A very Gainsbourg nativity

I remember seeing this a few years ago: Noël à Vaugirard the yé-yé version of the nativity with Serge as Joseph and a pregnant Chantal Goya as Mary, plus appearances from Jacques Dutronc and Sylvie Vartan. It was originally broadcast on Dim Dam Dom in 1966 - just your average nativity, really: Jesus is born in an abattoir, with gospel nurses and a talking cow and donkey in attendance!


Noël à Vaugirard (1966) avec Serge Gainsbourg (17 minutes)


Joyeux Noël

French Radio London listener survey

French Radio London has launched a listener survey to help them tailor their output to meet the demands of their potential audience.

This is your chance to tell them what you want to hear.

The survey should take no more than 15 minutes, and all completed questionnaires will be entered into a prize draw (closing date 12th December)

The FRL survey can be taken HERE

L'Amour Electronique this Saturday

This Saturday it is the final L'Amour Electronique of the year, here are the details so you can join us if you are able:

Saturday 27th November
9pm - 3am
The West Hill, 67 Buckingham Place, BN1 3PQ
£FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT

We will be playing all things French, all things synth, and other things electronic.
Plus the pub is cosy and warm and serves fine wines, ales and spirits (with student discounts!).
Fingers crossed there will be a TV (the other one was commandeered) and we can show this:

SETLIST from 23 October 2010

Here is last month's setlist.  No mp3 selections this time, but you will soon be able to listen to a 2 hour mix recorded on the night.  This will be aired in the next couple of weeks, so watch this space.

Sarah

Christie Laume - L'Adorable Femmes Des Neige

Brigitte Bardot – La Madrague

Charlotte Gainsbourg - The Operation

Sebastien Tellier – Manty

Clor – Good Stuff

Stereo Total – Mars Rendezvous

Glass Candy – Candy Castle

Electronicat – Frisco Bay

Dominic

Brigitte Bardot – Contact

Michel Polnareff – Oiseau de Nuit

Biky – Reponses

Joe Gracy & Michel Paje - Valérie Se Rebelle

Stereolab – Sun Demon

Jacques Dutronc – Il Est Cinq Heures Paris S'Eveille

Jean-Jacques Perrey – Mister James Bond

France Gall – Sacré Charlemagne

Stone – Auguste le Chat

Fabienne Delsol – Pas Adieu

Verity

Mareva – Pourquoi pas moi

Dalida – Petit Elephant Twist

Françoise Hardy – Pourtant tu M’aimes

Marie Laforêt - Mais si loin de moi

Air – Talisman

Stereo Total – Barbe à Papa

Human League – Open Your Heart

Eurythmics – Here Comes the Rain Again

Deux – Dance With Me

Sarah

Feline 1 – Touch and Go

The Chap – Now Woel

Stereo Total – Miss Rébellion Des Hormones

Christie Laume – Rouge Rouge

Jacques Dutronc – Sur Une Nappe De Restaurant

Chantal Goya – D’abord dis-moi ton nom

Sylvie Vartan – De Bonheur

Baby Birkin – Black…White

The Rogers Sisters – Les Fantasies sont Bien

Devo – The Day My Baby Gave Me a Big Surprise

Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star

Dominic

Ladytron – Mu-Tron

We Are Enfant Terrible – Snap Dragon

Jenny Rock – Mal

Les 5 Gentlemen – Si tu Reviens Chez Moi

Daniel Gérard – Sexologie

Pierre Henry & Michel Legrand – Teen Tonic

Serge Gainsbourg – Initials BB

Stereolab – Percolator

Verity

The Normal – Warm Leatherette

C++ - Dé-rock ‘n’ Rollisation

M – Pop Musik

Jane Birkin - Raccrochez c'est une Horreur

Depeche Mode – The Meaning of Love

France Gall - Poupée de Cire, Poupée de Son

Michel Polnareff – Tout Tout pour ma Chérie

Jacques Dutronc - La Leçon De Gymnastique Du Professeur Dutronc

Lio – Amoureux Solitaires

Brigitte Bardot – Bubblegum

Hot Butter – Popcorn

Add N to (X) – Adding N to (X)

Sarah

Dandi Wind – Balloon Factory

Adult – Pressure Suit

Cobra Killer – Let’s Have a Problem

Stereo Total – Illégal

Ria Bartok – Écoute mon Coeur

Orlane Paquin – Le Train de 10h03

Francis Lai – Un Homme et Une Femme (instrumental version)

Chantal Goya – Dans la Nuit

Soft Cell – Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Dominic

Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM

Michèle et ses Wouaps – Dam Dam

Gillian Hills – Tu Mens

Fabienne Delsol – Ce Jour La

John Baker (BBC Radiophonic Workshop) – The Chase

Monty - Que Me Reste-t-il?

Cettina – Cettina

Stereo Total – Musique Automatique

Add N to (X) – The Monkey Skirt Marters

Anna Karina – Rollergirl

Joe Gracy & Michel Paje - Sur La Route

Dani – La Fille à La Moto

Verity

Stereolab – Lo Boob Oscillator

Human League – (Keep Feeling) Fascination

Serge Gainsbourg et Charlotte Gainsbourg – Lemon Incest

Yazoo – Nobody’s Diary

Françoise Hardy – Je Veux Q’uil Revienne

Jacques Dutronc – Le Responsable

Pulp – Styloroc (Nites of Suburbia)

Sarah

Human League – Rock ‘n’ Roll

John Foxx – Burning Car

The Associates – Skipping

Soft Cell – Tainted Love / Where did our Love Go?

