Alexandre Chatelard Top
When listening to Alexandre Chatelard for the first time, one is most touched by his voice: low and deep, with delicate rising intonations and whose warm tone perfectly blends into the heart of his melodies. This mastery of composition and the richness, real but discreet, of his instrumentations, convey a dreamy atmosphere to his texts, bringing to the listener’s mind uncertain and cloudy memories forgotten over the years. “I give priority to reminiscence and analogy,” says this 26 year old French musician. “I am not a storyteller. I work on the musicality of words and above all, I proceed by blots, colours or even drips.” Indeed, while many musicians use cinema as a metaphor when discussing their work, Alexandre prefers painting. “What I am looking for, modestly, is a form of neo-impressionism, something like Whistler or Turner. What bores me in our time is the lack of space given to imagination. I like the idea of creating boxes with my songs, in which one can project oneself. I don’t really like it when artists are too directing and hand you the keys to their universe. I prefer a certain musical eroticism to this sound pornography.”
With Alexandre, the art of reminiscence and chimera takes on varied shapes: romantic or light-hearted songs, bucolic ballads, wordplays or pop nursery rhymes. All combine teenage memories, an admitted innocence, a feel for stingy love, a tender melancholy as well as an often unexpected sense of humour, saving his work from too much sentimentality. Prolific (with over 150 songs in stock) and precocious (some of these pieces were created during his adolescence), he belongs to the breed of curious, solitary and ingenious artists, who, equipped with an improvised studio and a certain candour, create rich and personal universes, free from ephemeral trends. Trained in guitar and cello playing, he listens to hard rock as a teenager (the memory of Motorhead or Megadeth still haunting him to this day), and begins his career recording in his living room using two sound systems equipped with microphones, experimenting with a primitive form of multitracking. Later, he polishes his musical direction with the Ultimistes, a small band of friends, a type of “experimental collection of thoughts” leaving behind “many recording sessions based on performance.” Hence, as of the early 2000, Alexandre follows a new artistic path. Close to Damien – member of the Ultimistes – who quickly signs with Record Makers, he develops a mode of expression in tune with his culture and language and turns to “typically French elegance and dandyism.”
From now on, he finds inspiration in French tradition, but never falls into revival and obsession. The scathing irony or languid melancholy of Gainsbourg’s “Du jazz dans le ravin” or “Manon” lingers in some of his songs. Polnareff’s solar poetry sometimes illuminates his melodies. The carefreeness of the “young modern people” of the Parisian scene in the early 80s is found in some of his electro-pop nursery rhymes, evocative of Jacno and Grégory Czerkinski of the duo Mikado. As far as his contemporaries are concerned, Alexandre seems to share affinities with Sébastien Schuller’s dreamy harmonies or the original poetry of Sébastien Tellier (particularly his first and superb album, L’incroyable vérité).
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Yet, although Alexandre has numerous mentors, he has few things in common with current artists who juggle with references and enjoy plagiarizing such and such forgotten trend. What really inspires him are these unique personalities, inventive dandies with a strong impact on French music such as Gainsbourg, Polnareff, Jacno and even more so Boris Vian (“the greatest in terms of efficiency and precision, a guy who provoked without ever being vulgar”). Like them, he simply wishes to, one day, “compose a melody surpassing the confines of a nice production and pretty arrangements. A melody capable of remaining in people’s mind for a lifetime. This would then allow them to keep a part of me within themselves.”
