L’Eclair brings genre-bending Swiss groove to Heartwood Soundstage with Charlie Chimi & J2

Press release from Heartwood Soundstage

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Heartwood Soundstage is thrilled to welcome L’Eclair to the stage on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and the show begins at 7:00 p.m.

Formed a decade ago in Switzerland by brothers Stef and Yavor Lilov, L’Eclair draws on the centuries-old folk music that surrounded their childhood in late-1990s Bulgaria — an influence that continues to shape guitarist/keyboardist Stef and drummer Yavor’s distinctive creative alchemy. After two years crafting Cloud Drifter, their fourth album and debut for U.S. label Innovative Leisure, L’Eclair now steps forward for the first time led entirely by the Lilov siblings. The result seamlessly melds modernity with nostalgia, played with a tightness that is at once mechanical and deeply human — an album built to move the body as much as the mind.

Joining L’Eclair is Charlie Chimi, the globe-trotting alter ego of Dominican-raised Cuban artist Charles Garmendia. Best known for “La China de la Gasolina” and his work as a percussionist for legendary Zamrock band WITCH, Charlie moves fluidly between roles as performer, studio musician, and visual artist. His project — named for the iconic Dominican street sandwich — blends Afro-Cuban rhythms, funk-driven basslines, and playful, inventive wordplay, touching on everyday rituals as well as deeper themes of illusion, hustle, and deception. Backed by an international crew of “Chimis,” his live show is a dizzying, theatrical experience — like peeking into the back room of a bodega where dominoes slam, bachata blasts, and a cosmic sandwich opens a wormhole to somewhere far stranger. Charlie’s debut album, Disco Chimi, was written and recorded across Havana, NYC, Miami, and Santo Domingo, and will be released via Club Coco, the imprint founded by Coco María and distributed by Rush Hour Records.

Opening up the night is J2, a Gainesville-based jazz duo.

All Ages
Tickets available now at heartwoodsoundstage.com
Funded in part by Visit Gainesville, Alachua County.