Depeche Mode – New Life

Dominic

Miss Pain – Shelf-Location ROM (r@zorbla.de softcover remix)

Michel Polnareff – La Mouche

Eileen - Ces Bottes Sont Faites Pour Marcher

Ladytron – He Took Her to a Movie

Takako Minekawa - Fantastic Cat

Christine Pilzer - Champs Élysées

Sarah

Grace Jones – La Vie en Rose

Serge Gainsbourg – Docteur Jekyll et Monsieur Hyde

Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene (Pt 4)

Vic 20 – Sweet Child O’ Mine

Dominic

Baby Birkin – St Tropez

Christine et Ses Copains – Mon Mini-Croullant

Jacqueline Taïeb – 7 Heures du Matin

Brigitte Bardot – Moi Je Joue

OMD – Electricity

Coralie Clément – Vis à Vis

Sarah

Soft Cell – Bedsitter

Japan – Life in Tokyo

Dominic

Stereo Total – Je Rêve Encore de Toi

M83 – Violet Tree

French Language disque

Swinging Mademoiselle vol. 3

News in yesterday via the Swingin' Mademoiselles facebook page.  Sasha Monett has been compiling Girls in the Garage volume 12. Yes, that's Sasha Monett who put together both essential Swinging Mademoiselle comps.  It may be titled Girls in the Garage, but essentially it is Swinging Mademoiselle volume 3.  Scheduled for a fall release (in the UK too, please!) on Dionysus Records. 

L'Amour à la Chaîne pt.2

From Jacques Dutronc's L'Amour à la Chaîne we move on to...

Françoise Hardy's Je Changerais D'Avis.

There are some obvious links: We could focus in on Dutronc and Hardy, arguably French pop's most beautiful couple, who finally married in 1981, and only recently separated (though they still remain close); Or on the fact both tracks were released on the Disques Vogue label; It's also worth mentioning that Dutronc penned one of Hardy's early hits Le Temps De L'Amour.

But no, Jacques Lanzmann is the shared interest. It was he who co-wrote the majority Dutronc's back-catalogue, but did you know he collaborated with Françoise Hardy on the French lyrics for Je Changerais D'Avis?

Released in 1966, this is possibly the most emotionally charged song in Françoise Hardy's back catalogue: it opens with a disarmingly understated verse and bridge, then just explodes into a great, big heartbreaking chorus. A brief pause for breath and a snare-roll, then it rockets off higher into the stratosphere. It's one of those songs, like River Deep, Mountain High, that leaves you breathless and ragged, and it never fails to bring a tear to my eye.



And the composer of this musical rollercoaster?  Genius cinematic soundtracker Ennio Morricone.

According to legend the 3-note melody was based on the police sirens Morricone heard from his Marseille hotel room one night. He composed a spiralling, repetitive cycle which ran through 8 tonal transitions, the tension building with each one. The song was originally released as Se Telefonando earlier in 1966 by Italian belter Mina, with lyrics by Maurizio Costanzo.


Françoise Hardy - Je Changerais D'Avis
[buy Françoise Hardy from iTunes | Amazon.uk | cdandlp.com]

...................................................................
L'Amour à la Chaîne: what will be the next link in the chain? Leave your suggestions and reasons in the comments.
Jacques Dutronc - L'Amour à la Chaîne > Françoise Hardy - Je Changerais D'Avis > ?

French Radio London launches this Wednesday

This Wednesday 17th November sees the launch of French Radio London.  Tune in at midday on DAB digital radio* or online at www.frenchradiolondon.com.


* You may need to do a re-scan on your digital radio to find it.

[see previous post for more info on FRL]

L'Amour à la Chaîne pt.1

Welcome to a brand new, ongoing L'Amour Electronique blog theme: "L'Amour à la Chaîne".

The idea is to gradually build up a chain of songs, with each song connected in some way to the previous link in the chain. The links may be clever, stupid, convoluted, tenuous, based on fact or fiction - just as long as there is some kind of relationship from one song to the next...

The opening link in the chain is, of course, the eponymous L'Amour à la Chaîne, an early 70's, scratchy violin/call-and-response hyper-rock'n'roller by Jacques Dutronc.

Written by Dutronc and his long-term song-writing partner Jacques Lanzmann, the song was released in 1974 as the b-side to L'Aventurier (which featured in the film O.K. Patron, 1973, with Monsieur Dutronc in the role of "Gangster by accident, Gentleman by vocation".)

L'Amour à la Chaîne is also the title of a 1964 film by Claude de Givray (released in the UK with the dubious Carry On-esque title of Tight Skirts, Loose Pleasures).  Ostensibly a film about prostitution or "love in the chain", it made Jean-Luc Godard's Cahiers Du Cinéma top ten in the year of its release.

Jacques Dutronc - L'Amour à la Chaîne
[buy Jacques Dutronc from iTunes | Amazon.uk | discogs.com]

...................................................................
L'Amour à la Chaîne: what will be the next link in the chain? Leave your suggestions and reasons in the comments.
Jacques Dutronc - L'Amour à la Chaîne > ?

C'est Chic! (Ace Records)

My copy of the new Ace Records C'est Chic! album dropped onto the doormat this morning...

It fulfils its role as an introduction to "French girl singers of the 1960s", and still has something to offer enthusiasts/trainspotters like me seeking new gems to sate their appetite.

Over the 24 songs, they've picked a few familiar tracks that have popped up in films and TV ads (B.B. as recently heard on a Stella beer ad; Françoise Hardy's Voila, which soundtracked a Horlicks ad, then was plundered by R*bbie W*ll*ams;  Laisser Tomber Les Filles, which the whole world will no doubt recognise as April March's Chickhabit from that Tarrantino flick).

