Country : France Label : Replica Genres and styles : Electronic / Prog Rock / Synthwave Year : 2022

Joël Fajerman & Jan Yrssen – Racines synthétiques

· by Rupert Bottenberg

Italy gets all the attention for its efforts in the late ’70s, refining the initial synth explorations of German krautrock with injections of emotional warmth and pop appeal. Concurrent to the volcanic eruption of Italo-disco, however, were some very worthy sounds from their hexagonal next-door neighbours. Jean-Michel Jarre, a superstar at the time, is the most obvious example, but his French contemporaries were numerous, if not sufficiently noted by the world at large. French label Replica, the archaeological wing of La Face Cachée, is today taking steps to rectify that.

Joël Fajerman was a producer of advertising jingles and game-show themes, and a noted apostle of the Prophet 5 synth. Of his pal Yrssen, less is known, other than that the duo was concurrently both part of the disco band Contact, and that they followed this 1978 release with a second album, Painted Desert, in 1980. Their Racines synthétiques could act as a primer of the period in synthesizer music. “Mecanironic” is no less than a hotel-lounge pastiche of the aforementioned Monsieur Jarre. In the spirit of Wendy Carlos and her Switched-On classical works, there’s the brief “Menuet pour un synthétiseur”. There are the expected episodes of pulsating cosmic awe, with such self-evident titles as “Astéroide” and “Firmament”, and pieces like “Plaine”, which would not be out of place in a softcore Euro-porn of the time, the kind with lots of splendid on-location scenery. On an indirectly related note, some of this material was recycled just a couple of years later for the botanical documentary TV series l’Aventure des Plantes. While certainly not a milestone of the movement, Racines synthétiques has enough charm and character to twinkle in the firmament of French electronic music.

Latest 360 Content

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Transforming Hiroshima mon amour into contemporary opera: Christian Lapointe and Rosa Lind tell the story

Sparks – MAD!

Sparks – MAD!

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

“Hiroshima, mon amour”: An Evening to Remember

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Peter Murphy – Silver Shade

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Ken Pomeroy – Cruel World

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Art of the Line: Klangkarussell’s Euro Vision at SAT

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Festival des Saveurs | Closing With Reggae

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Centroamérica – a powerful docu-play about truth and connection in an age of distance and denial

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Lido Pimienta – La Belleza

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

Tamir Barzilay – Phosphene Journal

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

The best ‘’Candlelight concert‘’ ever.

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

Men I Trust – Equus Caballus

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

The Halluci Nation – Path of the Baby Face

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

A lap steel guitar choir and an angel to end the Innovations en concert 24-25 season

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

The OSM and Abel Selaocoe: Evenings When You’d Like to Stop Time

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Reaching for the sky: Francis Choinière’s challenge to end his OPCM’s 10th season

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Piknic 3: A Little Bit of Everything Under the Sun

Cazzu – Latinaje

Cazzu – Latinaje

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

Stereolab – Instant Holograms On Metal Film

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

SMCQ | In memoriam Jocelyn Morlock

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Abbey Road at Festival Classica

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Mira Choquette – Hier encore

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Jared Dunn; Anna Gorecka – Gorecki’s World of the Piano

Subscribe to our newsletter