France dancing on Ivory Coast's beats

Some of the biggest hits in France last years were coming from its ex-colony, Ivory Coast. An important community from Ivory Coast is living in France and those bands are singing in French so the spread of their music in France has been easy. There have also been some collaborations between artists from both countries, with for example featuring of 113, Jerry James, remixes of Bob Sinclair...

Magic System - 1er Gaou (1999). It's zouglou music.

The coupé-décalé, a new kind of music and dance created in 2003, during the Ivorian Civil War in the African clubs of Paris. Coupé means drunk, décalé means gone

Douk Saga - Sagacité - Decalé Coupé


An other nice coupé-décalé hit


The hit of summer 2008, Zouglou dance by Magic System

There are also some very popular Ivory Coast's reggae singers, especially Tiken Jah Fakoly and Alpha Blondy but there is enough to say for their own post.

Links: coupé-décalé on wikipedia, myspace of magic system

The Fourth Volume of Discovering French Music Uploaded

DL

In this Volume 4 of the Discovering French Music series, there are a classic Christmas Lullaby sung by the superstar of the 30's Toni Rossi (300 millions of Cds sold), two classic among classics of chanson (Ne Me Quittes Pas by Brel and the most famous Resistance song of the WWII), some great songs of the rock wave of the 80's with Mano Negra (first band of Manu Chao), Rita Mitsouko, and Trust and some more recent bands (Louise Attaque, M). There are also two jazz songs, one by the pianist Michel Petrucciani (who played with Wayne Shorter and Dizzie Gillepsie) and an other by the young trumpeter Erik Truffaz. You will also find a pretty and dirty 60's hit song of the master of French pop, Serge Gainsbourg and a hit of the "French Madonna", Mylene Farmer. To finish, some hip-hop, reggae and electronic music with Le Peuple de l'Herbe, Oxmo Puccino, MC Solaar and Massilia Sound System.

Cover: Charles Trenet

1. Trust – Antisocial (Répression, 1980)
2. Germaine Sablon – Le Chant des Partisans (Joseph Kessel, Maurice Druon, Anna Marly, written in 1943)
3. Oxmo Puccino – Conte de Fée (Lipopette Bar, 2006)
4. Le Peuple de l’Herbe – Herbman Skank (Triple Zéro, 2000)
5. Louise Attaque – J’T'emmène Au Vent (Louise Attaque, 1997)
6. Mano Negra – King of Bongo (King of Bongo, 1991)
7. Rita Mitsouko – Marcia Baila (Rita Mitsouko ,1985)
8. Michel Petrucciani – Miles Davis Licks (Playground , 1991)
9. Jacques Brel – Ne Me Quittes Pas (La valse à mille temps, 1959)
10. M – Onde Sensuelle (Je dis Aime, 1999)
11. Tino Rossi – Petit papa Noël (1946)
12. Mylène farmer – Sans Contrefaçon (Laurent Boutonnat, Ainsi soit je…,. 1987)
13. Erik Truffaz – Seven Skies (The Walk of the Giant Turtle, 2003)
14. France Gall – Les Sucettes (Serge Gainsbourg & Alain Goraguer, 1966)
15. Massilia Sound System – Y’A Des Fois (3968 CR 13, 2000)
16. MC Solaar – Gangster Moderne (Paradisiaque, 1997)
17. Serge Gainsbourg - Chez Les Ye-Ye (Gainsbourg Confidentiel, 1963)
18. Georges Brassens - La Premiere Fille (1954)
19. Maurice Chevalier - Paris je t'aime d'amour (1932)

Discovering French Music 4 from boebis on 8tracks Radio.

Spleen In My Heart

(Spleen by Pirlouiiit)

A new and promising name in French music: Spleen. Strange name? It comes from the French word which means a state of pensive sadness (popularized by the poet Charles Baudelaire), not from the organ.