There's also a handful of yé-yé 'classics' like Roller Girl, C'est La Mode, and, possibly the most comped French pop track ever Les Filles C'est Fait Pour Faire L'amour by Charlotte Leslie (5 compilation inclusions and counting), and it does sometimes feel like these outshine the more obscure numbers.

A real bonus is the hefty booklet filled with record covers and photos of the featured girls, plus the extensive track-by-track commentaries penned by the people behind Ready Steady Girls.

For me, it was worth the entry fee alone for Louise Cordet's scratchy violin twister, Michèle Torr's Gainsbourg-penned canter-along, and especially the closing Liz Brady number: Il Suffit D'un Jour sounds like a long-lost Bond-theme (in French of course). A heady 2 minutes 48 of  John Barry-esque strings, brass, harpsichord and timpani-laden drama directed by Jacques Denjean.

Liz Brady - Il Suffit D'un Jour
[buy C'est Chic! from Amazon.uk]

C'est Chic! comp OUT TODAY

Thanks to Ready Steady Girls for the tip-off about this new Ace Records compilation of 60s French girls.

The tracklisting looks promising: a strong selection of ye-ye classics (Roller Girl, Laisser Tomber Les Filles, C'est La Mode, etc), plus some more obscure cuts from Louise Cordet, Les Gam's and Jocelyne.  I have to say the cover is a bit disappointing though. I'm sure they could have found a more hip and sassy photo to adorn it (even of France Gall!).

I've just ordered my copy from Amazon.co.uk.
...................................................................................................
[forgot to mention, Mick Patrick, who helped put the compilation together, has chosen 6 of his faves for you to listen to in Ready Steady Girls' November Pick of the Pops]

ZOMBIE ZOMBIE HALLOWE'EN HORROR

This one ticks quite a few boxes: Zombie Zombie, a French Band with synthesizers covering John Carpenter's ultra-sinister piano/synth Hallowe'en original

Zombie Zombie - Halloween Main Theme by Versatile Records


For more scary and disturbing music you could do worse than listen to today's editions of Jarvis Cocker's  Sunday Service and Stuart Maconie's Freak(ier) Zone (both available via BBC iPlayer for the next 7 days).

I had hoped to put together a synth/electronic follow-up to last year's Quelle Horreur! comp for you, but I've been working on something secret and big that has taken up all my time (I can't say what it is yet, but all will be revealed soon).

So, in case you missed it last year, here is L'Amour Electronique's Quelle Horreur! vol. 1

1. Stella - Si vous connaissez quelque-chose de pire qu'un vampire, parlez m'en toujours, ça pourra peut-être me faire sourire

2. Serge Gainsbourg - Docteur Jekyll Et Monsieur Hyde

3. Christine Pilzer - Dracula

4. Les Maledictus Sound - Kriminal Theme

5. Evariste - Connais-Tu I'animal Qui Inventa Le Calcul Integral

6. France Gall - Frankenstein

7. Jany L. - Mon Joli Vampire

8. Gérard Manset - Animal on est mal

9. Les Maledictus Sound - Monster Cocktail

10. Nicole Paquin - Mon Mari C'est Frankenstein

11. Brigitte Bardot - Le Diable Est Anglais

12. Stereo Total - Film D'Horreur

You can download it via the original post

Soirée this Saturday (now with added visuals)

This Saturday sees us back in The West Hill for another L'Amour Electronique
[9pm-3am / 67 Buckingham Place, BN1 3PQ / Free Entry]

Guests can expect the (un)usual mix of 60s yé-yé, Gallic pop, synthesized sounds, freakbeat, electronics and other delights.  But this time there will be additional eye-candy in the form of some Nouvelle Vague cinema and music videos up on the TV.

We've not decide what we're screening yet, but I'm eager to give this one a showing

Love Is Amour In French

I'll be honest, I'm not the most prolific blogger on the internet, so it probably doesn't surprise any of the (6) readers of this blog that the posts have been a bit sporadic of late.

My excuse: I've been busy elsewhere, making paintings and showing them in my first solo exhibition.  Here's a painting that should appeal to L'Amour Electronique followers:

The exhibition is finished now, but there are photos and a short video tour on my other blog Confessions of a Wednesday Painter, if you are interested in seeing more...

Enough shameless plugging.  Train-spotters might like to know that the title/subject matter for that painting was borrowed from this mildly cheesy slice of late 70s Franco-English Canadian disco (dig the Jeff Wayne-style orchestration and that melody so brazenly lifted from Chopin/Jane B).

Anne Marie - Love Is Amour In French

French Radio London

Verity heard about this a couple of months ago...

Looks like good news for all London's French speakers and Francophiles. French Radio London (the capital's first French language station) has secured a DAB digital radio license and will launch towards the end of the year. Pascal Grierson, who set up the station, explains the music policy:

"French radio has a 40 per cent [French music] quota; we want to impose an 80 per cent quota here. We will not ignore English-language music but we want to give our listeners something they will remember from their childhood."

You can stream an hour long teaser podcast from the website (signs are good: the playlist includes Serge Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot and Juliette Greco, alongside some more modern French music).  And for those of us outside the capital, FRL will also be available online and via mobile apps.

We'll keep you posted if we hear any more...

