Cercle is a music company headquartered in Paris, France. It operates as a

livestreaming Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- liv ...

platform for music, an event and festival producer and a record label. Founded in 2016 by Derek Barbolla, Cercle originally specialized in organizing, filming and broadcasting

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

concerts in unconventional venues of cultural, natural, aesthetic or artistic significance. While the music programming originally focused on various subgenres of electronic music (

deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

), it broadened its spectrum as of 2021 by featuring neoclassical and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

artists such as Sofiane Pamart (2021) and

Hania Rani Hania Rani (born Hanna Raniszewska) is a Polish pianist, composer and singer. Early life and education Rani was born in Gdańsk to parents who are a doctor and an architect. She studied music at the Feliks Nowowiejski Music School in Gdańsk ...

(2022) or

Ólafur Arnalds Ólafur Arnalds (; born 3 November 1986) is an Icelandic multi-instrumentalist and producer from Mosfellsbær, Iceland. He mixes strings and piano with loops and beats, a sound ranging from ambient/electronic to atmospheric pop. He is also th ...

(2023).

History

Derek Barbolla founded Cercle in 2016. His first livestreamed videos—which streamed every Monday—featured an interview with a DJ followed by a live set. After receiving complaints from his neighbours, the live shows were exported to various underground locations in Paris: the "basement of a sandwich shop", a "club" or on a "moving barge on the Seine". Barbolla met Philippe Tuchmann at this time at the Faust club in Paris. Tuchmann later became the artistic director of the Cercle. Pol Souchier,

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and head of communication, said in an interview with

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

that the idea of producing concerts in

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by socie ...

locations “wasn't there at the beginning.". It germinated from their first live show at the Eiffel tower in October 2016 with French DJ Møme on the occasion of his ''Panorama'' album release. Barbolla had sent a request for a live music performance via the Eiffel Tower's website's contact page and received a positive response. Since then, Cercle has invited an artist on Mondays for a live performance or one-hour DJ set in cultural heritage sites across the world. The guest was then interviewed by Cercle, with questions from online viewers.

Cercle Shows

Cercle has produced and broadcast more than 240 programmes branded as "Cercle Shows" in 31 different countries, among the most notable: *

Ben Böhmer Ben Böhmer (born 1993) is a German DJ, producer and remixer from Göttingen, Germany. He primarily produces and performs indie electronica and melodic house music, and has released tracks on labels Ninja Tune, Anjunadeep, Keller Records, and Ce ...

on a

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...

over

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

(2020) * Boris Brejcha at the

Palace of Fontainebleau Palace of Fontainebleau ( , ; ), located southeast of the center of Paris, in the commune of Fontainebleau, is one of the largest French royal châteaux. It served as a hunting lodge and summer residence for many of the List of French monarchs ...

(2018), the

Grand Palais The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...

in Paris (2019) and the

Arena of Nîmes The Arena of Nîmes (; ) is a Roman amphitheatre in Nîmes, Southern France. Built around 100 AD, shortly after the Colosseum of Rome, it is one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheatres in the world. It is long and wide, with an arena measurin ...

(2022), * Black Coffee at

Salle Wagram The Salle Wagram is a historic auditorium in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was built in 1865. It has been listed as an official historical monument by the French Ministry of Culture since March 2, 1981. First built in 1812 as the ...

, Paris, France (2018) * FKJ at the

Salar de Uyuni Salar de Uyuni (or "Salar de Tunupa") is the world's largest salt flat, or playa, at in area. It is in the Daniel Campos Province in Potosí in southwest Bolivia, near the crest of the Andes at an elevation of above sea level. The Salar wa ...

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

(2019) * Sofiane Pamart under

aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

s, Lapland,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

(2021) *

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known as Fatboy Slim, is an English musician and DJ who helped popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. His music makes extensive use of Sampling (music), samples from eclectic ...

Brighton i360 Brighton i360 is a moving observation tower on the seafront of Brighton, East Sussex, England at the landward end of the remains of the West Pier. The tower opened on 4 August 2016. From the fully enclosed viewing pod, visitors experience 360-d ...

, United-Kingdom (2019) *

Nina Kraviz Nina Kraviz () is a Russian DJ, music producer and singer. Early life and career Kraviz was born and raised in Irkutsk, Siberia, Russia. She moved to Moscow to study dentistry where she later gained her residency. Kraviz also worked in a numb ...

from the first floor of the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

, Paris (2018) *

Carl Cox Carl Andrew Cox (born 29 July 1962) is a British house and techno club DJ, radio DJ, motorsport team owner and record producer. He is based in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Cox has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He has perfor ...

at the

Château de Chambord The Château de Chambord () in Chambord, Centre-Val de Loire, France, is one of the most recognisable châteaux in the world because of its very distinctive French Renaissance architecture, which blends traditional French medieval forms with ...

