A really joyous groove from Michel Fugain and his Big Bazar group – a sound that's a bit hard to describe, but which really grabs us right away! There's definitely some groovy rhythms going on in the set – and the style is kind of an updated French pop mode from the late 60s – swinging in a way that absorbs plenty of influences from the outside scenes, particularly some Brazilian ones – but with a sound that's definitely French all the way through. Fugain's vocals are in the lead, often supported by a chorus – and the backings by Jean Bouchety have this really cool soundtrack feel at points – especially when the rhythms are upbeat and grooving. Titles include "Allez Bouge-Toi", "Attention Mesdames Et Messieurs", "Notre Societe", "Les Gens Irremplacables", "Leda Leda", and "L'Arche De Noe". (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

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A seminal session from 70s French synth maestro Jean-Michel Jarre – a great bit of electronics that was almost France's answer to Kraftwerk at the time! Jarre's style is a bit warmer and more focused on the melody – and the range of keyboards and synthesizers used create a rich tapestry of sound that almost has a soundtrack-y feel at the best moments. 7-inch, Vinyl record

A Japanese-only collection of work by one of our favorite French singers! Titles include "Computer's Dream", "Ca N'Arrive Qu'Aux Autres", "Tout Tout Pour Ma Cherie", "Ame Caline", "La Pupee Qui Fait Non", "L'Amour Avec Toi", "Love Me Please Love Me", and "Tous Les Bateaux Tous Les Oiseux". (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite mixing of modes from the old school – a tremendous second album from the legendary Aksak Maboul! The record mixes arty playfulness with some rootsier elements – bits of Eastern instrumentation, jazz, improvisation, and even some post-punk elements – all in a way that makes for one of the most creative recordings of its time – a set that easily provides key inspiration for more recent genre-crossing acts like this! There's a bit of Y or Ze Records whimsy at times – but the end result is much deeper, and much more compelling– as you'd expect from a group that features Fred Frith on guitar, Chris Cutler on drums, Marc Hollander and Michel Berkmans on reeds, and Denis Van Hecke on a range of cool cellos! Each tune has a slightly different flavor, but there's still a really unified feel to the record too – one of those European projects that comes together like nothing you'd hear from the US. Titles include "Geistige Nacht", "A Modern Lesson", "Palmiers En Pots", "Inoculating Rabies", "Cinema", and "Bosses De Crosses". CD

Brigitte Bardot's best known on these shores as an actress, but during the 60s she cut some really fantastic work on the scene in Paris – including a fair bit of groovers that were done with help from the legendary Serge Gainsbourg! Bardot provided a fantastic new voice in the world of pop music – a singer who was unabashedly open about her desires, and very different than the more melancholy stars of a few years before – a quality that's further emphasized by the wonderfully groovy instrumentation used on most of these tracks! Production and arrangements are superb – and put this music in the best territory of the grooviest 60s French pop by artists like Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, Jacques Dutronc, and a rare few others. This is the first-ever English-annotated collection of work from the period – and features a whopping 25 tracks from her recordings for Philips and Disc AZ – titles that include "Harley Davidson", "Contact", "Neu Au Soleil", "Je Danse Donc Je Suis", "La Madrague", "Les Hommes Endormis", "Je Voudrais Perdre La Memoire", "Mr Sun", "Le Diable Est Anglais", "Tu Es Venu Mon Amour", "John Et Michel", "Gang Gang", and duets with Serge Gainsbourg on "Bonnie & Clyde" and "Je T'Aime Moi Non Plus". (French, Rock) CD

Great work from this cool Dutch group – a quratet with lots of piano and organ from bassist Robert Verwey, lead guitar and "mouthorgan" from Ron Meyjes, percussion from Frans Smit, and vocals and flute from Michel Van Dijk! The set's after Jan Akkerman left the group, but they still have a pretty striking progressive sound. LP, Vinyl record album

A totally cool record from the French scene at the start of the 70s – a set that has breathy vocals from female singer Frantz, very much in a Jane Birkin mode – and these ultra-cool backings from Eric Demarsan – best known for soundtrack work, but coming across here in a stunning mix of instrumentation with funky currents – very much in the territory of Michel Colombier and Jean-Claude Vannier! (French, Rock) LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet electro classic from Telex – one of those records that had the Euro trio years ahead of their time, and working with a sound that went onto influence a fair bit of American club, dance, and hip hop in the decade to come! The record is awash in all sorts of great electronics – maybe no surprise, given that the trio features earlier experimenters Marc Moulin and Dan Lacksman, both of whom work with Michel Moers to come up with a cool and groovy style that mixes keyboards, beats, and really playful lyrics – some of which are run through vocoders to really sound great! Titles include "Lakele", "Dance To The Music", "Euro Vision", "Realite", "Cliche", "Tour De France", "My Time", and "A/B". LP, Vinyl record album

One of their best, recorded for 4AD with John Fryer production – with titles that include "Medusa", "Michelle", "After The Call", "Lorrentine", "Back Doore", and "Agonised By Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy gals from 60s France – a power-packed array of Parisian pop nuggets that goes way beyond most other compilations of this nature! Some of the big names are here, but there's way more obscure numbers too – the cool kind of French femmes that made a bit splash during the "yeh yeh" generation, with a mix of the rough and the sweet that few other girl singers could ever hope to touch! There's a really special mod sort of energy here – vocals that push out strongly, yet never succumb to emotional cliches of American and British singers – and backings that are always tight and groovy, but in a jaunty, jerky way that's quite different than straight ahead rock. The mix of modes is completely sublime – just the sort of music that still really sends us after all these years – and titles include "J'Ai Des Problemes Decidement" by Violaine, "Hymne Au Soleil" by Pussy Cat, "Attends Ou Va-T'En" by France Gall, "Tomorrow Is Another Day" by Gillian Hills, "Bravo" by Jacqueline Taieb, "Pas De Taxi" by Annie Philippe, "La Fermeture Eclair" by Delphine, "Les Paillons Noirs" by Michele Arnaud, "Comme Tu Es Jeune" by Liz Brady, "Sous Le Soleil Exactement" by Anna Karina, and "Ecoutez" by Elsa. (French, Rock) CD