Pas Adieu

Just got myself a copy of the new Fabienne Delsol album, and a beautiful listen it is too! Fabienne is a French chick living in London, she used to be in a band called The Bristols. Nowadays she records albums full of vintage warmth with her hubby Liam Watson at Toe Rag studios. Liam is a kind of latter-day Joe Meek, his studio decked out with all manner of analogue gear: lots of valves and big knobs, echo chambers and tape machines. The sound is rich and authentic, and could almost be mistaken for some lost R.G.M. session tapes recorded at 304 Holloway Rd in the mid-sixties.

The songs are a mixture of covers and originals, sung in English and French (could have done with more French ones in my opinion...). I'd already heard a couple on the wireless, and one in particular jumped out every time: Pas Adieu, it sounds like some of the sweetest of Chantal Goya's output between 1964 and 1967, and has a naggingly brilliant little pause that works its way into your mind and lodges itself there.

Fabienne Delsol - Pas Adieu
[buy Fabienne Delsol from Damaged Goods]

For a while, I thought it was just one of those songs that sounded familiar, because of the handful of influences it wears on its sleeve. But once I'd bought the album and checked the credits, three familiar names were listed: Régo/Rinaldi/Vogue. Of course! Luis Régo and Gérard Rinaldi from Les Problèmes (1er Groupe Authentique de Rhythm and Blues 100% Français). My detective work is done for the day!

Les Problèmes - Pas Adieu
[buy Les Problèmes from Amazon.uk]

As well as Les Problèmes, Fabienne covers Sylvie Vartan's Ce Jour La, and Strange Shadows from Françoise Hardy's 1970 English album One-Nine-Seven-Zero, Fabienne plays a rare show in London on 3rd October at The 100 Club. And I'm gutted, cos I can't go.

a little hush please...

This has finally exorcised the horrid memories of K*la Sh*ker (if you don't know what I'm talking about, you're a very lucky reader)

the production line

An evening in with the watercolour paints, chez L'Amour Electronique...

Samedi Soir: Synthesized sounds, French Pop and Electronic Delights

This Saturday, 9pm - 3am at The West Hill, Brighton. F R E E E N T R Y.

we will be ensconced in the homely surrounds of The West Hill, in our very own tricolore-swathed corner.

There will be music:
French boys and French girls doing freakbeat, ye-ye and bubblegum POP!
synthesized sounds from the glacial to the disco to the dirty synthcore.
electronic pioneers and bleeps and noises...
(basically anything that is French or electronic or both!)

There will also be fine wines, ales and spirits, bar snacks and parlour games to while away the evening. And you can dance if you can find a space. yeah!

Porno a GO-GO

Currently receiving repeat rotation at L'Amour Electronique HQ is this amazing French-Canadian porn soundtrack from 1969.

I discovered Valérie recently over at Psyquébélique. It seems it is one of those "lost" soundtracks, and has never been officially released. Together with Otis Fodder and S.Ébastien at Patrimoine PQ, Simon Psyquébélique has ripped the soundtrack direct from the DVD, complete with sound-effects and snippets of dialogue, and with some sleek artwork based on the original movie poster.

Michel Paje and Joe Gracy's compositions are surely up there with such heavyweight Frenchies as Jean-Claude Vannier and Serge's music for Pierre Koralnik's Anna. The dialogue snippets and sound-effects on Valérie serve to make it all the more evocative, with some tasty motorcycle action, answer-phone messages, and what appears to be a struggle with the most archetypal French porn villain imaginable (check the "Ah! NO, NO, No-No-No-No!" during Le Premier Client). Meanwhile the music veers from hypnotic, spy-flick piano to kitsch go-go, via sitar exotica, hammond funk, and some of the most maudlin tunes I've heard since those badly-dubbed foreign-serials they used to show when I was a kid, during school holidays.

You can download this unofficial version of Valérie for free from Psyquébélique, go there now and tell him L'Amour Electronique tipped you off.

The Autumnal Equinox

At around 3.09am tomorrow morning the autumnal equinox will occur. It sounds a little foreboding, but it's just the signal of the end of the summer months and the beginning of winter. Pagans will be celebrating and the rest of us in the northern hemisphere can just use it as a reminder to dig our scarves out and prepare for the cold months ahead. It would be depressing if it wasn't such a glorious sunny day outside today.

Here's Jean-Michel Jarre getting all autumnal:

covered and appropriated

Stereo Total have recorded the Brigitte Fontaine/Jean-Claude Vannier track Barbe à Papa for their latest album. For the video, they've appropriated a fictional advert directed by Serge Gainsbourg's character in the film Slogan...

NEW POSTER

Verity has designed a striking new poster. Hope you like it as much as we do.

In case it needs spelling out:
The next L'Amour Electronique is this Saturday, 9pm-3am at The West Hill, Buckingham Place, Brighton.
Entry is FREE as always, and we will be playing all manner of French Ye-Ye and Gallic Freakbeat, plus tons of synth-laden soundtracks and electronic ditties.

Plastic Bertrand admits: Ça n'etait pas moi

slow news day at The Guardian...

Belgian singer blames former producer after admitting his was not voice on Ça Plane Pour Moi.

"The Belgian singer Plastic Bertrand has admitted that the voice that gave the world the 1977 Euro-punk anthem Ça Plane Pour Moi was not his. Roger Jouret, the man behind the Plastic Bertrand persona, had previously denied that he was not the singer on the record. But in an interview with the Belgian newspaper Le Soir, he admitted it had been another singer – and laid the blame at the door of his former producer, Lou Deprijck. His admission came a day after a linguist commissioned by a judge concluded that the singer's accent did not match the voice on the record."

..........................................................
Looks like Mr Bertrand had a pang of guilt, the allegations were only reported on Tuesday! Unbelievably a linguistic expert was brought in to analyse the vocal phrasing on the song and concluded that all was not cool.

