Wednesday, April 01, 2020

New Music: Serge Gainsbourg, Kassa Overall, The Heliocentrics

Serge Gainsbourg - En Studio Avec Serge Gainsbourg (3CD set)

A treasure trove of rare work from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg – studio outtakes, alternate versions, and lots of other material that stands as a great addition to the catalog of one of the coolest, grooviest French language singers ever! This 3CD set is overflowing with gems – and CD1 brings together rare tracks by Serge himself – some from 45 or LP projects, but presented here in different modes that stand as a wonderful complement to some of the versions you might know – almost like a "part 2" or extended take in some cases. Titles include "Black Trombone (avec intro)", "L'Homme A Tete De Chou (instrumental)", "Sea Sex & Sun (extrait des prises voix", "Chez Les Yeye (prise complete)", "L'Eau A La Bouche (avec intro)", "69 Annee Erotique (instrumental)", and two very long tracks – "Melody (prise complete)" and "Lola Roastaquoouere (instrumental)". CD2 features various interpretations of Serge's songs – many of which were produced by Serge himself, and a few of which even feature vocals by Gainsbourg! The music spans the space of his early Latin and jazzy work, through his slinky sexy 60s and 70s years, to his final burst of great music in the early 80s. Titles include "J'Ai Deja Donne" by Jacques Dutronc, "Les P'Tits Papiers" by Regine, "Les Papillons Noirs" by Michele Arnaud, "Mambo Miam Miam" by Los Goragueros, "Le Sixieme Sens" by Juliette Greco, "L'Oiseau De Paradis" by Zizi Jeanmarie, "Les Petits Boudins" by Dominique Walter, "Le Mal Interieur" by Isabelle Adjani, "Plus Dous Avec Moi" by Charlotte Gainsbourg, and "Le Drapeau Noir" by Mirelle Darc. CD3 features great music that Serge Gainsbourg did for a variety of cinematic projects – music that's every bit as groovy as his own vocal tunes, and which often appear here in instrumental takes that let you focus even more strongly on his great sense of a funky bit and a groove! Titles include "Milena (instrumental)", "L'Eau A La Bouche (avec intro)", "Requiem Pour Un Con (instrumental)", "First Class Ticket (prise alternative)", "Les Chemins De Katmandou (generique)", "Le Village A L'Aube", "Discophoteque (rough mix)", and "Le Physique Et La Figure (version complete)", plus Anna Karina singing "Roller Girl". ~ Dusty Groove

Kassa Overall - I Think I'm Good

We really loved Kassa Overall's debut, but we're completely blown away with this full length set – as the record's got a visionary sound that's completely his own – a really new mix of jazz, soul, and funk that's bound to make Kassa one of the most important talents in years to come! Overall sings and plays drums – the latter of which are used in very open, creative ways – amidst a keyboard-heavy set of instrumentation that also includes work from Sullivan Fortner on piano, Brandee Younger on harp, Aaron Parks on keyboards, Vijay Iyer on Fender Rhodes, Joel Ross on vibes, and Theo Croker on flugelhorn! Kassa finds a way to bring in these guests, and others – but always at a level that never changes the core style too much – so that it's always clear we're always in very personal territory, with a style that's poetic one minute, funky the next, and always extremely beautiful. Titles include "Please Don't Kill Me", "Visible Walls", "Was She Happy", "Sleeping On The Train", "Landline", "Darkness In Mind", and "The Best Of Life". ~ Dusty Groove

The Heliocentrics - Infinity Of Now

A fantastic mix of heady sounds and heavy funk from The Heliocentrics – and a record that continues the vibe of their previous set – in which the team of Malcolm Catto and Jake Ferguson were joined by the lovely vocals of Barbora Patkova! Patkova's presence is just what the group needs to really ground their sound – a female singer up front, but one who's as equally comfortable with distortion, fuzz, and echoey spaces as the two instrumentalists – a trio who continue that unique tradition of psychedelic funk that we first loved in Catto's early work on Mo Wax! Titles include "99% Revolution", "Hanging By A Thread", "Nonsense (part 1)", "Light In The Dark", "People Wake Up", "Burning Wooden Ship", and "Elephant Walk". ~ Dusty Groove


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