L’Eclair

It’s a little on the nose when a band from the chocolate empire of Switzerland calls itself L’Eclair. But they are an undeniably delicious blend of keys, guitar, bass, percussion, and influences from both sides of the equator, with body-moving rhythms and instrumental melodies that seem to come from another dimension.

Formed in 2015, L’Eclair have waded into their second decade with a three-track covers EP for music blogger Aquarium Drunkard’s must-play Lagniappe Sessions. The mostly instrumental L’Eclair are not strangers to vocals, having collaborated with singers and rappers before. But these cover picks are like unexpected and very welcome house guests: classic disco (Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell”), new jack swing (Lisa Baron’s “Lovin N Affection”), and indie dream pop (Beach House’s “Space Song”).

No matter what era of L’Eclair you listen to, their stream of altered consciousness always yields something different. It’s acid jazz, it’s disco, it’s techno, it’s Kevin Parker’s demos for Innerspeaker, it’s TWRP, it’s Stereolab. Every track on their 2025 LP Cloud Drifter feels like a stopover in some retro-futuristic imaginary city. The band weaves in and out of funk and electronica, walls of synth and percussive slap bass, and then pivots into a psychedelic smooth-jazz rap.

Charlie Chimi

In a January performance on Seattle’s KEXP, L’Eclair featured Charlie Chimi on percussion, just a few months before the release of his debut album, Disco Chimi. Born Charles Garmendia in Cuba, raised in the Dominican Republic, currently based in New York and Miami, Chimi also plays percussion for Zambian rockers Witch.

On his debut, Chimi as bandleader and frontman stacks Afro-Cuban rhythms, funky bass, and space-age synthesizers to create intriguing musical friction. Each track feels like it could be a musical accompaniment to a Basquiat, a Pollock, a Wilfredo Lam or a Tarsila do Amaral. “Pesadilla” combines a steady drum beat with dizzying samples, and then vaults into an infectious, accelerating state of chaos. “Rico” employs a Latin American bass line and syncopated drums to get every listener to bachata. Concertgoers at this free all-ages show at Little Haiti’s ZeyZey won’t need persuading.

L’Eclair and Charlie Chimi perform 8pm Saturday, August 1 at ZeyZey in Miami. leclairband.bandcamp.com, instagram.com/charlie_chimi ~ Erik Kvarnberg