Crunc Tesla Top
Mainly known as dj for Lex records rapper Tes, New-yorker dj Raedawn is also a producer and gifted emcee on his side project Crunc Tesla, for which he is appearing on the compilation The Unexpektheadz (EOS005). Grandson of an African American Baptist preacher born in Jim Crow Mississippi, Dj Raedawn got "the Callin" to rip stages since the age of 4. Besides being a seasoned DMC vet and mixtape maestro to many, he developed the Turntablist Transcription Methodology with his chums Ethan Imboden and Battlesounds' creator John Carluccio. This unique notation system for electronic/dj music has been developed into software, used in music courses around the world and has been featured by the likes of Time, CNN, Blackbook, XLR8R.... At Skratchcon 2000, Q-Bert knighted him with the Dj Q-bert SkratchMaster Award from the Global Skratch foundation. Far from a scratch nerd, Raedawn's assaulted stages and dancefloors from the legendary Apollo Theatre to the most dank techno til "10 in the morn" coke den party in Berlin. Under the name Crunc Tesla, he has collaborated with artists such as Tes, dDamage, Airborn Audio and Angelbert Metoyer. Having opened for a wide spectrum of artists, from Stereolab to Dizzee Rascal to the mythical Red Alert, Raedawn's performances have defied genre and moved generations of audiences. The 26 year old ATLien has been hiding out in Brooklyn for the past five years. Crunc Tesla's Welcome to the Circus E.P is due on Ekler'o'shock in november 05. It feats a dope remix by french hoptronica duo dDamage, and guest appearances by Maggie Horn, Boxcar & Optimus, and Meczilla. Note also that Crunc Tesla is signed in the US to Kid 606's Tigerbeat imprint......
Danger Top
The Danger phenomenon can’t be missed: over a million plays on myspace, a vinyl sold out in 3 weeks and chosen as Itunes USA single of the week, over 15,000 tracks digitally sold, a hundred amazing live shows in Paris, New York or even Tokyo, as well as many catchy remixes including Estelle featuring Kanye West, Sébastien Tellier, Midnight Juggernauts and Empire Of The Sun.
Two years ago, Danger aka Franck Rivoire, was merely a young and unknown producer. Thanks to his first EP, 09/14/2007, he quickly became a key figure of the new French electro scene. So why stop there?
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A year and a half after the release of his first EP, he returns with a new one. True to his initial concept (all his tracks are defined by hours, which are, according to him, as evocative as feelings) and flavored by varied emotions, this new EP embodies the best of Danger’s productions – dynamism, surprising structures, sought textures – and displays a wider sound palette. His personal artwork is omnipresent throughout his work, just as his videos are interlocked to his productions. More than mere music, Danger, who was strongly influenced by videogames as a teenager, creates a full-fledged universe where these elements interact and complement each other.
What’s next? A third EP and an album out this year! Rest assured, the best is yet to come.
Data Top
DATA. Take a few catchy pop hooks, infuse with a disco vibe, a smattering of synthetic/funk tempos and some sweeping, movie melodies, spice it up with a little club music to fill the dancefloor and you’ve got Data’s first out and out sound surfer album. This young French producer, just 23 years old, has mixed styles and influences to produce Skywriter - a modern, digital version of the golden age of groove, pop and dancefloor, lying somewhere between the disco revolution at the late Seventies and the resolutely FM style of the Eighties.
Génération 2010
A fan of hip hop as a teenager, this pure product of the Myspace generation and the Internet buzz got up to speed just three years ago by riding the second “French touch” wave. However, Data offers something else, something that sets him apart from the walk-on starlets who emerged in the wake of the Daft Punk revolution. Like the British singer-songwriter Calvin Harris, his closest musical relative, Guillon injects a healthy dose of disco funk into this futuristic, next-generation pop, reminding us more of Chic’s groove, the classiness of Shalamar and the dance-inspired sound of Quincy Jones, than current energetic techno hits with their take-no-prisoners sound.
In this regard, Skywriter, despite its deliberately low key production values compared with the bells-and-whistles wizardry of thirty years ago, has a strong orchestral vein, marrying vocal tones, choral and piano effects, hints of disco bass and funk guitar, keyboard harmonies and touches of rock, which in short is very far from the electro wave that first brought this artist to the recording shores.
