France is famed for producing innovative electronic music. From Marseilles’s aggressive industrial, Lyon’s rave revivalist rave music and Parisian kuduro on labels such as Sake Records – French artists are exploring harder and hookier forms than the gentle dance music that once eclipsed rock as hipster soundtrack.
Jean-Michel Jarre
Jean-Michel Jarre is one of the most acclaimed French artists of all time and one of the pioneers of electronic music since its birth. His albums have sold over 80 million records worldwide while his groundbreaking use of electronic instruments and visuals revolutionized concert performances. Furthermore, he has scored films as well as worked alongside David Bowie and Peter Gabriel among many others.
In 1976, Jarre’s groundbreaking album Oxygene shot to the top of worldwide charts and set a new standard for French music. This groundbreaking work relied heavily on melodies and harmonies intertwined with various sound effects as well as being the first recording ever to use a sequencer. Oxygene was followed up with Equinoxe and Magnetic Fields which showcased different styles of music; Zoolook mixed rock with electronica while Revolutions and Waiting for Cousteau featured steel drums. Eventually in the late 80s Jarre began experimenting with digital sampling techniques; also working alongside artists such as Peter Townshend and Moby.
Jarre’s work during the 1990s reflected both political and cultural trends of his time period, including the fall of Berlin Wall and proliferation of mobile phones. He continued releasing ambient, synthpop, new age albums as well as large scale outdoor concerts featuring spectacular laser light shows; these performances proved popular with rave scene enthusiasts; his concerts would often draw huge audiences.
Metamorphoses marked a return to Oxygene’s style, while Chronologie featured dance beats and more contemporary sounds. In 2004, AERO made history when it became the first full-length work ever composed using Dolby Digital 5.1 technology; featuring guest musicians Natacha Atlas and Laurie Anderson among many others.
IAM
IAM began as a group of kids from Marseille who listened to De La Soul and Tribe Called Quest; their music combined afrocentric beats with poetic flow; they could be considered French equivalent of Native Tongues or De La Soul. When their debut album Micro was released in 1994, it triggered a revolution in Paris; young producers like Surkin, Bobmo, Brodinski and Gesaffelstein all signed to Ed Banger records and have continued bringing new energy to the scene with their intense mixes ever since then.
Pierre Bachelet was another prolific French producer. Starting out as a light artist, he later gained recognition for his soundtrack work on films such as Emmanuelle and Coup de Tete in the ’70s – including creating something called “Light Harp”, an innovative instrument which mixes vocals with African rhythms for an exceptional soundscape.
While many French groups and artists followed in the footsteps of British bands like Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk, others quickly caught onto this movement and briefly adopted Synth-Pop as their genre of choice – including Taxi Girl formed in 1978 by singer Daniel Darc. The band only released one album before disbanding, yet their signature song – “Cherchez le Garcon” – became an immediate success. Another progressive French group is Alesia, comprised of drummer Jean-Paul Bourgeois and keyboardist Mirwais. Julien Pradeyrol, better known by his stage name Teki Latex, is a French DJ and producer known for pushing the boundaries of electronic music. His sound blends breakbeat electro, UK garage, and funky house genres into an infectious mix guaranteed to get any dance floor moving! With old and new tracks added regularly to his playlists, his mix is guaranteed to keep audiences dancing away into the night!
NTM
NTM was one of France’s most successful hip-hop outfits. Comprised of Joey Starr and Kool Shen, both children from Seine-Saint-Denis’ 93rd ward. Together they spent their childhood practising breakdancing moves on barren lots, attending house parties and listening to US boogie and French disco music which gave them their distinct aesthetic reminiscent of Travolta/Scarface style music – something popular with drug dealers but irksome to police due to songs that addressed violence issues.
However, the music itself was not violent: instead it made a political statement and exposed the hypocrisy of French establishment: censorship, racism and class inequality. Bobby Womack sampled Pose Ton Gun (Put Down Your Gun), an anthem for nonviolence.
MC Solaar was one of two black members of NTM while IAM and Xen were white; their multiracial mix proved crucial to French hip-hop’s development by showing that black rappers could succeed alongside white ones, especially given that these three groups all came from disadvantaged backgrounds compared to hip-hop at that time.
NTM remains highly influential on French club music today, having shaped numerous artists’ sound. But modern French club music draws influence from a wider variety of global sources; dubstep dominates, but also styles like kuduro from Angola and Portugal can be heard on any given dancefloor.
MC Solaar
As hip hop became trendy again during the 90s, French rapper MC Solaar rose to great success. His 1991 and 1994 albums Qui Seme Le Vent Recolte Le Tempo and Prose Combat both sold millions of copies, becoming classics within their respective genres. His style blends rap with rock and funk influences while using African musical samples – something many new artists would follow his lead and emulate later.
He remains a hugely popular musician in France, playing to packed crowds across the country. His latest record, Cinquieme As, pays homage to France’s Revolution of 1789 by portraying topless musicians on its cover referencing slave ships which feature prominently in his songs; its lyrics contain both sexuality and politics, with strong support of women’s rights from its lyrics.
MC Solaar has inspired the next generation of French rappers, such as Sexion d’Assaut and solo artist Youssoupha. Both groups are highly sought-after throughout Francophone Africa and have performed for audiences in Guinea Conakry and Congo-Kinshasa respectively. Unlike some American rap acts, their lyrics do not shy away from discussing politics and darker aspects of life; their polemical song Sale Pute (dirty whore) caused a political earthquake between conservative parties and freedom-of-speech supporters in France!
Paris-based duo Bazzerk has made waves as an impressive French producer. Signed to Ed Banger and known for blending rock, disco and dance sounds seamlessly together live shows; collaborations include Xeno & Oklander, Sebastien Tellier and Automelodi are just a few examples of their talent.
113
As hip hop became more widespread across Europe during the late ’90s, France became home to some exceptional rappers like NTM, Assassin, and 113. These young artists were initially heavily influenced by American boom bap but as they aged many began looking for ways to differentiate their sound from that of their peers.
“Track Cheul,” for instance, offered an impressive example. This track featured samples from a 1960 ethnographic album depicting Algerian sounds and voices captured during colonization; its inclusion was meant as a subtle nod back towards Algeria’s past while at the same time serving as an important reminder that colonization still left its imprint everywhere around them.
113 distinguished itself by embracing black music – an exciting change from their peers’ predominantly street aesthetic. This was most evident on their second album L’Antre de la Folie (In the Mouth of Madness).
As part of their collaboration for this record, 113 and TTC visited Berlin. While leaving Hard Wax shop, the French rappers met Gernot Bronsert from Modeselektor – German techno producers known for remixing Detroit and Chicago house music.
This was a turning point both for the band and for French electronic music as a whole, as their more experimental approach to club music helped pave the way for future French electronic music. James DeVoll of Minnesota is a flute player and writer specializing in music, culture, and politics who has published extensively in these areas as well as performing solo with orchestras and chamber ensembles; additionally he belongs to Strains (a contemporary chamber ensemble) as a member and also teaches at Gustavus Adolphus College and Minnesota State University Mankato respectively.