(2018), * Amelie Lens at the

Atomium The Atomium ( , , ) is a landmark modernist building in Brussels, Belgium, originally constructed as the centrepiece of the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (Expo 58). Designed by the engineer André Waterkeyn and the architects André and Jean Pol ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

(2019) *

Disclosure Disclosure may refer to: Arts and media Film and television *'' CBC News: Disclosure'', a television newsmagazine series in Canada * ''Disclosure'' (1994 film), an American erotic thriller film based on the 1994 novel by Michael Crichton * ''Dis ...

at the

Plitvice Lakes National Park Plitvice Lakes National Park (, colloquially ''Plitvice'', ) is one of the oldest and largest national parks in Croatia. In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, for its outstanding and picturesque se ...

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

(2020) *

Stephan Bodzin Stephan Bodzin (born 4 August 1969 in Bremen) is a German DJ, techno and trance producer, and record label owner.Piz Gloria Piz Gloria is a revolving restaurant at the -high summit of the Schilthorn near Mürren in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. Overview The Aerial lift, cable car station and the restaurant were designed by Bernese architect Konrad Wolf. The Piz ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

(2018) *

Sébastien Léger Sébastien Léger () is a French DJ and house music producer. His singles "Hit Girl", "Hypnotized" and "Aqualight" have become hit dance singles played in clubs across Europe. In March 2021, ''Magnetic Magazine'' placed his track "Firefly" in t ...

at the

Giza Pyramids The Giza pyramid complex (also called the Giza necropolis) in Egypt is home to the Great Pyramid, the pyramid of Khafre, and the pyramid of Menkaure, along with their associated pyramid complexes and the Great Sphinx. All were built during the ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

(2020) * Adriatique at the

Alpe d'Huez L'Alpe d'Huez () is a ski resort in Southeastern France at . It is a mountain pasture in the central French Western Alps, in the Communes of France, commune of Huez, which is part of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-R ...

, in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

, France (2019) * Solomun at the Roman Theatre of Orange, France (2018) *

WhoMadeWho WhoMadeWho is a Copenhagen-based experimental pop trio, who formed in 2003. The band consists of jazz guitarist Jeppe Kjellberg, drummer Tomas Barfod and singer/bassist Tomas Høffding. Career The band released several 12-inches on German dis ...

Abu Simbel Abu Simbel is a historic site comprising two massive Rock-cut architecture, rock-cut Egyptian temple, temples in the village of Abu Simbel (village), Abu Simbel (), Aswan Governorate, Upper Egypt, near the border with Sudan. It is located on t ...

(2021) * ZHU at Hakuba Iwatake, Nagano,

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

(2020) *

The Blaze Blaze Media is an American conservative media company. It was founded in 2018 as a result of a merger between TheBlaze and CRTV LLC. The company's leadership consists of CEO Tyler Cardon and president Gaston Mooney. It is based in Irving, ...

at the

Aiguille du Midi The Aiguille du Midi (, "Needle at midday") is a mountain in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps. It is a popular tourist destination and can be directly accessed by cable car from Chamonix that takes visitors close to Mont Blanc. Ca ...

Chamonix Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (; ; (no longer in use)), more commonly known simply as Chamonix (), is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, department in the regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It was the site of the f ...

, France (2020) * Above & Beyond in

Guatapé Guatapé is a town and Municipalities of Colombia, municipality in the Antioquia Department, Department of Antioquia, Colombia. It is a part of the subregion of Eastern Antioquia and is located from Medellín, the capital of the department. Guata ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

(2021) * Bedouin at

Al-Khazneh Al-Khazneh (; , "The Treasury"), also known as Khazneh el-Far'oun (treasury of the pharaoh), is one of the most elaborate rock-cut tombs in Petra, a city of the Nabatean Kingdom inhabited by the Arabs in ancient times. As with most of the other ...

Petra Petra (; "Rock"), originally known to its inhabitants as Raqmu (Nabataean Aramaic, Nabataean: or , *''Raqēmō''), is an ancient city and archaeological site in southern Jordan. Famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit systems, P ...

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

(2022) * Innellea at

Jaisalmer Fort Jaisalmer Fort is situated in the city of Jaisalmer, in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is one of the very few "living forts" in the world (such as Carcassonne, France), as nearly one fourth of the old city's population still resides within th ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

* Colyn at

Jatayu Earth's Center Nature Park Jatayu Earth's Center, () also known as Jatayu Nature Park is a National park and tourism centre at Chadayamangalam in Kollam district of Kerala, India. It stands at an altitude of 350m (1200ft) above the mean sea level. To get to the top, the ...

Kollam Kollam (;), is an ancient seaport and the List of cities and towns in Kerala, fourth largest city in the Indian state of Kerala. Located on the southern tip of the Malabar Coast of the Arabian Sea, the city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

Cercle Records

Cercle Records is a record label founded in September 2020 and owned by the parent company Cercle. Since its inception, Cercle Records has released around 40 singles and EPs from artists invited on the Cercle channel, such as ''Nopalitos'' by Kid Francescoli (2021), ''Cappadocia'' by

and Romain Garcia (2021), ''Canopée des Cîmes'' by Jan Blomqvist (2022), ''Abu Simbel'' by

(2021) or ''BOREALIS'' by Sofiane Pamart (2021).

