Sarah found this book The French Revolution a few years ago in a charity shop. It’s an illustrated children’s book from a series called the Hamish Hamilton history library. She brings it every month to L’Amour Electronique and we always make sure we show off the gory illustrations at any opportunity.
Mister Bookish, the guillotine… Simon Bookish – O Guillotine
Here comes Holy Fuck’s chopper to chop off your head… Holy Fuck – Choppers Maybe they’ll stick it on a spike and parade around the streets with it.
France’s modern day national anthem La Marseillaise was the rallying call of the French Revolution and received its name because it was first sung by volunteers, who had marched from Marseille, upon their arrival on the streets of Paris. B.B. also marched to it in the opening of her 1968 end-of-year show for French TV Brigitte Bardot - Marseillaise Générique
Serge recorded his own reggae version of the French national anthem in 1978. It earned him serious death-threats from the extreme-right, affronted by the appropriation of a symbol of their national pride (I reckon I might be a bit miffed too if one of my favourite songs was given a reggae makeover). It also gave him his biggest selling record to date. A couple of years later he almost bankrupted himself buying the original manuscript of La Marseillaise “it was a question of honour” he said. Serge Gainsbourg - Aux Armes et Cætera
Yesterday I had a little of my faith restored in charity shops. I can't remember the last time I got anything good in one, but whilst trawling the ones in Eastbourne, I unearthed an odd little gem:
The 1977 space disco LP Magic Fly by French electronicists SPACE.
And the best thing was: it was reduced from £1.00 to 50p. C'est fantastique!
I've not had a chance to listen to it yet, but here they are in all their 70's astronautical glory: Space - Magic Fly
And while I'm in a French-y/space-y mood here's another one, in the form of: The Droids - The Force
hmm, maybe next week I'll find a Droids record in a Bexhill-on-Sea charity shop...
Cats In Paris make music that could perhaps be classified as epic-twee-prog-electro-pop (is that a super-oxymoron, or what?). I first heard them doing a session on Marc Riley’s 6Music show a couple of weeks ago, and it’s taken me until now to track something down (I lead a busy life, don’t you know). They seem to come from Manchester, and have released some stuff on Akoustik Anarkhy. They remind me a little of Pram and a lot of Gorky’s.
Ladies and gentlemen, the oxymoronic Cats in Paris – Loose Tooth Tactile
Ladyhawke has been all over my radio recently, she sort of crept up on me that way. She’s been blogged like hell everywhere else, so I don’t need to say too much, except that she’s from New Zealand, is signed to Modular and her voice reminds me of my childhood crush Kim Wilde. She also has a cool little watercolour drawing of a cat on her homepage (see what I did there?)
Her video is a bit of an odd one, not much really happens and there are no fantastical occurrences – except what looks like sparks raining down on her which makes you want to cry “Ladyhawke! Be careful you don’t singe your mane off!” The sparks turn out to be a foil ticker-tape parade, and then she gets a wolf from somewhere and disappears off into the fires at the end of the street. It’s a strange one, and here it is:
Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning
Post-script: Some helpful bod at Fluo Kids posted a French version called Paris S’Enflamme, which I downloaded in time to play at last night’s L’Amour Electronique. Bravo!
so sorry for the lack of posts of late. We have been very busy with travelling to Germany on tour as Miss Pain, and so there has been no time to find French and electronic delights for your pleasure. And still no sign of the setlist and mix from April (it is being done as I type...)
But enough excuses, come and enjoy our monthly soirée of French Pop, Synth Pop and Electro Pop this Saturday 28th June.
L'AMOUR ELECTRONIQUE
8pm - 1am
The Penthouse, above The Freebutt, Phoenix Place, Brighton
it is free entry all night, and cheap-ish drinks too.
As well as playing sweet pop music, we will have a small tv showing French films and music videos. Plus the usual array of tricolore decor.
Cary independently conceived the idea of electronic and tape music while serving as a naval radar officer in 1945. He is a true electronic pioneer.
Cary created electronic scores for various 60’s Sci-Fi classics, including Dr Who and Quatermass and The Pit, as well as producing sound collages for exhibits at various World Fairs and Expos, he also composing orchestral/electronic concert music throughout his career.
Every Eno needs a Synthi… Roxy Music - Editions Of You
More recently, Tristram Cary continued composing electronic and orchestral concert music, as well as his research in computer music. He died in Adelaide, South Australia on 24 April 2008, aged 82.
The next L’Amour Electronique takes place this Saturday at The Penthouse (above The Freebutt), Phoenix Place, Brighton. Join us between 8pm and 1am. Entry is Free. Do come, we will miss you otherwise.
And here’s a short film Verity made last month Serge Gainsbourg/Grotesque Animal
This post is dedicated to our poorly-sick Roland ProMars synth, which is now in the capable hands of James at Synth Repair Services.
Fat Truckers – Fix It
The ProMars has led an exciting life. Before joining the Miss Pain arsenal, he was in the service of Billy Mackenzie’s younger brother, who gave him all sorts of weird and wonderful noises to make. That’s a fact, fact fans.
