Photo courtesy of Dice.
A celebration of love. Because love, in all its forms and expressions, is that inherent element that translates life stories into pop melodies, that feeling that floats in the air to the beat of sounds that make you dance until dawn, like in the golden years of house music. That’s the driving force behind Dov’è Liana, a trio becoming an increasing sensation on the European electronic scene. They are three Frenchmen deeply immersed in Italian culture, shaped by their experiences in Palermo, pretending not to be recognized with their headscarves and dark glasses, like ‘60s divas exposed to the wind and the sunlight.
There’s undoubtedly a halo of mystery surrounding Dov’è Liana. The band’s name — “Where is Liana?” in Italian — suggests the existence of someone named Liana. Praised muse or sudden crush, she could be the girl who arrives like a bolt from the blue, leaving an indelible mark and then vanishing without a trace: a haunting memory that keeps you searching, all the time, like chasing the perfect song. The unknown identity of the three members increases the mystery: Dov’è Liana emphasizes its musical narrative in its choice to remain anonymous. So we won’t ask their names.
“The name ‘Dov’è Liana’ itself plays with the idea of searching for something or someone elusive, reflecting both our creative process and the themes we explore in our music,” the three of them answer in a single voice so that each member can’t be identified. Of course, we know they’re French musicians living in the Sicilian capital. And now we also know how they started: “Dov’è Liana was born from a shared passion for cinematic storytelling and music that evokes strong emotions. We met as children in the south of France. The idea started as a desire to blend the Italian atmosphere with a sense of mystery, almost like a soundtrack to an imaginary film”.
“French Disco, Italo Touch,” they often put in the descriptions, swapping the words of the two schools of dance music that formed them. French Touch, also known as French House, is a genre of electronic music derived from house music that emerged in France in the early 1990s, with key references such as Daft Punk, Cassius, Modjo and Justice. Italo Disco, one of the earliest forms of all-electronic dance music in history, was crafted in Italy in the late 1970s and became popular in the 1980s, derived from Eurodisco and with the legendary Giorgio Moroder as its leading figure. Dov’è Liana bring out this perfect crossover between sounds from their home country and adopted country, with some rock culture influence to fuel the electronic combustion. “A sonic ritual where the beat turns into fever, and the dancefloor becomes a sacred space of freedom,” they argue on their socials.
Released in October last year, Love 679 is Dov’è Liana’s first album. Marked by the trio’s experiences in Palermo, Love 679 is one of those records to listen to repeatedly: a bold, sensual, wild album that embodies their vision of an uninhibited and liberating party. “As an independent band, we produced Love 679 entirely on our own,” they say. The opening beat puts things in place: a bare four-on-the-floor drum machine, soon joined by a fat bassline and a soft vocal melody, to set up a subtle tension between comfort and dance. This is “Love 679 (Not Hate)”, the central track that opens the album, a progressive house-pop ode that unfolds in its own time; there’s no better invitation to dive into Dov’è Liana’s universe.
Considered by the band to be a manifesto album, Love 679 is a journey that revitalises their ideal of love, but also of beauty and truth, through celebration and dance. “The world we live in is quite bad, but through our music, we want to encourage youth to look toward the light, to focus on what’s positive — there are so many beautiful things around us, and we’re proud of our generation,” they explain. For them, Love 679 embodies Dov’è Liana’s essence: breaking stereotypes, opening spaces of freedom, and refusing all cynicism. “It’s our way of capturing that spirit and sharing it with others. We see this album as a manifesto because we imagine it as the soundtrack to our generation,” they add.
To close the album and round out that hopeful spirit, there are “A Better World is Close (Part I)” and “We Can See the Doors (Part II)”, two last tracks linked by the same beat, between poptimist melodies and happy house keyboards, as a sort of homage to those endless and joyful parties. “Smile, don’t cry, you’re not alone/ Hands in hands, here stand your friends/ Smile… / A better world is close,” they chant as a final mantra. Love 679 recreates unforgettable nights but also evokes more personal feelings. There’s also room to shake it up with a bit of a rock edge, as in “Tutte le Donne” and “Benvenuto a Casa Rock”.
Of course, there were a few releases before Love 679. In 2020, Dov’è Liana released its debut single, “Perché Piangi Palermo”, an infectious track that evidenced the trio’s magical formula of French Touch and Italo Disco. That same year, they followed up with “Ecco la Notte”, another single that reinforced their dancefloor approach, but this time with an appealing nightclub spirit. In February 2022, they released two new songs, “Blue Summer” and “Janvier”, both promoted by music videos starring the young couple Rocco and Liana. In “Blue Summer”, Rocco and Liana are filmed in a retro-style way while vacationing in Sicily. “Janvier” opens with the prologue of them living in Paris: “Rocco is sad; he misses Italy. Liana is going to find Rocco! She’s prepared a special day for him to bring back his smile.”
In early 2023, Dov’è Liana released its debut EP, Amore Internazionale, including some new songs, a demo, and a live session. This was followed a month later by “Bowie Girls”, a single sung in two languages. This shouldn’t be a strange thing for the trio. They can indulge in the warmth of Italian in some lyrics or draw on the universal power of English for other songs. “This crossover came naturally to us,” they say, managing to sound original without resorting to their native French. “We have a lot of connections in Palermo, and Italian carries a musicality and poetry that fits the dreamlike images of our music. At the beginning, we wanted to give an ode to this region. On the other hand, English gives us a more universal reach and allows us to play with different lyrical structures.” Somehow, they always followed their instinctive approach to music. “We don’t limit ourselves to one language — each song dictates its own identity, and we choose the language that best serves the mood and message,” they add. “Coming from a French background, we see this multilingual approach as a way to break boundaries and create something unique.”