Cercle Festival

Cercle has produced three festivals (branded as "Cercle Festival") in 2019, 2022 and 2024.

Cercle Festival 2019

The 2019 Cercle Festival took place on 11 May 2019 at the Château de Chambord on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the castle.

Cercle Festival 2022

Originally scheduled for 10–11 October 2020, this edition of the Cercle Festival was postponed twice due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, and finally took place on 14–15 May 2022 at the National Air & Space Museum near

Le Bourget Le Bourget () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The commune features Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hosts the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace (Air and Space Museum). A very ...

, France, with a total capacity of 24,000 people over the course of the event. The festival featured a line-up of 28 international artists. This edition of the festival was named "Best Electro Music Festival in France 2022" at the Heavent Awards.

Cercle Festival 2024

Cercle Festival 2024 took place on 25–26 May 2024 at the National Air & Space Museum near Le Bourget, France, with a total "sold-out" capacity of 24,000 people. According to Notion Magazine, over "140,000 people" had pre-registered for access to the event's tickets. The line-up featured international electronic music acts such as Dixon,

The Blessed Madonna Marea Renee Stamper (born October 22, 1977), better known by her stage name the Blessed Madonna (formerly the Black Madonna), is an American DJ, producer and musician. ''Mixmag'' named her the DJ of the year in 2016. She founded her own record l ...

Sven Väth Sven Väth (born 26 October 1964) is a German DJ and electronic music producer. He is a three-time DJ Awards winner, with a career in electronic music spanning over 30 years. The release of the single " Electrica Salsa" with OFF in 1986 launched ...

and a

livestreamed Livestreaming, live-streaming, or live streaming is the streaming of video or audio in real time or near real time. While often referred to simply as ''streaming'', the real-time nature of livestreaming differentiates it from other non- live ...

back-to-back ("b2b") DJ performance by

and Mochakk.

Cercle Odyssey

On June 3, 2024, Cercle announced the launch of "Cercle Odyssey," a series of live music experiences. The company described the concept as "large-scale," nomadic concert installations with immersive 360-degree visual projections synchronized to live music. The visuals will be projected on “massive screens”, “measuring roughly 40-feet high and 180-feet long” designed to “envelope the audience”. According to an article published on Billboard, the concept's name “Cercle Odyssey” refers to

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

’s

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

and adresses the theme of returning home. The film displayed on the screens will be overseen by Paris-based director Neels Castillon of

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

Creative Group, co-founder of visual production agency Motion Palace. Cercle's announcement highlighted the environmental ambitions of the Odyssey

stage design Scenic design, also known as stage design or set design, is the creation of scenery for theatrical productions including Play (theatre), plays and Musical theatre, musicals. The term can also be applied to film and television productions, wher ...

in reaction to contemporary standards in the live

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

. According to Billboard, “sound, light and projection equipment used in each performance ill berented locally in each respective performance city. The company notes that by using 29 state-of-the-art projectors instead of traditional LED screens to illuminate the scenography, the show doesn’t necessitate the transport of a huge number of LED screens, thereby reducing the

carbon emissions Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from human activities intensify the greenhouse effect. This contributes to climate change. Carbon dioxide (), from burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, oil, and natural gas, is the main cause of climate chan ...

of transporting the show.” On June 6, 2024, Cercle announced that the first tour dates of Cercle Odyssey will take place in 2025 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

Other formats

Cercle Stories

In January 2021, Cercle introduced ''Cercle Stories'', a new audiovisual format that aims to showcase an artist's performance of a track in a location of cultural, historical, natural or aesthetic interest. Cercle Story: Chapter One released in November 2021. Cercle Story: Chapter Two was avant-premiered at

Le Grand Rex Le Grand Rex is a cinema and concert venue in Paris, France. Location and access It is located at No. 1, boulevard Poissonnière in the 2nd arrondissement, on the grands boulevards. Its facades and roofs, as well as its hall and its ...

in Paris, followed by a release party with the featured artists at the Rex Club

Cercle Moment

Since 2022, Cercle has also developed a new travel experience format, Cercle Moment. For example, Cercle announced in December 2022 a "five-day journey along the Nile" experience in February 2023, which will culminate at Adriatique's live concert at the Temple of Hatshepsut near

Luxor Luxor is a city in Upper Egypt. Luxor had a population of 263,109 in 2020, with an area of approximately and is the capital of the Luxor Governorate. It is among the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited c ...

One Way

In April 2023, Cercle introduced One Way, a series of 20 underground concert experiences that aim to "bring back the essence of

" in an age of

image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

and digital hyperconsumerism. In order to focus the experience solely on music, One Way rejects all superficial distractions such as phones, cameras, online music

broadcasting Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

and most importantly the identity of the artist. Artists perform within a cubic, modern and enclosed

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific art, site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior intervent ...

and can see the audience, whereas they cannot see them. Their identity is kept secret until it is revealed at the end of their set. The first one is scheduled for May 11, 2023 in Paris, France.

External links

Official website

Notes and references

{{Reflist Live streaming services Internet television streaming services Dance music television channels Electronic music Electronic music festivals Live music French record labels Electronic music organizations