His music is a fantastic blend, with pieces of Funk, human beatboxing, rock, pop and chanson. His LP Comme Un Enfant (Like A Child) has been released last month. He has already seduced the hypest artists: Coco Rosie, Devendra Banhart, Antony & the Johnsons, Tv on the Radio, Yael Naïm, Kezia Johnes...Who's next?

Spleen - "Tu l'aimeras"

Links: Myspace

This Pussycat smells France

Thanks to the great blog Cansei de ser me, an unexpected sample of French music. When RnB-pop is made of chanson-pop raw material.

The Pussycat Dolls, Whatcha Think About That (from Doll Domination 2008)



Mickey 3D and Jane Birkin, Je m'appelle Jane, (from Rendez Vous, 2004).

The Black Queen of French Music

The most famous female voice after Edith Piaf, Barbara became famous in the early 60's and since is recognized as one of the best singers and songwriters with dark, autobiographical and poetic songs. Here are three of her most beautiful songs, with English subtitles as usual.

Dis Quand Reviendras-Tu? A song mixing love and threat message.

Gottingen about this German city


Nantes about the day she heard about her father's death.

Links: wikipedia article, lives of L'Aigle Noir, Ma Plus Belle Histoire d'Amour, Le Bel Age.

Discovering French Music Volume 3

DL

The third volume of the Discovering French Music series, has a wide diversity of styles. Rock is well represented, with a cover of the rock'n'roll hymn Be Bop A Lula by Les Chaussettes Noires, some prog rock with Gong (not a 100% French band), and a funny new wave hit single by Indochine.

There are also two metal bands, Lofofora and the world famous Gojira. If it's too violent for you, you can rather listen to the lullaby of Henri Salvador or a 1866's song recorded by the father of chanson Charles Trenet. There are also some pop-chanson (Variété) with hits of Antoine, Françoise Hardy and Juliette Gréco. To finish, some danceable songs, with the 70's electronic music of Jean Michel Jarre, Katerine and the ragga-dancehall song of guadeloupean (Antilles) Admiral T.

Enjoy!

Cover: Edith Piaf

1. Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygene (Part IV) (1976)
2. Philippe Katerine – Louxor J’adore (Robots après tout , 2005)
3. Juliette Gréco – Déshabillez-Moi (Robert Nyel, Gaby Verlor, La femme, 1967)
4. Françoise Hardy – Message personnel (Message Personnel, Michel Berger, 1973)
5. Henri Salvador – Une chanson douce (le loup, la biche et le chevalier) (Chante ses deniers succès, 1955)
6. Les Chaussettes Noires – Be Bop A Lula (Gene Vincent 1955, 1961)
7. Lofofora – No facho (Lofofora, 1994)
8. Admiral T – Gwadada (2002)
9. Indochine – L’aventurier (L’aventurier, 1982)
10. Brigitte Fontaine - Les Filles D'aujourd'hui (1984)
11. Charles Trenet – Le Temps Des Cerises (Antoine Renard,Jean-Baptiste Clément, 1866/1942)
12. Alain Souchon – Foule Sentimental (C'est déjà ça, 1994)
13. Antoine – Les Élucubrations (Les élucubrations d'Antoine, 1966)
14. Gojira – Ocean Planet (From Mars to Sirius , 2005)
15. Serge Gainsbourg - Black Trombone (Serge Gainsbourg N° 4, 1962)
16. Maurice Chevalier - Ah si vous connaissiez ma poule (1938)
17. Jo Privat - Minor Swing (Django Reinhardt, Stephan Grappelli, 1937, Manouche Partie, 1960)
18. Felix Mayol - Il s'appelait Bou Dou Ba Da Bouh (1920, Albert Valsien, Lucien Boyer)
19. Edith Piaf - Sous Le Ciel de Paris (Jean Dréjac, Hubert Giraud, 1954)

Discovering French Music 3 from boebis on 8tracks Radio.

Brassens had a poor reputation

One of the most famous songs of Brassens, first released in his first LP in 1952.





You can also listen to the amazing cover in spanish by Paco Ibanez in 1969. Another popular cover is the one by the reggae-ska band, Sinsemilia.