Coco Bans
American Iowa-born, Paris-based singer-songwriter Coco Bans, aka Allyson Ezell, has been carving out an impressive path with her epic and tender alt-pop since her 2019 debut EP, Fantasy & Parables, garnering early support from MTV, Earmilk and The Line of Best Fit. Rolling Stone named her a live artist to watch and she has since opened sold-out shows for Mike Shinoda (Linkin Park) and Brittany Howard (Alabama Shakes). Follow-up single “Pray” was synced in Grey’s Anatomy, in parallel with major editorial playlists and European radio play. Signed with Warner Chappell Music Publishing, Coco Bans has already written for artists such as Woodkid, Lil Wayne, Kiddy Smile and French star GIMS. Her debut LP Chronicles of an Altered Life, co-written with Grammy-winner Hue Strother and K Major (Playboi Carti, Future) and produced by Coco Bans and London-based producer Jo Pereira, is expected in 2022.
Allyson Ezell is a musician and songwriter in total command of her powers. Think Annie Lennox and Shakespeares Sister meets St Vincent and Paloma Faith, but in a 21st century blend of optimism, nostalgia and vintage beats.
Malik Berrabah
Malik Berrabah is owner of Wisseloord and founder of the Wisseloord Academy. His track record as a songwriter, composer, arranger and producer is rich of countless national and international records in various genres. He has contributed to the production of numerous albums, singles, television programs, etc., and regularly advises the Majors in a neutral way on the level of new musical projects in development. Malik is also Adviseur of the Amsterdam Fonds Voor de Kunst, the organisation providing state grants to the main cultural projects of the dutch capital. His love for sharing with growing talents leads him, when his schedule allows, to participate as a jury for international conservatory exams.
Since the beginning of his career 25 years ago, Malik has decided to do all his musical work under various pseudonyms in order to keep his career detached from any stylistic labels, to keep his creative freedom and to stay away from the ego games of the music industry.
Julien Cholewa
Julien Cholewa is the director of LA PLACE HIP HOP and head programmer of the festival PARIS HIPHOP.
Pierre Guimard
Pierre Guimard was born in Toulouse but grew up in Normandy and the Paris region. In a high school setting, he created the group Noisy Fate with friends, of Team Nowhere, at the end of the 1990s. He then left the group to go play as bassist for Jean-Louis Aubert in 2003. He then decided to devote himself to his solo career, and, alone with his guitar and his harmonica, he opened for Kyo and Raphael in 2006.
On August 28, 2006, his first album De l’autre cote was released, which he composed entirely, along with lyricist Jérôme Attal. Pierre Guimard also worked with Ben Kweller, (with whom he will also do some first parts). This album is romantic, in an Anglo-Saxon style. We can also see him in the film, I’m Fine, Don’t Worry by Philippe Lioret where he plays a musician on the edge of the beach. His latest album was released on June 22, 2009. He opened for Calogero in the fall of 2009. In addition, he is the pianist of the entire piano-acoustic voice album of the diva Lara Fabian, album called Every Woman In Me.
In 2009, he took under his wing Nili Hadida and Benjamin Cotto of the group Lilly Wood and the Prick. He produced and recorded Lilly’s first EP Who And The What? with its Choke Industry label. Under license with Cinq7/Wagram, he recorded the album Invincible Friends which was released in May 2010 (awarded at the Victoires de la Musique 2011, public revelation category). He currently plays bass for the Lilly Wood and the Prick tour.
Guimard is CEO of Artisti Palace Paris and does A&R for the Choke Industry label.
Yannick Freytag
Yannick Freytag’s career has always oscillated between the field of Culture and that of Youth. Committed to these issues through initial activities in socio-cultural animation, collaborator of elected officials on youth and prevention issues in Paris, he joined the Hip Hop Citizens structure in 2002 and co-founded the Paris Hip Hop festival in 2006, one of the most important Hip Hop initiatives in France which celebrated its tenth edition in 2015. But, it will also have developed other original cultural initiatives with the foundation of a specialized bookshop-gallery in Nantes or one of the main festivals of Parisian tales of the time in 2002. He continues his commitment today by developing the actions of Hip Hop Citizens in France and abroad and as a trainer for the territorial public service.
