Sabrina Bellaouel + UTO at Kantine am Berghain / Wednesday, 7.6.2023

InFiné invites you to two electric concerts from two rising figures of the French indie scene! Whether you come for Sabrina Bellaouel’s alternative R&B with electronic UK influences or for UTO’s crazy electronic pop, we can’t wait to show you on stage the bursting energy of these two projects, both playing their first gigs in Berlin.

Born, raised, and based in Bagneux, outside the southern périphérique of Paris, Sabrina Bellaouel lives between worlds. At home, her Algerian heritage and Muslim faith have fused tight familial bonds and a keen sense of history and culture; as “Berbers”, she speaks French and Arabic. In her headphones, she finds comfort in the sparse experimentalism of Radiohead and romantic tales of Jill Scott. On the hot club dance floors of Paris, driving house beats connect her to her body.

Sabrina blends classic neo-soul and silken R&B blend with club electronics. Tender harmonies are sung and rhymes are spoken in English, French and Arabic, exploring love, faith and identity. On her debut album Al Hadr on InFiné, Sabrina taps into myriad influences – from religion to spirituality, astrology to club culture, romance, the body and self love – creating a balance between places, identities and sounds.

UTO are a duo from Paris who sound like they might be from outer space. Chic and alien, rhythm-centric yet diaphanous and ghostly, they are a group that thrives on contrasts and embrace paradoxes. Described variously as witch pop, dream pop and trip hop, mining a rich seam of 90’s British music from the peripheries, their unique sound takes a whole new dimension when played live.