut’s Love on the run); Jennifer Juniper (which appeared on a tribute compilation to Donovan years ago; Pitchfork described the song as “the jewel of the bunch (… ), a brilliant recasting of baroque pop as skittering, low-key electronica”); Tuesday’s secret (a sparkling cover of a sadly almost forgotten Felt b-side), and Tombé pour la France, an Etienne Daho song which was a huge French hit in the 80 ’s, in a surprising Young Marble Giants style.

Short discography:
* Le tourbillon ep, 6 tracks CD, December 2011 (Dufflecoat Records/ UK) + bandcamp
* La fuite, 11 tracks CD, june 2007 (Letterbox Records/ UK) + bandcamp
* Le fumalin, 13 tracks CD, 2003 (LeS DiSqUeS MaLaDrOiTs / France) - now on Spotify
* Le fumalin, 13 tracks CD, 2001 (Clover Records/ Japon)
* Curiosites ?, 13 tracks compilation CD, 2000 (BBPTC/ USA) + free download here
* Picture of a Lost Friend, 6 tracks Cdep, 1999 (Radio Khartoum/ USA)  - now on Spotify
* Un Peu de Moi, 9 tracks Cdep, 1997 (BBPTC/ USA) + free download here
* Many appearances on compilations CD.

Although they have played few concerts (this is exhausting), the band played two "Popfests" (New York 1997, Paris 1998) and two concerts (one was radio broadcasted) in San Francisco in 1999. In 2004 the band was invited on TV7 Bordeaux, where 4 songs were recorded live for the TV station. The band had started again making concerts in 2007 -playing live is funny!-.

 


Some people/music we love:
70s soundtracks & 70s funk (Isaac Hayes, Curtis Mayfield, etc.), Astrud Gilberto, the Beatles, Belle & Sebastian, Blur, Brisa Roché, the Buzzcocks, Charles Trenet, the Clash, the Cure, the Damned, David Bowie, the Feelies, Felt, Iggy Pop, Julien Baer, Katerine, Keren Ann, the Kinks, Luna/Galaxie 500, the Pale Saints, Peter Astor, Saint Etienne, Serge Gainsbourg, Sergio Mendes, the Smiths, some jazz (Getz, Coltrane, Jarrett, etc.), Stereolab, the Velvet Underground, the Wedding Present, Young Marble Giants/Weekend...