Serge-fest

Last Sunday, Verity and I went to a free screening of the Gainsbourg film. For some reason it's been re-titled Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus for the English speaking market, perhaps to make it more accessible to a new audience by referencing the one song most people know from his back-catalogue. But definitely a bit confusing for anyone who knows a bit more about Gainsbourg and has knowledge of his own 1976 directed film Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus.

I picked up this glossy little pamphlet at the cinema:



I won't spoil the film for anyone who's not seen it yet, but it was definitely a better viewing experience than when I first saw it on a longhaul flight (on a six-inch screen with altitude sickness and jumbo-jet engines roaring in the background). Joann Sfar has used his artistic-license in building the Gainsbourg narrative around the myths and tales that make Serge's life so colourful. There is much spinning of yarns and embellishing of myths, which turn what could've been a straight-down-the-line biopic into an almost fantastical, hallucinatory tale.

Later that evening, we reacquainted ourselves with some a little Serge-fest on DVD, comme ça...

CE SOIR - L'AMOUR ELECTRONIQUE

Sorry been a bit slack with posting of late (far too many excuses to reel off just now)...

All you need to know is
L'Amour Electronique is tonight,
9pm - 3am
at The West Hill, 67 Buckingham Place, Brighton.
It is free entry, so you can drop in at any time.

As well as the usual Frrrench Pop and ye-ye, Synth-heavy sounds and electronic music, I have a load of Gainsbourg gems I'm eager to play after seeing the film again last Sunday.
All hail dirty ol' Serge!

Gainsbourg free screenings this Sunday

See page 7 of today's Guardian Guide cinema listings for details...

Breathless

Finally got to see the 50th Anniversary re-print of Godard's À Bout De Souffle (or Breathless if you can't pronounce the French) last Friday. I've seen it countless times on DVD, but seeing it on the big screen it had so much more impact. It was, if you pardon the pun, close to breathtaking.

I urge you to go and see it if you can.

Here's a little mp3 tribute to the scene above: A song I first discovered on (the sadly latent) Spiked Candy back in July 2007 . Hopefully she won't mind me re-posting it now...

Jany. L - Herald Tribune

[Feeling rich? You can buy Jany. L's only 2 seven-inches from cdandlp.com!]

L'Amour Electronique strikes tonight

Ce Soir, c'est L'Amour Electronique!

9pm - 3am

The West Hill Tavern, 67 Buckingham Place, Brighton, BN1 3PQ

Come treat your ears to the finest in synthesized sounds and Frrrrenchy POP!

frrrrrrrrreeeeeee entry all night

setlist 27 March 2010

More catching up: here's the setlist from March, when we were joined by guest DJ Ray Paul, or Eddie as his mum knows him. He added a heavy dusting of euro-synth-disco to the evening.

[You may also notice the blog now has handy little players for each of the mp3s. Ooh! Aren't we hi-tech?]

Dominic
Fabeinne Delsoll – I’m Gonna Catch Me A Rat
Alice Dona – Une Voiture Rouge
Gary Numan – Cars
Stereolab – Les Yper Sound
Stereo Total – Heaven’s In The Back Seat of My Cadillac
Claire Dixon – Fleurs, Vent
Kraftwerk – Trans Europe Express
Jacques Dutronc – L’Idole
John et Jehn – 20L07
Verity
Deux – Dance With Me
Yazoo – Only You
Françoise Hardy – Et Même
Rika Zaraï – Le Temps des Vacances
Mareva Galanter – Pourquoi Pas Moi
Soft Cell – Bedsitter
Yelle – Je Veux Te Voir
Plastic Bertrand – Ça Plane Pour Moi
OMD – Enola Gay
Jean-Michel Jarre – Equinoxe pt.5
Eddie
Koto – Jabdah
Jago – I’m Going To Go
Den Harrow – A Taste Of Love
Checko – Firelight
Flexx – Carry On (Flemming Dalum mix)
Gino Soccio – Remember
Dominic
Keine Ahnung – Plastik
Nicole et Frédéric – Dans L’Année 2525
Ronnie Bird – Chante
Zombie Zombie – Nightclubbing
Soft Cell – Frustration
Françoise Cactus – You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory
Serge Gainsbourg – Requiem Pour Un Con
Suzanne Gabriello – Z’Avez Pas Lu Kafka
Léo Petit – Tu Parles Trop
Gillian Hills – Oublie
Les Gam’s – Attention! Accident!
Verity
Dominique Walter – Les Petits Boudins
Stereolab – Escape Pod (from the world of medical observations)
Magnetic Fields – In My Car
Françoise Hardy – Les Petits Garçons
Jacques Dutronc – Je Suis Content
Claude François – C’est La Même Chanson
Add N To (X) – Adding N To X
Relaxed Muscle – Billy Jack
The Knife – Like A Pen
Sarah
Glass Candy – Beatific
Sebastien Tellier – Fingers Of Steel
Pulp – This Is Hardcore
Jacques Dutronc – Mini, Mini, Mini
Chantal Goya – Dans La Nuit
Magnetic Fields – I Thought You Were My Boyfriend
Clor – Good Stuff
Air – Electronic Performers
Add N To (X) - Steve's Going To Teach Himself Who's Boss
Eddie
Putsch ’79 – Steam Engine
Yellow Magic Orchestra – Ballet
Mr. Master – A Dog In The Night
Purple Flash – We Can Make It (Instrumental)
Ryan Paris – Dolce Vita
Vicious Pink – CCCant You See… (extended mix)
Paul Ray – My Machine (Flemming Dallum mix)
Dominic
Sparks – Beat The Clock
Virginie Rodin – Commando Spatial
Serge Gainsbourg et Jean-Claude Brialy – C’est La Cristallisation Comme Dit Standahl
Plastics – Robot
Brezel Göring – Ich Bin So Süchtig
Christine et Ses Copains – Mon Mini Croullant
Jacques Brel – Jacky
Brigitte Bardot – St Tropez
Léo Petit – Kili-Watch
Nino Ferrer – Oh! He! Hein! Bon!
France Gall – Sacre Charlemagne
Johnny Halliday - Noir C’est Noir
Verity
Rika Zaraï – Fais Pas Pleurer Les Filles
Serge Gainsbourg – Shu Ba Du Ba Lu Ba
Michel Polnareff – Dans La Maison Vide
OMD – Electricity
New Order – Perfect Kiss
Black Box Recorder – These Are The Things
Hot Butter – Popcorn
Sarah
France Gall – Les Sucettes
Liz Brady – Bas Les Pattes
Brigitte Bardot – Le Diable Est Anglais
Stereo Total – Kusse Aus Der Holle Der Musik
Quintron & Miss Pussycat – Swamp Buggy Badass
Devo – Time Out For Fun
John Foxx – No-one Driving
Human League – Empire State Human
Japan – Life In Tokyo
Yacht – We Have All We’ve Ever Wanted
Eddie
Miro Monroe – Nights Of Arabia
Cube – Concert boy
Yellow Magic Orchestra – Tong Poo
J.M. Band – Computer Monkey
Jackpot – Night Flight (instrumental)
Fake – Frogs In Spain
Blue Russell – I Wanna Fly Away (instrumental)
Big Ben Tribe – Tarzan Loves The Summer Nights
Omar S – Set It Out
FPU – Crockett’s Theme
Dominic
Dave Rogers - theme from Cybernoid (Zx Spectrum 128K)
Petula Clark – Il Y A Tellement Des Filles
Stereo Total – Supergirl
Jacques Dutronc – Le Monde a L’Envers
Sarah
Pulp – Razzamataz


