Compared to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, and Elliott Smith, classically trained violinist Alan Corbel is at the forefront of the contemporary French folk scene. Born in Brittany, Corbel moved to England at the age of 18 to master the instrument, and after various dead-end jobs, teamed up with cellist Soazig Le Lay to form Megalux in 2006. The duo went on to appear at the Jeunes Charrues, a well-known springboard for young artists, and became regular performers at Le Zebre de Belleville, Le Bataclan, and La Boule Noir before Le Lay's untimely death in 2008. Corbel released his Edith Fambuena-produced self-titled EP a year later before concentrating his efforts on F****n' Hell Orkestar, a supergroup featuring members of Les Oisives and Carbel, while also finding the time to publish a book of poetry and appear on dub outfit Yosh's Fistful of Lies. In 2011, he resumed his solo career by teaming up with Bertrand Belin to record his first full-length album, Dead Man Chronicles. ~ Jon O'Brien