a) wicked/disturbing disco moves and threads (for the 1970s)
b) his backing singers/dancers The Clodettes
c) co-writing the original version of My Way, and
d) accidentally electrocuting himself by trying to change a lightbulb whilst in the bath. True.
Disco was not taken very seriously at the time (François was sometimes called "the favourite singer of the under-10s) but he is is mourned to this day by a bunch of nostalgia-obsessed loonies, and his hits are heard all the bloomin' time on French radio. To be fair, he more or less brought disco to our shores, which I suppose is not a bad thing, had an amazing ear for a hook and danced like a wigged out motherfracker. Check out his legendary moves below. The video is from 22nd January 1978. Two months later, François was dead.
The Clodettes' version of Alexandrie, Alexandra seems to have originated on Joey Negro/Dave Lee's Z Records label, but licensing it to Sony France was a masterstroke. It's rare to see a well known tune like that get released through a major with remixes by such an underground name.
Whether the releae was success, I don't know. 16 years later it's not even available as a legal download, a bit of a shame seeing as the CD-single had four great mixes and a total running time of over 45 minutes. A bit of a classic.
I had a bit of fun putting two of the mixes together (a vocal and rather daring acid-laced version), making an 18-minute version that's part cheesy, part surprisingly catchy, a guilty pleasure if you will. Not sure what sort of club would play it (first part's too cheesy for the underground crowd, second part's too 'strange' for the mainstream crowd) but although it almost makes me cringe, I do have a soft spot for it.
You can download Les Clodettes - Alexandrie Alexandra (Joey Negro/Parallel mix Fist fusion) here (33MB)
(and the whole CD single can be had for 3 euros here!)
UPDATE: there's a legal download available (of the Z Records 12", with some of the CD-single mixes + acapella and bonus beats) here. Thanks Konstantin!
(and the whole CD single can be had for 3 euros here!)
UPDATE: there's a legal download available (of the Z Records 12", with some of the CD-single mixes + acapella and bonus beats) here. Thanks Konstantin!
2 commentaires:
Great job on the mix as always!!
Actually, download is available at
http://www.traxsource.com/index.php?act=show&fc=tpage&cr=titles&cv=5075
K.
Both mixes are just excellent! Both have a real timeless quality about them and I loved watching the seventies video, you cannot beat those co-ordinated disco body moves! Hand Clap! Step to the left!
Hand Clap! Step to the right! Yeah!
For the last couple of years I have really being getting into seventies and eighties French music, especially people like Jean Pierre Massiera and Bernard Fevre (Black Devil Disco Club) and while a lot of people here in the UK of course know acts like Daft Punk and more recently the whole Ed Banger label acts as well as newer acts like Kavinsky...most people are still unaware as to how much amazing music was coming out of France before then (and not just Plastic Bertrand!)....its strange given how close the UK and France are and yet French music is not that well known as a whole so I am really glad when blogs like yours educate me about artists like Los Clodettes!
Thanks so much for sharing and cool splice!
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