and the mp3 picks of the month are

Vicious Pink – CCCan't You See… (French extended mix)

[buy Vicious Pink: play.com | discogs.com]

Serge Gainsbourg – C’est La Cristallisation Comme Dit Standahl
[buy Anna OST: Amazon.fr]

Black Box Recorder – These Are The Things

[buy Black Box Recorder: iTunes | Amazon.uk]

Stereo Total – Kusse Aus Der Holle Der Musik

[buy Stereo Total: iTunes | Risi-Bisi Popshop]

setlist 27 Feb 2010

We're a bit behind with the setlists, but here is February's for all you trainspotters out there

Verity
Pierre Barouh et Nicole Croisille - Un Homme et Une Femme
Air – Remember
Depeche Mode – See You
Serge Gainsbourg et Brigitte Bardot – Bonnie & Clyde
Eurythmics – Tous Les Garçons et Les Filles
Deux – Game + Performance
Godzuki – Contact
Add N To (X) – The Black Regent
Dominic
Boy From Brazil – Le Claquer Des Doigts
Virginie – Tu Crois Toujours
The Passions – I’m In Love With A German Film Star
Lightspeed Champion – 69 Année Erotique
Stereo Total – Joe Le Taxi
Fad Gadget – Fireside Favourite (I Monster Toasted Crumpet remix)
Japan – Quiet Life
Michel Legrand – Digue Ding Ding
Françoise Hardy – You Just Have To Say The Word
Dessous Chics – Garçon Façile
Sarah
Farah – Law Of Life
Glass Candy – Geto Boys
Les Georges Leningrad – Supa Doopa
Yacht – I’m In Love With A Ripper
Stereo Total – Tas De Tôle
Jacques Dutronc – Les Cactus
Verity
Françoise Hardy – Les Petits Garçons
Mareva Galanter – Les Filles C’est Faites Pour Faire L’Amour
OMD – Electricity
Divine Comedy – Europop
Jon & Vangelis – Back To School
Stasi – How Sleazy Do You Want It?
Michel Polnareff – Chère Veronique
Stereo Total – Comme Un Garçon
Denim – Snakebite
Dominic
Jacques Brel – Jacky
Manon Labrie – Pour Mon Anniversaire Je Voudrais Un Beatle
Les Problèmes – Pop Jerk
Les Chevelles – Ton Ombre Me Suit
Bourvil et Jacqueline Maillan – Ça
Michèle et Ses Wouaps – Dam Dam
Nicole et Frédéric – Dans L’Année 2525
Claude François – Eloise
Neon Neon – Neon Theme
Soft Cell – Bedsitter
Eddie Constantine – Hey Mr Caution
Sven Libaek – Solar Flares
Nino Nardini – Catch That Man
Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM
Sarah
Devo – The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise
Brigitte Bardot – Je Reviendrai Toujours Vers Toi
Sylvie Vartan – Irrésistiblement
Roxy Music – Out Of The Blue
The Associates – Club Country
John Foxx – Burning Car
Soft Cell – Secret Life
Pulp - Separations
Verity
France Gall – Cet Air La
Magnetic Fields – Save A Secret For The Moon
Pet Shop Boys – Opportunities
Goldfrapp- Train
Jean-Michel Jarre – Magnetic Fields pt 4
Françoise Hardy – Je Veux Qu’il Revienne
Jacques Dutronc – Fais Pas Çi, Fais Pas Ça
Stereolab – Cosmic Country Noir
Dominic
Les Bel-Air – Ils Parlaient Dans Mon Dos
Gillian Hills – Je Reviens Vers Le Bonheur
Françoise Hardy – Je Pense á Lui
Les Gams – Il á le Truc
Stereo Total – Ne M’apelle Pas Ta Biche
Les Soundtrack – Ce Soir C’est Ma Fête
Add N To (X) – Adding N To X
Mathematiques Moderne – Disco Rough
The Art Of Noise – Close To The Edit
Pixelh8 – Girl Fight
Stereo Total – Musique Automatique
Pussycat – Aucune Fille Au Monde
Delphine – La Fermeture Éclair
Sarah
Sebastien Tellier – Sexual Sportswear
Clor – Good Stuff
Bat For Lashes – Glass
Tom tom Club – Genius Of Love
The Chap – Heart Throbs
Luke Haines – Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop
Verity
Pulp – Styloroc
The Normal – Warm Leatherette
Future Bible Heroes – I’m A Vampire
Dominic
Stereo Total – Supergirl
Jacques Dutronc – Sur Une Nappe De Restaurant
Les Shades – Orage Mecanique
We Are Enfant Terrible – Snap Dragon
Ronnie Bird – Chante
Phil Lynnot & Midge Ure – Yellow Pearl
The Chalets – Love Punch
Simon Bookish – Terry Riley Disco
Sarah
A-Ha – Scoundrel Days
Serge Gainsbourg – Dr Jeckyll et Mr Hyde
France Gall – Zoï Zoï
Christie Laume – Rouge Rouge
Ultravox – Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
Verity
Françoise Hardy – Et Même
Michel Polnareff – Dans La Maison Vide
The Knife – You Take My Breath Away
Dominic
Isabelle – Amstramgram
Gillian Hills – Tu Mens
Brezel Göring – Ich Bin So Süchtig
Sarah
Dauerfisch – So Gut
Stereo Total – Komplex Mit Dem Sex
Dominic
Nouvelle Vague – Too Drunk To Fuck
Sarah
Soft Cell - Memorabilia

