Jonas & Francois, best known for last year’s stunning “D.A.N.C.E.” video, among others, lend their animation skills to bass heavy French electro-funk outfit Flairs. Handmade, using 3,000 sheets of paper, a simple printer-computer and scanner trio, and seven black ink pencils, the beautiful black and white video for Flairs’ “Better Than Prince” suits the track “like the best wedding possible.” Watch out A-ha, er, um, and you too Prince.
In the Bastille Mixtape that I posted on Monday, I included tracks from late 70s/early 80s underground French synth-wave acts Ruth and Marie Möör. Following up, I wanted to mention two excellent compilations from that time period, which do a great job of capturing the French electro/no-wave/synth-pop/punk movement and at the same time are easily obtained (unlike some of the artists they contain). As synth-based post punk was on the rise on the other side of the English Channel, with Human League’s single “Don’t You Want Me” beaming over the airwaves, a similar movement of futuristic robot eroticism took hold in France. This movement of synth-based cold-wave acts had prompted punk-musical journalist, Yves Adrien, to write a lengthy essay in 1980 titled, NovöVision, that conjured up a Zamyatin-type of dystopian society focused on drugs, robots, sex, and even robotic sex.
So Young But So Cold: Underground French Music (1977-1983) begins with the steady spacey synth pulses, atmospheric organs, and ethereal French-sung/spoken female vocals of Nini Raviolette’s “Suis-Je Normale.” Forgive me for the comparison, because the movie is fresh in my mind, but the track would have made the perfect accompaniment for a less “Hello Dolly” opening of Wall-E. A lonely robot rolls around a lifeless, abandoned, and eerily unfamiliar Earth set against the stark tone and icy synths of the somber song, while, in almost a robotic tone, female vocals ask “suis-je, suis-je normale? (am I, am I normal?)” The track pretty much sets the cold-wave tone for the rest of the comp which includes the austere robotic grooves of Ruth’s “Polaroid/Roman/Photo,” The Druids rare illustrated concept of “The Force,” and the cyberpunk of Artefact on “Mae.”
If So Young But So Cold was the first-course that aroused your appetite, then BIPPP: French Synth Wave (1979-85) is the gluttonous main course of obscure French synth-wave singles. Initially released by Parisian-imprint Born Bad in 2006, BIPPP was released in the States earlier this year via Everloving Records. Like their European counterparts, The Human League, Depeche Mode, Gary Newman, Soft Cell, and Kraftwerk, the artists compiled on BIPPP share the love of the analog synthesizer. A brief blurb on the album jacket gives an outline of the birth of French synth-wave, which gives credit to the rise of the genre to ex-Stinky Toy member Dennis Quillard (aka Janco) and singer Elli Mederios and their instrumental Kraftwerk-worshipping single “Rectangle.” Like So Young, BIPPP paints an icy-synth laden landscape that covers a six year span. Unlike the perfect pop that some UK artists were churning out, BIPP shows that the synth sounds remained more stripped in France at the time.
Over the past several years we’ve come to know Ed Banger as fine purveyors of dirty electro-infused dance tracks. The label has kept us energized into the wee hours of the morning freaking out to songs from Justice, SebastiAn, Uffie, DJ Mehdi, Mr Oizo, Vicarious Bliss, and label founder Busy P. However, with the Parisian imprint’s new signee, Mickey Moonlight, the label seems to be taking a new direction from the heavy dance vibe for which they’ve become renowned.
Mickey Moonlight, the UK producer/remixer also known as Midnight Mike (aka Mike Silver) is the newest addition to Ed Banger and from the very little I’ve heard, he already sounds like a breath of fresh air to the label. Silver’s interpretation of Sun Ra’s “Interplanetary Music” is catchy disco-pop ride through the outer fringes of the cosmos with layered female/male vocals glide over miniature twisting polyrhythms and a sturdy beat. The other two tracks I’ve heard from Silver are “Music For Responsible Reprogenetics” and “A Big Ship Passing,” which are much more drone-y, floating, and ambient than his current single.
Word is that an album is due out in the near future, but for now that’s all we have. Check out the video for “Interplanetary Music” below and keep your eyes on the stars.
