Anoraak is the musical project of French musician Frédéric Rivière, based in Marseille and originally from Nantes. The multifaceted musician, instrumentalist, and producer unveils his full 5-track Karma EP. A love letter to his most beloved genre, the Karma EP effortlessly blends poolside disco with French-Moroccan singer/songwriter Sarah Maison’s hypnotizing French lyricism. In this Marseilles Electronic Music Travel Guide by Anoraak, he reveals his favourite spots in the city for you.
A few years ago I moved to Marseille, France. I had always been fascinated by this city and I found exactly what I was looking for: a real cosmopolitan city, rough yet relaxed, surrounded by nature with the Mediterranean sea on one side and rocky hills on the other, a rich history (Marseille is the oldest city in France), and a genuine way of life made of paradoxes, freedom, and independence. Here, the sun shines most of the time and the wind blows hard sometimes. Here are some of my favorite places, to party, to eat, or to hang out, it is not an exhaustive list though, it’s a massive city (for France I mean) and there’s so much to discover.
Places to party in Marseille, recommended by Anoraak
Cabane des amis is a great beach spot, rather a beach bar and pizzeria by daytime, a few meters away from the sea so you can go for a swim between two drinks. After sunset it turns into a giant dancefloor, it’s one of the places to go first when you’re visiting Marseille, you can’t go wrong there.
L’Ilôt de la Corniche is a summertime-only pop-up bar located on the Corniche, the coastal road of Marseille. It is quite literally on the sea and it’s an amazing spot to get a sunset drink – the earlier the better as it’s very limited, and there’s always good music.
Le Café de l’Abbaye certainly is one of the most iconic bars in the city center. A rather tiny place, where everybody stays outside to enjoy the sunset over the entrance of the old port, sometimes you can stumble upon the last-minute DJ set and it generally turns into a giant party and the street gets blocked by the dancing crowd.
Noctilio is the name of an old and beautiful boat, parked at the old port entrance, with a stunning view of Notre Dame de la Garde, one of the symbols of Marseille. It’s not exactly regular so you need to check their IG, when it’s open there are cocktails, food, and a DJ, it’s such a great experience.
Le Baou is a massive outdoor venue on the hills of the city, offering a 180º view over the bay of Marseille. The program goes from hip-hop to disco and techno depending on the night, there’s always a feeling of a festival up there, with the huge bars and the food trucks.
Anoraak’s favourite places to eat in Marseille
Mouné is a Lebanese restaurant located by the old port, very central. First, the food is properly amazing yet affordable, also the music is always great, the owners being passionate about music and also DJ.
l’Abri has very good food to try with the wine they make, which is also really good, organic, and local. They do the vinification in the back of the bar, you can see the huge vats thru the transparent doors.
Tuba is located in the fisherman neighborhood Les Goudes, quite far from the city center, in a former diving club. The place itself is worth the ride as it makes you feel like you took a plane to some remote place, surrounded by the sea. However they make very good food and cocktails, and from time to time they throw a party so you can dance a few meters away from the sea.
Are you looking for more electronic music travel guides for France? Tune in to our podcast interview with Lousiahhh.
Cover Picture by Diane Sagnier
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