and our mp3 picks of the month

Virginie – Tu Crois Toujours

[buy Virginie on Pop A Paris vol.4: amazon.fr]

Les Georges Leningrad – Supa Doopa

[buy Les Georges Leningrad: Alien8 Recordings | amazon.uk]

Stereolab – Cosmic Country Noir

[buy Stereolab: Rough Trade | amazon.uk]

Stereo Total! In London! Tomorrow Nite!

Yes, our favourite purveyors of Franco-German lo-fi/8-bit/rockabilly/bubblegum/chanson are back in the UK for a one-off show tomorrow night!

STEREO TOTAL l.i.v.e! at 93 Feet East, 150 Brick Lane, E1 6QL
7.30pm - 11.00pm
you can buy tickets here
Support comes from The Notes, and the intriguingly named French For Cartridge.

You may remember my report from the last time ST played in London and I ended up in a L'Amour a Trois dry-hump onstage. You may also remember my relief that there didn't seem to be any documentation of my cameo appearance. Well, the situation has now changed [I must say I look quite happy to be there, in an embarrassed kind of way].


Stereo Total have a new album out. As you can see, it is called Baby Ouh! And you know what? We still haven't heard it at L'Amour Electronique HQ. Shame on us. We will hopefully rectify that situation at the gig.

rendez-vous with French Cinema

This week, London's Institut Francais presents a Rendez-vous with French Cinema. It Starts tomorrow, when they will show what must be the debut UK screening of Gainsbourg: Vie Heroique at the Curzon Soho. I can't make it myself, but I did get a sneak preview of the film and it's definitely been worth waiting for. I'm in London on Friday so the new print of Breathless (À bout de souffle) might be on the cards.

"The event dedicated to French cinema returns to London this June. A showcase of the crème of French films, this year’s Rendez-vous with French Cinema will take place from Tuesday 8 June to Friday 11 June, at London’s Curzon Soho and the Ciné Lumière, plus one special screening at the BFI Southbank. Six French films, representing the strength and rich diversity of French production, past and present, will be given special Gala screenings open to the public, ahead of their release by UK distributors. Directors, both the young and the renowned, will be present alongside up and coming actors and more established stars, to introduce their films and discuss them with the public at post-screening Q&As. So far confirmed to attend are actors Kristin Scott-Thomas, Louis-Ronan Choisy plus directors Radu Mihaileanu, François Ozon, Catherine Corsini and Joann Sfar."

Dim lights

screenings

Tuesday 8 June
6.15pm: GAINSBOURG @ Curzon Soho
9.00pm: LEAVING @ Curzon Soho

Wednesday 9 June
6.15pm: THE CONCERT @ Curzon Soho
9.00pm: THE REFUGE @ Curzon Soho

Thursday 10 June
6.20pm: WILD GRASS @ BFI South Bank
8.30pm: THE CONCERT @ Ciné Lumière

Friday 11 June
6.30pm: BREATHLESS: 50TH ANNIVERSARY @ Ciné Lumière

L'Amour Electronique: Saturday 22 May

Salut! Apologies for the lack of posts of late - things have been a bit busy.

The next L'Amour Electronique is on Saturday 22 May.
We will be joined by special guest DJs Estelle and Didier who will almost certainly show us up because they are both French, and not just a bunch of amateur Francophiles or something!

Come along for 6 hours of the finest electronic sounds, synthesized pop and French bubblegum, freakbeat and ye-ye.

it all takes place from 9pm til 3am at The West Hill, 67 Buckingham Place, Brighton, BN1 3PQ.

It is Free Entry all night and if you need more persuading, see what The Guardian said by way of recommendation in our previous post.

