At the Cannes Film Festival, can house music played on a fancy boat for a private club be heard over all the other noise?
Billboard recently went on a superyacht with Kismi, a new nightlife spot that calls itself “a sonic sanctuary for music lovers.” To find out more, they talked to the event’s performers, Haitian producer Francis Mercier and German artist Marten Lou.
During its named film festival, Cannes brings in wealthy and powerful people, along with a lot of wild parties. Artists, celebrities, fashionistas, and others make plans to be at a lot of private events, clubs, gatherings, and openings because they want to be in the spotlight and be invited to the hottest events. One of them was Kissmi, a secret event for members only that played the newest house music playing in the background.
When people got out of their black cars at Port de Cannes on May 21, they were met by a beautiful view: the city in the distance, its lights breaking up the darkness, and the waves of the Mediterranean lapping against the clean sides of Cannes’ famous line of yachts.
A few days ago, a lot of famous people got on this ship for the afterparty of the opening of A$AP Rocky’s new movie Highest 2 Lowest. But this night was going to be much less public. Kismi chairman Paul Martino said, “We’re not going after everyone.” Martino has been a tech developer for a long time and is also the managing general partner and co-founder of Bullpen Capital, a venture capital fund based in San Francisco. “Our members are tastemakers, artists, collectors, stylists, and founders who care a lot about the little things like the sound, the setting, and the people who come.” They already know what normal entertainment is like. They want something that is calmer, higher, and based on great music.
As an example, the evening’s main act was Francis Mercier, an up-and-coming Afro house artist who’s been making waves around the world at events like Coachella, Burning Man, and Ibiza, where he’s starting a residency at Club Chinois this summer. Marten Lou, who was born in Germany but now lives in Paris, opened the show with his Euro-forward take on the genre. He was followed by Jan Blomqvist, a German favorite who played a surprise set and skillfully added singing to his moody and melodic signature sound.
Mercier went on to talk about how excited he was to play for a smaller crowd than usual. It brings a little of every culture to you. “You get a sense of the energy of Europe as a whole because there are a lot of internationals from Italy, East Europe, France, the U.S., and other places at the Cannes Film Festival,” he told Billboard, pointing to the area around him. “At the end of the day, it allows me to connect with people more deeply.”
Mercier also talked about the current Afro house boom, which he is a part of along with many other acts who have made their name on the sound and made it a worldwide trend and huge draw.
Mercier says, “I think right now, Afro house has become pretty mainstream. I would say that a lot of artists have used the genre’s popularity to kind of break in and commercialize and Westernize it.” “But I think the real Afro house will grow even more.” I believe the first Afro house acts have not yet become famous. I believe it is still going on.
For bookings, Kismi looks at trends and individual ability, but the company’s founder, Christine Becker, says that gut feelings are the most important thing. “Some of the acts we booked are on the verge of something big, but that wasn’t why I picked them. Most of the time, I know something fits when it feels honest and right. Becker has booked Kismi events in the past for Hugel, Moojo, and Keinemusik’s &ME.
When Lou, Blomqvist, and Mercier went back-to-back, they gave the event a beat. People at the party moved to their beats on a small dance floor that was never too crowded to be comfortable. A lot of famous people were there, like actors Ian Bohen (Yellowstone) and Tyler Hoechlin (Superman), reality TV stars like Jason Oppenheim (Selling Sunset), Lenny Hochstein (The Real Housewives of Miami), and Porsha Williams (The Real Housewives of Atlanta), modern artists, directors, photographers, models, and more. But the crowd felt real and surprisingly equal, especially when everyone had to wait together for the few bathrooms that were open.
What will happen after Kismi’s party in Cannes? What does the future hold for the event? The company Kismi’s growth won’t look like normal growth. “We’re trying to make the brand stronger, not wider,” Martino said. “That means three to four main events a year in places that are important to culture, two pop-ups that happen out of the blue, and a set of very specific partnerships between brands and artists.”
These parties cost anywhere from $1,000 for a member’s friend ticket to $50,000 for a member table. Kismi also has membership levels that cost $100,000 or more, which Martino describes as “a way to shape that energy from the inside.”
Its vision is for electronic music parties for the rich and famous in the future. At the same time, the genre keeps moving forward on its own. “Many people say, ‘Oh, now House is on fire or it’s too commercial or too big.'” “I believe that’s just normal growth, you know?” – Lou thinks. “I think that’s a good change, and everyone needs to adapt, make new things, and look for new sounds.”
