| "Space Oddities" A compilation of rare European library grooves from 1975-1984. Put together by Alexis Le-Tan and Jess, two obsessive French DJ’s, crate diggers and collectors; it is the fruit of many years of research, time, luck, passion and love. Library music, mood music, source music or the French term musique d’illustration sonore, was produced from the early 50s by know and unknown composers and talented session musicians. These records were never commercially available; you had to subscribe to the labels in order to get them. Used mainly in films, TV series or commercials they covered every genres, types of songs, atmospheres, and sound effects. Producers, beat dealers and discerning DJs have been hunting down these records for many years and using them as secret weapons.
Alexis Le-Tan (music journalist and member of the Tigersushi Bass System) and Jess (formerly from the famed French house duo Jess & Crabbe and now drummer for punk band 10lec6) met in 2001 through a mutual love of no-wave and leftfield disco. In 2003 Jess came upon a big collection of Library music, which he bought for next to nothing. Whilst he was spending much time ciphering through it and finding the interesting bits, Alexis was digging in all things Cosmic, where along the way, he also started to pick up many bits and pieces from unheard of Library record labels. Inspired by Anti N.Y., Teutonik Disaster, NY noise, Disco not Disco compilations on labels like Gomma, Soul Jazz and Strut and with the current explosion of the nu-disco-balearic-cosmic scene, the pair thought it would be appropriate to put together a collection of spacey, cosmic, funky and freaky disco focused tracks from their library discoveries, and reveal their best kept secrets to a wider audience.
Unlike many of these unlicensed/illegal bootlegs and edit records that have been sprouting out from everywhere in the last few years, they took the time and effort to hunt down all the composers or label owners who had the rights for the tracks, in order to license them properly and give credit where it is due. This was not an easy task as you can imagine but it was rewarding and worth the hunt as they hope to be doing more of this in the future.
The artwork was done by close friends Check Morris and is a contemporary take on what an old Library record could have looked like today. They even went so far as to include a little description, as it was done back in the days, of each track. A booklet will be included in the CD, which contains original illustrations and extensive sleeve notes and for the vinyl lovers there will be a mini LP with the most dancefloor orientated cuts.
Tracklisting:
1- Roland Bocquet « Exotique »:
The night is falling by the shore. Waves are crashing against the sand whilst a haunting synth melody driven by a slow and repetitive tropical beat gives a taste of things to come.
2- Jean-Pierre Decerf & Gerard Zajd « Reaching The Infinite »:
A rave anthem created ten years before it’s time, like a meeting between Carl Craig and Ennio Morricone. Vintage organs and their rhythm boxes move along to the sound of incessant synthesizers and infra-bass lines.
3- Alan Shearer « Sons Of The Snake »:
Chinese new-wave reminiscent of YMO, but made in France ! Up tempo electronic beats, digital pianos and synth stabs make this a winner for the dancefloor.
4- Yann Tregger « Muscle and Heat »:
Strong clapping disco beat and heavy bass lines mixed with clavinets and lush strings. All the ingredients for a sleazy encounter under the mirrored ball.
5- Claude Perraudin « Energy »:
Hybrid psychedelic disco-funk stomper. An enormous filthy Moog bassline, fuzzy guitar riffs and a slow groovy beat.
6- Phillippe Besbombes « Flipper »:
This instrumental track could’ve been stolen from a lost Sly and Robbie take from a Nassau session with Grace Jones. This tripped out electronic reggae jam was actually recorded by a french prog rock legend.
7- Yan Tregger « Girls Will Be Girls »:
Besides being a great jerk, disco, psych and porn soundtrack producer, Yan Tregger never imagined he would also have a big influence on deep house. Here we have a strictly instrumental take on the genre with an erotic mood.
8- Thierry Durbet + Harry Williams Verschu «Systeme 80 »:
Classy disco funk track, with a straight handclap rhythm driven by predominant bass and brass stabs. The kind of track all the dealers would start moving to at a NYC block party circa 1976.
9- S. Olivier Nakara Percussions «Balimba»:
Ethno-african percussion track. A meditative and contemplative mood up until the break half way through where the rhythm picks up in speed. The religious incantations are great for a little meditative pause.
10- Jean-Pierre Decerf,Gerard Zajd&Tony Cerrona « Black Safari »:
Growling animals lost in the jungle, repetitive progressive beats, hypnotic synthesizers and a psychedelic guitar riff give this track a particularly out of this world feel. Very high emotional content, which will take any listener to another level of consciousness.
11- Klaus Weiss « Sound Inventions »:
Fast beats played by the cult german drummer, a greasy arppegiated bass, digital string pads and cosmic synth sequences. An improvised take on Moroder’s electronic disco.
12- Sauveur Mallia « Stone Roller »:
Up tempo space disco track. No one knows if this was first featured on the Telemusic library or on the Arpadys lp. Another underground classic from the Voyage team, recently booted but to good to be missed.
13- F.McDonald + C.Rae « Robot Dancer »:
Epic space odyssey. An italo and disco rock crossover with many synthetic sounds and great melodies. Watch the dancefloor fill as you drop this one.
14- Brian Bennett « Cloning »:
Evolutive and glorious space disco number with a great progression, starting off with a scarce beat-free arrangement before the drums eventually kick in and get the party going.
15- Roger Roger « N°15 »:
Atmospherical and experimental noises from one of the most prolific and creative library music composers. Electro beats groovy bass and watery noises lost in various sound effects.
16- Bernard Fevre « Dali»:
Pre-detroit techno tune. Emotive, light and nostalgic melodies by the Black Devil, taken from his most sought after album.
17- J.L. Bucchi/R.Tambin-T.Lipton « Ozone »:
Heavy 80s electro beat, warm analogue bass and melancholic guitar riffs with a balearic feel. Not dissimilar to certain tracks Jan Hammer wrote for Miami Vice.
18- Sauveur Mallia « Robot Avenue »:
Samba disco track with very spacey and atmospheric synthesizer melodies. A slow esoteric cruise in the land of the robots.
19- A. Kalma « Danse Sœur »:
A latin drum machine pattern, throbbing synth sounds lost in echoes all driven by a freaky saxophone melody. A beautiful dreamy tripped-out landscape to finish things of smoothly.
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