Over the years, I’ve taken my fair share of late night train rides. Getting myself and whatever else I may have with me frantically to the station and aboard the train uses up the last of the day’s energy. Once onboard and situated, there’s nothing else to do except for sitting back and enjoying the ride. In my book, there’s not a more calming and relaxing way to travel. For the time being, stresses and “to-do’s” are tucked away in bags stuffed into the overhead compartments and the next day feels just out of reach. With heavy eyes, the car’s gentle rocking gradually seduces you into slumber as the train rumbles onward into the wee hours of the night. Gazing outside, fading in and out of consciousness, the landscape takes the form of abstract streams of light flowing past like bright colors of paint streaked on a black canvas. Multiple bobs of the head soon give way to a peaceful slumber, and at some moment you wake up, always at your designated destination. Briefly the thought of staying on board and letting the train take you wherever it goes swims in and out of your mind – but reality sets in and all those “to-do’s” tucked away neatly start to make their way back into your pockets. Luckily, there’s music that can have the same effect, that’s what this is, this is music for that late night train ride to nowhere.
It’s not everyday that you hear a sexy disco-pop song about a mysterious religious relic that was used to wipe the sweat off Jesus’ face on his way to crucifixion. One of the Stations of the Cross is dedicated to the event and apparently it’s a pretty big deal, up there with the Shroud of Turin, as his image is supposed to have transferred onto the cloth. Sounds like a History Channel documentary in the making – round up some extras and get ready for some killer reanactments.
If Chromatics are the purveyors of dark after-hours club music that sends us off into the cool night, quickly chilling the remaining beads of sweat clinging to our bodies, then Fan Death is the sound of that late night giving way to the early rays of dawn. The warm and bouncy “Veronica’s Veil” lays down thick slabs of synth grooves a la Glass Candy, over which a pulsating sythesized-string section is stretched, capped off with high-powered female vocals. “The Son Will Rise” with its exuberant faux horn fanfares and tribal beats along with other tracks on the band’s MySpace page are must haves for those digging on the current releases from the Italians Do It Better imprint.
Jahtari steps out with its first-ever label compilation full of their unique slant on heavy dub, dancehall, and dubstep. The Leipzig, Germany label that coined the term “Digital Laptop Reggae” produces some of the finest classical computer generated dub and reggae. You won’t find Dub-techno, straight bassdrums from this reggae label, just a classic dub approach, done with at computer.
With this comp, Jahtarian Dubbers Vol. 1, Jahtari digs from the low-end depths of dub and features seven new tracks along with three new artists that captures the “deep” spirit of the label. Disrupt contributes three heavy-hitters including the 8-bit dub blowout “Kozure Okami” and the deep reverberating “Selassi I Continually.” The mighty Afrikan Simba shows a glimpse of his lyrical flow alongside Rootah on the lead-track of the album “Alternative Power,” while John Frum delivers deep atmospheric gems with “May In Dub” and “January Dub.”
Jahtarian Dubbers Vol. 1 is available now via the label and digitally from eMusic. Highly recommended for fans of Lee Perry, Burial, Disrupt, and maximum low-end deepness.
When I first heard Aussie/LA/Londoner Sam Sparro a month ago, I immediately thought he was of black descent considering his booming soulful voice. I was wrong, this white boy can sing! Already a huge music chart climber in the UK, Sparro isn’t just a singer but a musician that writes, performs, produces and arranges all of his own material.
You may think why does the world need another Calvin Harris or Mika who likes to dabble in RnB and electro? I don’t know but his voice is easier on the ears than those other two guys. His self-titled was just released in the US yesterday. The song ‘Hot Mess’ stands out to me because you definitely hear some Prince and Gap Band. If you wanna hear the where is he now D’Angelo check out ‘Cottonmouth’. My real attraction to this album is it harkens the now cheesy mid-90′s acts that I loved like SWV, Jodeci and Blackstreet with the artificial sounding instrumentals (keyboards, synthesizers and beats). Throw in some English flavor from acts like Black Box and KLF and you have a description of this soulful-electro album.
