L'Empire Des Sons

One of the most sought-after private pressings from the French avant-garde. Remastered from source material. Includes extensive liner notes with unseen pictures of the band

An elusive cult gem resurfaces through Glossy Mistakes. Originally released in 1986, L’Empire Des Sons is an otherworldly blend of synth pop, folk experimentation, and cinematic percussive layers—dreamlike, poetic, and wildly ahead of its time.

L’Empire Des Sons was a fleeting yet powerful transmission from the fringes of the French underground—an album that blurred genre lines and evaded easy classification. Fusing experimental folk, lo-fi synth pop, and avant-garde textures, the record exists in its own sonic universe: poetic, layered, and fiercely independent.

Formed in Saint-Étienne by percussionist and composer Dominique Lentin (Dagon, Fille Qui Mousse) and first-time vocalist Bipé Redon, L’Empire Des Sons emerged from the vibrant DIY spirit of the early 1980s. Their paths crossed during the interdisciplinary project L’Opéra Quotidien, and what followed was an intuitive, deeply collaborative process. “I would bring in lyrics and my voice,” Bipé recalled, “and Dominique would shape the music around the atmosphere or rhythm suggested by the words.”