Friday 28 October 2011

Quelle Horreur vol. 2: Sinister Synths and Monstrous Machines

At last! Quelle Horreur vol. 2. A halloween mixtape for fans of sinister synths, creepy claviolines, demonic drum machines, and eerie electronica.



1. Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind - The Shining (Main Title)
2. Kap Bambino - Batcaves
3. Relaxed Muscle - Beastmaster
4. Future Bible Heroes - I'm a Vampire
5. Ladytron - Miss Black
6. John Carpenter - Halloween Theme (Main Title)
7. Zombie Zombie - Walk Of The Dead
8. Broadcast - Evil Is Coming
9. Les Georges Leningrad - Cocktail Vampire
10. Suicide - Ghostrider
11. Mount Vernon Arts Lab – Hobgoblins
12. Stereo Total – Film D’Horreur
13. Lio - Bébé Vampire
14. I Monster - The Blue Wrath
15. The Moontrekkers - Return of The Vampires

DOWNLOAD HERE [57.1mb zip file]

Quelle Horreur vol. 1

Last year I mentioned a second Halloween mixtape of electronic/synth music I'd been planning but never had time to finish.  I have had time this year, and it will follow shortly.

In the mean time, I thought I'd re-post the original French pop/psych Quelle Horreur mixtape.



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

Tuesday 25 October 2011

Voila

Over at Filles Sourires Guuzbourg has just posted a pleasing new take on Françoise Hardy's Voila. Dirty Beaches samples that familiar piano riff and delivers a laid-back velvety croon over the top of it.

Perfect for exorcising any memories of R*bbie W*lliams' god-awful Voila rip-off of a couple of years ago.

And now, as if an excuse was needed, a photo of the lovely Mademoiselle Hardy.






Friday 21 October 2011

French rarities on the radio TONIGHT

news reaches us that there is une gâterie érotique in store at midnight on BBC 6music, when Andy Votel (Finders Keepers Records) joins Stuart Maconie on thee Freakier Zone...


Andy Votel And The Music Of French Eroticism

Listen :

NEXT ON:

Tomorrow00:00 on BBC 6 Music

Synopsis

A 60 minute compendium of audio gloop, hosted by King of Freaks, Stuart Maconie, plus every week a special guest presenting a skewed example of weird music. This is the boiled-down peculiar little brother to Sunday's Freak Zone.
This week, record collector Andy Votel uncovers the true story behind Melody Nelson, Serge Gainsborg's peculiar concept album and plays tracks from the genre of French eroticism... ooh err!

**UPDATE**
You can now 'listen again' on the iPlayer (available until 11.59pm on Friday 28th October)
[see comments for more info about the programme]

Thursday 20 October 2011

L'Amour Electronique >> this Saturday



Our next soirée is this Saturday: a late night audio cocktail of 60s French Pop, Gallic freakbeat, popsike, swinging mademoiselles, synth goodness, Franco-funk and electronic delights.

L'Amour Electronique
Saturday 22 October
The West Hill, 67 Buckingham Place, Brighton, BN1 3PQ
9pm - 3am
FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT

Listen to our latest mixes for all things French, 60s, electronic, synthesized and POP!

oh and come and find us on facebook, go on, do it: facebook event

love and electronics
xxx

L'Amour Electronique mix 2


At last, the 2nd L'Amour Electronique mix! This one was recorded on 27 November 2010.

Another 2 hour mix of French pop, Gallic freakbeat, 60s garage, popsike, synth-pop, Franco-funk, bubblegum, chanson, ye-ye, synthesized sounds and electronic delights, for your listening pleasure.

For the first installment, we give you europop from Sebastien Tellier, call-and-response courtesy of Antoine and Jacques Dutronc, I Monster's sinister synth epic, a rare cut from France Gall, a Serge Gainsbourg soundtrack dalliance, Polnareff Computer funk, and more, and more, and more...


[for some reason the embedded player doesn't work with the Safari browser. It definitely works with Firefox though, or you can listen to it at the Mixcloud page]


track listing for part 1
Boy From Brazil – Le Claqueur De Doigts
Joanna – Hold-up Inusité
Serge Gainsbourg et Jean-Claude Brialy - C’est La Cristallisation Comme Dit Stendhal
Stereo Total – Comme Un Garçon
Antoine – Les Élucubrations d’Antoine
Jacques Dutronc – Et Moi, Et Moi, Et Moi
John & Jehn – 20L07
I Monster – Who Is She?
Les Charlots – St. Rock
Michel Polnareff – Computer’s Dream
France Gall – Zoï Zoï
Brigitte Bardot – Le Diable Est Anglais
Liz Brady – Bas Les Pattes
Sylvie Vartan – Koibito Jidai
Chantal Goya – Une Écharpe, Une Rose
Charlotte Gainsbourg – AF607105
Sebastien Tellier – Divine
Vive La Fête – Maladie d’un Fon
Stereo Total – Alaska



Hour 2 begins with a slow-burning Dutronc freakbeat classic. The mix takes a pure pop line until the urgent electro-meltdown of Dauerfisch and some oddball latterday Polnareff. Back to early 80s synth-pop (Human League, Telex), then off on a widescreen trip with Jean-Claude Vannier; next, some sweet ye-ye from mademoiselles Hardy, Hills and Goya, before Eddy Mitchell reprises the Anna soundtrack from part 1. It ends with an accordion duel between Jacques Brel and Adèle. Adèle wins with a bullet. 

