Delayed x Les Chaos Ambiants: Owl

When we first covered Les Chaos Ambiants, it was clear they weren’t aiming for the usual festival formula. Instead of big stages and brand sponsorships, they’re focused on how electronic music and art can interact with local identity and environmental urgency. For 2025, the festival returns to Sommant, right in the Morvan Regional Natural Park, continuing to build on this concept. There’s still just one stage, no clashes, no sprinting between acts, but now there’s added weight on multidisciplinary art, from Adrien Lamm’s sculptural installations by the lake to workshops exploring endangered species through sound and visual design.

The lineup remains eclectic but united by atmosphere, curated once again by Alfonso Pomeda, who’s also the artistic mind behind Barcelona’s Mostra Festival. The full lineup for 2025 includes ABSIS, Alcachofa, Avsluta, Faery, Fran Campos, Lynne, Merovee, Metshka Pampo, Myles Dillon, Nems-B, Orsu, Owl, Toé, and Sybil. Les Chaos Ambiants seems designed for people who treat listening as an experience in itself, a festival where silence and subtlety can carry as much weight as rhythm or volume. Which brings us naturally to one of this year’s standout additions.

Let’s be honest: some artists play music; others change the room around you. Owl belongs firmly in the second camp. Just a few weeks ago, he opened the infamous “La Cabaña”, the ambient and experimental temple at Perpendicular Festival, with a set steeped entirely in lush, enveloping ambient. It was a lesson in subtle power, transforming a cavernous space into something intimate and weightless. It wasn’t flashy, but it left everyone exhaling like they’d just remembered how to breathe. Owl’s ability to craft this atmosphere without ever sounding forced makes him a perfect fit for Les Chaos Ambiants. Here’s an artist who understands that music in a pine forest doesn’t need to shout. It only needs to glow...