This new pop family includes all of major current Anglophone producers, to which Data gives a respectful and modest nod. Whatever you think of the Timbaland/Timberlake tandem, Stuart Price and the Rythmes Digitales or the Outkast duo, this group of talented artists have all succeeded in their own way in reconciling seductive pop melodies, the modernity of the digital era and a few choice stylistic devices from the Seventies and Eighties.
Space soundtracks
However, compared with the American stars who dominate the MTV generation, Data is one of a kind, with a personality all of his own. Skywriter has a dreamy, synthetic quality that’s pretty scarce currency in the classic world of pop. Like a lot of other artists of his (young) generation, Data has a veritable fascination for mellow arpeggios, a curiously naive aesthetic and the futuristic utopia of what’s been calledspace disco, and the electronic spirals of a select band of musicians like Vangelis, without forgetting the unfettered romanticism of great movie soundtrack composers such as Vladimir Cosma. Lastly, other producers, having succeeded, like Giorgio Moroder and Ryuichi Sakamoto, in combining electro roots with pop charm and orchestral compositions during their careers, have naturally found their way into Guillon’s personal pantheon and appear to have had a direct impact on the writing of this album.
Variations pop
Skywriter, with its undeniable movie mojo, should obviously be listened to in one go. Written like any self-respecting pop film, the album alternates opening and closing tracks, moments of stress and ecstasy, dance scenes, moments of charm and end credits. Verdict, Renaissance Theme and Blood Theme, his most filmic tracks, resemble in many ways Moroder’s Scarface (Ah, Michelle Pfeiffer in the famous club scene!), Pacino inCarlito’s Way or the harmonious jiggery of François de Roubaix and the incredible melodies he composed for Gabin and Ventura.
In terms of pop, the head tones of Sébastien Grainger, formerly a singer with the rock band, Death From Above 1969, feature on two FM- and Eighties-inspired tracks, One In A Million and Rapture, both released as singles. With his velveteen voice and love of black music, French singer Benjamin Diamond is present on two tracks, the tender, funky So much in love (starring another young French artist, Breakbot, on vocodeur) and Skywriter, with its hit qualities, from which the album derives its title.
As far as energy goes, Nightmare, a dancefloor peak-time track, suits its name and promises to bring the circulation running back to even the most frigid of legs. The more epic Aerius Light, marries current energetic electro trends with the album’s space inspiration, while Morphosis is a mischievous nod at power pop and stage rock.
Lastly, slap in the middle of this album, packed into 46 minutes head to toe, is the instrumental Electric Fever, an exercise in pure disco groove.
Skywriter Alive
This highly personal mix of vintage melodies, electro tempos and disco funk devices finds a natural place in the numerous DJ sets that David performs around the world. And now Guillon is bringing his promising Skywriter fusion to the stage. Buzzing with a more club/dancefloor energy, he’ll be performing live from June 2009 onwards on a tour that takes in a fistful of European festivals. Staged by the Exyzt team, Data and his magic machines are set to give an explosive performance, backed by screen trickery and powerful light diodes that more than do justice to the most spirited tracks on this debut album.
Lastly, for anyone who’d like to know a little more about Guillon, his impish tendencies, humour and irresistible “loud mouth” side, take a look at Konbini.com web TV, which has devoted ten episodes to him in its new video series, Support Me, shadowing him on his many tour dates from Japan to Berlin, including studio sessions. The result is frankly bigger than life!
Hours of Worship Top
As you may know, Ekler’o’shock signed a brand new duo from Brooklyn, Hours Of Worship . This is what 20 Jazz Funk Great said about them : "This kids Hours of Worship infiltrate the catacombs of a secret society of name unknown and unpronounceable, (...) they stumble upon masqueraded figures dancing to some vicious hybrid of filtered euro-techno clamours and spaced out bleeping, this inspires them to make some musics which when unleashed upon the world create fiery backlash from Christians frothing about how mixing Goblin and Green Velvet is sinful, scenes of gnarly Blade-style disco bloodshed ensue and everyone is purified." Get ready, their first EP, Into the grass, will be out in 2009 !
