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.
But we couldn’t go through St George’s Day without paying tribute to San Giorgio
So as you probably know he invented electro-disco and gave Donna Summer a helping hand with some dirty arpeggiator action on ‘I Feel Love’. He also produced 2 classic albums for Sparks and recorded countless film soundtracks including the ‘Electric Dreams’ OST with Mister Phillip Oakey, which spawned the cheesy synth-pop anthem ‘Together in Electric Dreams’. If you’ve not heard the ‘Electric Dreams’ soundtrack, surprise Verity and request it at L’Amour Electronique on Saturday… ;-}.
Moroder even created a Supercar, in between producing some sleek 70’s electro-disco himself...
Giorgio Moroder – Utopia–Me Giorgio
Something I just discovered on the interweb: Moroder co-wrote (with Michael Holm) a couple of German language hits for France Gall, including this bit of bubblegum from 1970:
France Gall - Mein Herz kann man nicht kaufen
And now, here’s an informative promotional film about the man
BONUS Georges Yes it’s our favourite, now defunct, Georges from Montreal. We miss you Poney, Bobo & Mingo.
First a slow-burning hammer horror post-punk rattler from their first LP ‘Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou’.
Les Georges Leningrad – Georges V
And here’s a film capturing some live antics: Les Georges Leningrad – Ennio Morricone
It was something of a battle that night (see previous post J’ai un probleme). Somehow Dom has managed to stick together a podcast from the interrupted sets (it wasn’t easy).
Then there was the idiot monkey-boy who insisted on drumming on the table throughout Dom’s first set. This got to be rather an irritation, and drastic action in the form of a percussion-less Messiaen organ piece soon put a stop to it…
Dom Nicole Lord – C’est Le Go Go Keine Ahnung – Plastik Jacques Dutronc – Je Suis Content Soft Cell – Memorabilia Jennifer Bate - Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Combat De La Mort et De La Vie’ / French language disque Datarock – Computer Camp Love Ladytron – High Rise Marie Laforêt – Marie Douceur-Marie Colère Henri Salvador – Beta Gamma, L’Ordinateur The Human League – Being Boiled Sarah National Bandit – Pardon My French Cobra Killer – Let’s Have A Problem Christie Laume – Le Musique et La Dance France Gall – ZoïZoï Hyper Kinako – 2 Tadgers Sparks – Happy Hunting Ground Pulp – O.U. The Associates – The Stranger In My Voice Verity Françoise Hardy – Dis Lui Non Glass Candy – Last Nite I Met A Costume John Foxx – Touch and Go Ruth – Polaroid-Roman-Photo Stereo Total – Joe Le Taxi Michel Polnareff – Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta Jacques Dutronc – Fais Pas Ci, Fais Pas Ca Future Bible Heroes – I’m A Vampire Dom Telepathe – Chromes On It Toss – Da Da Da (Est-Ce Qu’on S’Cherche Ou Est-Ce Qu’on Triche?) Jean-Claude Brialy – Boomerang Serge Gainsbourg – L’Anamour The Teenagers – No More Add N To (X) – Sheez Mine Klanguage – All This Time April March – La Fille Á La Moto Pussycat – Aucune Fille Au Monde Trost – Sans Ta Scie Sarah Of Montreal – The Past Is A Grotesque Animal Kamerakino – Deportation Class Alice Dona – Le Trois Couleurs De L’Amour Stereo Total – Tas De Tôle Gary Numan – My Dying Machine Depeche Mode – Everything Counts Add N To (X) – Metal Fingers In My Body Verity The Human League – Love Action France Gall – Laissez Tombez Les Filles Baby Birkin – Melo Melo Goldfrapp – Train Stereolab – Super Electric New Order – 586 Stereo Total – Vilaine Filles, Mauvais Garçons Clor – Love + Pain *******PODCAST BEGINS******* Dom Michel Polnareff – La Mouche Les Shades – Orage Mecanique Brigitte Bardot – Tu Veux Ou Tu Veux Pas Plastiscines – Pop In Pop Out Brezel Göring – Ich Bin So Süchtig (mit Christiane F) Miss Pain – Shelf-Location ROM Divine – Native Love (Step By Step) Sarah Peepholes – Trouble In Heartbreak High Luke Haines – Off My Rocker at the Art School Bop Devo – The Day My Baby Gave Me A Surprise Françoise – Hum! Hum! Sylvie Vartan – Ballade Pour Une Fugue Phil Oakey & Giorgio Moroder – Together In Electric Dreams Verity Yelle – 85A HollAnd – The Lebanon Deux – Game & Performance Serge Gainsbourg – Docteur Jeckyll et Monsieur Hyde OMD – Red Frame White Light Simon Bookish – Metal Horse *******PODCAST ENDS******* Dom Stella - L’Idole Des Jaunes Adèle – Et La La La La Stereo Total – Vive Le Weekend Sarah Dauerfisch – Ride My Bike Baxendale – Battery Acid A-ha – Manhattan Skyline Dom Liz Brady – Hey O Daddy O Add N To (X) – Hit For Cheese Annie Philippe - C’est La Mode Verity Serge Gainsbourg – Bonnie & Clyde Michel Polnareff – Dans La Maison Vide Comix – Touche Pas Mon Sexe Dom Christine & Ses Copains – Mon Mini-Croulant Michel Polnareff – Time Will Tell Dog Ruff – Jon ‘E’ Storm Sarah Pink Grease – The Pink G.R.EASE Minty – That’s Nice
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[this podcast has now been archived, download it from here, 54.8mb, duration: 59m50]
