I play Quebecois sixties music here in Amsterdam as well as on Oh la la and I’ve had people ask me, “hey, who is this?” I realise that this music can come off as obscure. There are political and economical reasons for this, but the quick and dirty answer is music from Quebec in French was not known much outside of Quebec for a long time.

Some Quebecois groups worth checking out: César et ses romains (photo), Les Classels, Donald Lautrec, Tony Roman, Pierre Lalonde, Les Hou-lops, Les Lutins and many more. Have a good look around Rétro Jeunesse (In French), a great site with pictures and recording info.

As of late I’ve added music by more recent artists either covering old favourites or being very Oh la la: Coralie Clément, Pascal Parisot, Keren Ann and Fabienne Delsol.

On April 23, Myrtille, who provided the track “Les Pages” on the latest Putumayo compilation, will perform at the launch of the album at the (now closed) Odeon in Amsterdam. Putumayo World Music is a non-profit organisation which supports a whole bunch of good causes. Rumour has it I’ll be one of the DJs for the event and plan to let my inner Parisian show for the occasion. The new Putumayo album “Paris” will be available as of April 18 and has been added in part to the Radio Oh La La playlist.

It’s French night again at the Winston Hotel in Amsterdam on April 16. DJ Natashka (aka me) will once again be spinning Gallic grooves, as Jacqueline Taïeb will be performing live at the Amsterdam Beat Club. The evening will also feature the beats of DJs Piet Popcorn and Ir. Vendermeulen. It’s not very often a sixties hit artist goes on tour these days, so don’t miss it! And you don’t have to work the next day, it’s Easter!