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Leaving the burden of blind obedience to the "series law" to others, Sourcelab is calling it quits. SourceLab's third volume will therefore be the swan song for a collection that has amply fulfilled its mission as the showcase for a particular (and by now widely publicized) French scene. Meanwhile, Source is offering a new array of musical selections with an electro-pop-rock slant. The weeding-out process pioneered by SourceLab is still alive and kicking. Here we have another collage of 13 original unpublished numbers composed by as many new French groups and individual performers. This initial inventory we have dubbed Source Material and will, in the natural course of events, be followed by Phoenix and Scenario Rock E.P.s and various albums. The tone is shifting ... Ernest Saint Laurent "Moogie" A recent recruit to the prolific Yellow Productions stable, but unrelated either to Yves or to the river of the same name. Ernest is a fan of Dub, Pop, and House who proves with "Moogie" that he's a great composer whose specialty is bass-lines. Naturally enough since he plays bass. Phoenix "Heat Wave" (in real audio) Four juniors heralded by an insatiable buzz following their tenure as Air's backing band on various European TV shows last year. But they've kept their cool, working hard on the composition and recording of their first album for Source. "Heat Wave" (recorded in mid-summer, of course) is what Phoenix calls their "little mischief". The first sign of a musical career that promises to be luxuriant and replete with side-trips and wrong turns. Oomiaq "L'Ultime Atome" Welcome to the world of comic strips, animated cartoons, movie soundtracks, Moogs, and impossible-to-find 45-rpm discs. This friend of the stars lives in Clermont-Ferrand. Regis, aka Oomiaq, has built up an international support network reflecting his musical world and including Stereolab, the family of Francois de Roubaix (the great film-music composer who died in 1975), Jean-Jacques Perrey, Moog Cookbook, and Air. "L'Ultime Atome," his first published number, projects a rustic and sugar-sweet mood. Scenario Rock "Scenario Rock" (in real audio) Incendiary bomb warning! Appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, the members of Scenario Rock aren't Beastie Boys clones newly converted to Buddhism who know all about the brand of briefs preferred by Mike D. Scenario Rock won't let anybody write a career storyboard for them. Their new album, etched on the dark screen of pale and sleepless nights, is a mix of punk rock (their other shtick, under the name of Heb Frueman), samplers (provided by incredible DJ Pone), rhythm, keyboards and skate imagery. Their first eponymous number, "Scenario Rock," says it all: swinging, stylish, classy. Let's admit the obvious: the final cut for Scenario Rock will be theirs and theirs alone! Cosmo Vitelli "Transformation Mistress" After Etienne de Crecy and Alex Gopher, Solid (the parent company with the limitless talent pool) now releases its latest trump card. Cosmo Vitelli goes for Robert Wyatt as much as for Aphex Twin and Grandmaster Flash. His recording sessions are reported to be fast and furious, as if the numbers had to be rushed hot out of the oven, like home delivered pizza. "Transformation Mistress" is no exception to Vitelli's rule. It's dissonant, dense and different. Cosmo Vitelli is anything but a copycat. He sets his own style. Riff Hifi "The Wizz Song" (in real audio) With "The Wizz Song," two Parisian Dub fans make a return visit to the French "psycho" sound of the late 1960s. Organs, synthesizers, female chorus, and guitars meet Pierre Henry and Peter Sellers for a truly memorable Party. "Today, we'd like to talk about the year 1967," Riff Hifi seems to be saying. This could be a course in music appreciation which is hardly surprising from two performers who teach music to kids. P. Jack "Retro Futurism, Bobby" Fresh new French labels are coming on strong, and none of them resembles any other. One newcomer, a cousin of Artefact from the buzzing Rough Trade hive (which we may soon have to raise to the rank of theoretical school), is King-Fu Fighting. P. Jack, a KFF name, excels in the art of composing mini pop numbers infused with years of adulation for Paul McCartney's bass sound and Primal Scream's groove. "Retro Futurism, Bobby," has the dreaded look of a title that's supposed to mean something. But what? Rob "Musique pour un Enfant-Jouet" More good news from Versailles, the new French scene. Rob's past includes playing keyboards in a P-Funk group. His passion for flutes and flutists (Jeremy Steig, notably) inspired him to form his own group and to record this homespun version of "Musique pour un Enfant-Jouet" in Versailles, at a friend's house. Rob, like a funky Remi Bricka, plays every instrument and is ready to set the whole world swinging. Bertrand Burgalat "Kim" (in real audio) Bertrand Burgalat is famous both in Japan and in the USA, where he's just produced the April March album for the Dust Brothers label I-Deal. Although an effective (self-appointed) ambassador for his recognized and unique brand of French pop, he's almost unknown in his own country. And yet, it's rare to find a single French musician combining as many talents as Burgalat does: fine composer, exceptional arranger, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and clip director. "Kim" is perfect proof of BB's talents: a heady, hypnotic whirl that, on repeated hearings, reveals its core of truth. ZFO "P.Funk 1 amp; 2" "French Fusion" - not exactly a concept designed to make heads spin. But the Red Hot Chili Peppers have turned out some worthy pupils here. ZFO wasn't born yesterday. "P.Funk 1 & 2" is an in-house production, released last year on their Sunrise label. A peerless bass line drives the number from end-to-end, a groovy roof-beam bedecked with vocal and guitar effects. Bosco "Dig, Dig on the Reggae" The perfect hybrid, a cross between impressive rock background and sampler. Bosco deploys enormous spirit in extending the high-school years; those corny jokes that sometimes have brilliant ideas dozing inside them. For their first album, released on the Bordeaux (France) Platinum label, the members of Bosco sampled with their gloves on - a major feature of their style. But we get a new Bosco with "Dig, Dig on the Reggae". Just as playful, just as brilliant. Mellow "Interlude" Mellow represents years of canny listening to old Pink Floyd and Beatles records, of a special way to treat sound, of an authentic talent for composition. Mellow's first album, carefully nursed over the past few years, is ready for release this fall by Atmospheriques. "Interlude," an excerpt from the album, is an amazingly sweet little piece of music played against a rough-hewn drum 'n' bass beat. Sebastien Tellier "Fantino" Like the accomplished dandy he is, Sebastien Teller appreciates nice things and grand gestures. For his own pleasure (and soon for ours) he heads out on a quest. A quest for the perfect pop composition, one with beautiful chords, luscious progressions. His first attempt is called "Fantino" (because it reminds him of a little child). This poignant, timeless, and fiendishly well-composed ballad will leave listeners stunned with its excessive beauty. Nicolas Godin of Air has a particular soft spot for this track, but he'd never tell you about it, so we will. |
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Material(Astralwerks/Source 6256) |
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