track listing for part 2
Jacques Dutronc – Je Suis Content
Pete Shelley – Qu’est-ce Que C’est Que Ça
Serge Gainsbourg – Marilu
Baby Birkin – Orangutan
Mareva Galanter avec Jacno – Bang Bang
Françoise Hardy – Comment Te Dire Adieu
Brigitte Bardot – Tu Veux Ou Tu Veux Pas
Dauerfisch – Peter Thomas Kann Nicht Zählen
Michel Polnareff – Y’a Que Pas Pouvoir Qu’on Peut
Human League – (Keep Feeling) Fascination
Telex – Moskow Diskow
Large Number – The Number People
Jean-Claude Vannier – Je M’apelle Geraldine (up-tempo version)
The Blackbirds – Promenade dans le Forêt du Brabant
Françoise Hardy – Apprends Le Moi
Gillian Hills – Oublie
Chantal Goya – Laisse Moi
Eddy Mitchell – Baseball
Serge Gainsbourg – En Melody
David Bowie – Weeping Wall
Jacques Brel – Amsterdam
Adèle – Je Ne Veux Plus D’Accordéon



Sunday 16 October 2011

Good news from Born Bad

I was rather pleased to have finally picked up a vinyl copy of Wizzz! vol.1 on eBay a few weeks ago, and for a bargain price too!

Then I happened to take a look at the Born Bad Records website and realised they've actually re-pressed it.  So it's good news for everyone!


[Vinyl copies had been going for silly money on eBay and sites like discogs.com for a while.  This seems to be an increasing trend with compilations of rare 60s cuts: The compilation brings the tracks to the attention of the big wide world, which makes the original discs more sought after and the prices rocket. The originals become harder and harder to find, then the compilation goes out of print, and so the price of that goes up and up and up as well - crazy what people will do to get hold of a particular song on vinyl. Don't look at me though, I know my limits.]

For me Wizzz!: Psychorama Français 66-71 (to give it its full title) is the better of the 2 Wizzz! comps - it's a lot more poppy and immediate and it brings together a handful of legendary tracks I'd only ever read about and imagined how they might sound, plus a couple of well-comped classics.

A long-time favourite is this little sitar-psyche sex-funk number

Danyel Gérard - Sexologie
[buy Wizzz!: Psychorama Français 66-71 Born Bad Recs]

Wednesday 12 October 2011

Gimme some Sylvie

Ha! In your face eBay sniper software!  That bid in the last 2 seconds just wasn't enough to beat my highest bid.  I win. You lose. I am happy.

But what did I win?  Currently winging its way to me is this piece of vintage vinyl.


Track 2 is Sylvie's breathtaking version of The Spencer Davis Group's mod-scorcher Gimme Some Lovin'.

Now gimme some Sylvie!

Sylvie Vartan - Donne Moi Ton Amour
[buy Sylvie Vartan from itunes]

Sunday 9 October 2011

Bon Anniversaire x2

Bon Anniversaire France Gall!


Here's a bouncy little number you made back in 1968.
France Gall - Dady Da Da
[buy France Gall from itunes | amazon.uk]


And Happy Birthday monsieur John Lennon, wherever you may be.


A ripping raw Québécois cover of a fitting song from yr Beatles songbook pour vous:
Les Sound Track - Ce Soir C'est Ma Fête
[buy Les Sound Track from discogs.com | amazon.uk]

And a tribute from Leonie* too
Leonie - John Lennon
[buy Leonie from itunes | amazon.uk]




(*thanks to Mordi @ Blow-Up Doll for the introduction...)


Friday 7 October 2011

L'Amour à la Chaîne pt.6

Remember last time, we took you to the Paris Métro? Today you find us on the Glasgow underground, known locally as the ‘Clockwork Orange’ on account of the 70s brown and orange colour-scheme and the fact it runs like a little clockwork train on a loop around the city centre.

Here it comes now...



...mind your head as you step inside the diminutive carriage.

You know in France they would call it “L’Orange Mécanique”. I’ve heard it’s due a refurbishment, but the locals are too fond of the kitschy decor: peeling paint, cracked tiles, letters missing from signs - like that one over there.

ORA  GE MÉCANIQUE 

We know a song about that. It's by Parisian indie fire-brands du jour Les Shades.



Les Shades - Orage Mécanique
[buy Les Shades from Tricatel | itunes.
also, watch their tasty hi-contrast video]

...................................................................
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 ChaîneFrançoise Hardy - Je Changerais D'Avis > Les 5 Gentlemen – Cara-Lin > Add N To (X) – Monster Bobby > Serge Gainsbourg – Le Poinçonneur des Lilas > Les Shades – Orage Mécanique > ?

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz



BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP
BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP
BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP 

Il est sept heures du matin, this is your early morning wake up call. 



WAKE UP!


Jacqueline Taïeb - 7 Heures Du Matin


Do you need that in plain English?
Jacqueline Taïeb - 7 AM
[buy Jacqueline Taïeb from itunes | amazon.uk]

...and with those vital 2-or-so-minutes of Gallic freakbeat the L'Amour Electronique blog was roused back into the land of the living.