Leonard de Leonard Top
Long-time activist on the french electronic scene, Léonard de Léonard is back after two critically-acclaimed albums (« Leonizer Fever » and « 2 »), successful collabs (his duo with Maxx aka McUhOh from The Goats was a rated as one of 2006’ best french live acts), and a departure to Berlin.
Part of the Ekler’o’shock roster, Léo is a talented producer whose influences vary from classic techno and old school hip hop to all the modern forms of digital grooves & ghetto musics.
Now back with an EP dedicated to the dancefloors, in the form of a tribute to horror cult movies, Léo asked his new Berlin friends Chris de Luca (ex. Funkstorung), Phon.O (Shitkatapult), and Paris rising kids Donovan to remix his single.
The result is here, catchy as a scream, hot as hell !
Sacha di Manolo Top
Composer, arranger, dj, producer... Sacha Di Manolo (Sacha Sieff in the real life) is not what people call a newbie. Borned in an artists family (his dad was a photographer, as his sister Sonia nowadays) he took an avid interest in music since his childhood. After practising the piano for a few years, he discovered, as he was growing up, hip hop and electronic music.
Thanks to him, his friend Matthieu Gazier (founder of Ekler’o’shock records) discovered labels as Mo Wax and Ninja Tune, Luke Vibert and even more inevitable records. His passion have been contagious. Today, it’s Matthieu’s turn to release the 7’ of his old friend.
During ten years, Sacha have been working for others : Original soundtracks for some movies, artistic work on the next Karen Mulder’s album, soundtrack for the Hermes fashion show with Margiela (2003), covers of Bowie and the Rolling Stones for Beatrice Ardisson ‘s compilations… But now, it’s his turn to be under the spotlights !
Terry Poison Top
Petite Meller, Louise Kahn and Gili Saar are Terry Poison. And Terry Poison are your musical salvation darlings. Just like the original pop star himself, they come from the Holy Land, have killer charisma and are gonna take you down.
Louise, lead vox, plays keyboards and guitars and co-writes the trax with original Pimp, Mr. Bruno Grife. A talented songwriter and a ballsy performer in the truest sense of the word, Post-Millennial-Chameleon Diva
imp, Mr. Bruno Grife. A talented songwriter and a ballsy performer in the truest sense of the word, Post-Millennial-Chameleon Diva - Ms. Louise, is also in charge of the kinky TP visual - on stage and off. Being unstable and bitchy is all part of her mystique.
Petite, a philosophy major trapped in Lolita's body, plays keyboards and sings (preferably in the international language du l'amour). She's admittedly a potential home wrecker and a part time model and no, she doesn't want your candy.
Gili is an accomplished model and actress whose work has been featured in the Jerusalem Film Festival. She plays the bass and keyboards and supplies backing vox. She may look interested, but she's not.
And finally - as they say, behind every great woman there's some man looking up her skirt. Our man in question is beat-master, in-the-shadows-compu-wiz-kid Bruno Grife, in charge of our fabulous sound.
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As the true love child of samplers and guitar riffs, apocalyptic beats and angelic voices, ear candy and eye candy, Terry Poison are the most up to date soundtrack for your mad existence. The Tarrantino of pop. Stefani on Acid. What the world needs now.
Highly provocative, sweaty and delicious, their music and live shows have been described as the mysterious offspring of some wild and druggy orgy, American sleaze and European finesse. Grife has been shamelessly pimpin' the ladies around this part of the global village for the past year, getting them ready for world domination. Terry Poison have performed with dj's and bands such as Tiefschwarz, Mike Cruze, DJ MIRA from LADYTRON, ELECTROCUTE (Berlin) JO JO DE FREQ (Nag Nag Nag), GONZALES (Kitty-Yo), OMD (UK), MOKY and DJ GUY GERBER (Bedrock) and have appeared in various Television events such as the Elite models contest and several other entertainment shows you've never heard of.