French duo Parallelle share their new album ’11th Avenue,’ arriving via their Lisbon-based label, FOLDER. The release coincides with the announcement of their North American tour, a series of dates that bring their signature warmth, spontaneity, and analog spirit to clubs across the continent.
Rooted in analog warmth and live musicianship, the record evokes the moody elegance of ’80s New York jazz lounges with a distinct club music twist. Flush with collaborators like Fulltone and Nicolas Masseyeff, who mesh perfectly with the duo’s versatile sound, ’11th Avenue’ intertwines jazz, soul, and classic house with modern, punchy grooves fit for both intimate live settings and the largest festivals.
Led by ‘The Collab’ with Dino Lenny – a funk-laced gem that calls upon early-2000s French house energy with a gritty, distorted bass line played by Alessandro Mazzieri – ’11th Avenue’ is a testament to the spontaneous moments that can lead to fulfilling music.
“Dino is a man who shares our very questionable sense of humour,” Parallelle says. “The story actually started in a bit of chaos. We were supposed to drive together to Tomorrowland Winter, but got stuck in traffic and were running late. Dino wasn’t exactly thrilled at first. But five minutes in, between jokes and ridiculous stories, we realised we had the same twisted humour, and the ride turned from terrible to terrific. When we later asked him to make a track for our upcoming album, he went full Dino mode and re-recorded our entire phone conversation, impersonating our French accent. That voice note alone could make it to the album’s “best of” moments.”
Other favorites on the album include ‘Tastes Like Gold,’ which glows with a quietly magnetic groove, built from fluid basslines, fine-grained percussion, and synths that hang like mist in the air. Joly’s dusky vocals slip in and out of focus, giving the track a subtle emotional charge that feels intimate and kinetic. ‘Searching For The Groove’ builds on syncopated percussion that nods to 2-step, with falsetto vocals and live touches of warm keys and saxophone. ‘Mind, Body & Soul’ is a futuristic take on dubby tech house, accompanied by the sizzling vocals of Allysha Joy.
The ’11th Avenue’ album is available here.