Battle Of The Planets

There's a been a small battle of the planets going on in the night sky this past month.

[image source]

Mars has been spoiling for a fight since December. You might have seen him up there, an orange-y little blot amongst the stars: Mars, Bringer of War, with an army of little green men always at hand, ready to board their UFOs and launch a Martian invasion.

[image source]

But then, sometime in March, Venus came to our salvation. I caught sight of her the other night, a blinding white thing she was, and she outshone everything in the sky except the man-in-the-moon: Venus, Bringer of Peace, our "sister planet", named after the Roman god of love and beauty and cloaked in swirling, brilliant white clouds.


So, it's Mars, 'The Red Planet' VERSUS Venus, 'The Evening Star'. But which is better? There's only one way to find out... FIGHT!!!!!!!!

Up pops Mercury, the Winged Messenger, to lend the serene Venus a hand. Together they will endeavour to protect us and halt the impending War of the Worlds...

Where's Richard Burton when you need him?

Let's settle this thing with a nice old cliché: "Little men are from Mars, girls are from Venus".

Jean-Jacques Perrey & Gershon Kingsley - The Little Man From Mars
Jean-Jacques Perrey & Gershon Kingsley - Girl From Venus
[buy Perrey & Kingsley: iTunes | Amazon.uk]


But as for Mercury, I'm afraid Mercury is going to feel a bit left out. I don't have a song for Mercury. Sorry Mister Mercury.


.................................................................................................
If you want to keep an eye out for those little men from Mars, or fancy gazing at the bright-white beauty of Venus, pay a visit to Jodrell Bank.

Guardian Guide - clubs Pick of the week

Well we didn't expect that, but it's nice to get some recognition! Cue hordes of people in breton tops and berets descending on the West Hill at 9pm sharp.

We should point out that smoking is not permitted inside the building. Also, we do play non-French electronic and synthesized music too!

TONIGHT! Saturday 24 April
9pm - 3am
at The West Hill, 67 Buckingham Place, Brighton, BN1 3PQ
here is a map
It is FREE to get in all night.


love and electronics
xxx

Japan

Right you lot, I know there are at least some of you out there who visit from time to time (We have ways of seeing how many times things are downloaded, y'see). I seek tips and advice...

I'm off to Japan next month, has anyone been? Got any tips?

I'll be visiting Tokyo and Kyoto, and a little island, way down off the South coast, called Ishigaki.

Suggestions of record shops where I can pick up some old French Ye-Ye records, plus any other good record emporiums would be greatly appreciated. Plus any other hints and tips for good bars, clubs, eateries, places to visit, etc.

I leave it in your hands, and await in hope for a torrent (or trickle) of comments...

Of course, it would be remiss of me not to post something like this:

Japan - Life In Tokyo

[buy Japan from iTunes | Amazon.uk]

Samedi soir + Jacques Brel homework

The next L'Amour Electronique is this Saturday - it would please us to see you there.

We will be joined by a guest DJ, the charmingly monikered Ray Paul (or Eddie, as his mum knows him) who has promised to add a sprinkling of synth-powered Italo-Disco and maybe a drop of French New Wave.

We'll also be playing the usual concoction of French bubblegum, psych and freakbeat, synthesized pop and electronic music from the early pioneers to the sounds of today.

9pm - 3am
Free entry all night.



And now for some light listening homework
Marc Almond has been presenting a 3 part documentary about Jacques Brel on Radio 2. Part 2 of Behind The Brel: The Story Of A Musical Genius is on the iPlayer now (available until Monday 29th), and part 3 airs on Tuesday 30th March at 23.30.



Think I might dig out some Jacques Brel for Saturday.

Souvenirs Souvenirs

So, we went to Nice. Nice was nice and Nice was tres expensive, and so my hope of coming home arms laden with records was slightly foiled...

We did pick up one or two souvenirs that didn't empty our pockets though:

I picked this one up at the flea market for 1 euro: a seven-inch ep of Léo Petit, ses Guitares et ses Rythmes playing "4 Rocks Formidables", on the Trianon label. No idea what year it's from. On side a, Léo and his band twang their way through surf-guitar fave Kili-Watch and give us a faithful instrumental rendition of Johnny Hallyday's Souvenirs Souvenirs. On the flip there's a slowwwwwwwed down stroll through Apache, and some brassed-up primal screaming in Tu Parles Trop. (It's worth checking out Léo Petit's entry at discogs.com - he has quite a CV!)

a1) Léo Petit - Kili-Watch

a2) Léo Petit - Souvenirs Souvenirs

b1) Léo Petit - Apache

b2) Léo Petit - Tu Parles Trop

[buy Léo Petit from CDandLP.com | search via discogs.com]

I thought I'd give you a couple of bonus comparison songs - other versions I have of 2 of the tracks:

There's nothing like a superlative novelty hit getting cashed-in, and dragged-out across a full-length album, and that's just what seventies Moog-toters Hot Butter did with their Popcorn album. Their version of Apache borrows most of the clever arrangement tricks employed on their breakthrough hit, and you can almost sing that famous Popcorn melody over it in some places.

Hot Butter - Apache

[buy Hot Butter from iTunes | Amazon.uk]

Another Stereo Total song! Fittingly, this one was recorded with Alex Chilton (see previous post). Our favourite Franco-German punkrock-disco-bubblegumpop-chansonieres get all heavyheavy on their own rockabilly rumble through Johnny's 1960 hit.

Stereo Total - Souvenir Souvenir

[buy Stereo Total from iTunes | Amazon.uk]

And here is Johnny himself sur la moto