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Cerrone

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If you like dance music of any kind and aren’t familiar with Cerrone, it’s time to get back to basic… and I’m here to help!

111204-Cerrone 

French drummer, composer and producer Cerrone is best known as a pioneer of disco music in the 70s and early 80s.  His sound later branched out into pop-rock and electronica, fed on collaborations with top international musicians and singers, and was staged into large-scale “event” concerts around the world in the late 80s and 90s.  He’s enjoyed continued international success in the new millennium and is often cited as a major influence by the top dance artists and DJs of today...

 

Supernature / Sweet Drums

I first became aware of Cerrone with “Supernature” in 1977.  The song was a huge hit in France.  It was a blend of disco and electronica that made a very big impression on me.  From that moment on, I was hooked on the sound of Cerrone.

Cerrone was not your typical singer/artist.  He wasn’t a singer, he wasn’t a band: he was a drummer, and he had the biggest, most amazing looking drum kit you’d ever seen.  He was this average, unremarkable-looking guy, always surrounded by sexy, naked girls. 

I was a shy kid and I wanted to become that.  I could see myself play the drums.  This became an obsession and I eventually got my parents to buy me a drum kit and lessons.  I might not have gotten into music if it hadn’t been for Cerrone and “Supernature”.  The influence may not be obvious in SuperCool-Guy’s music, but it is there in the visual elements and in the fact that I started as a drummer and evolved into a songwriter/producer.

 

The Golden Touch

“Cerrone VI: The Golden Touch” came out in 1978 as a perfectly formed 4-track album: “Je Suis Music”, “Rocket In The Pocket”, “Look For Love”, “Music Of Life”.  Four classics, all trim, and no fat.  To me, this is the best Cerrone album and a perfect statement of the “Cerrone formula”: a massive kick drum, beautiful melodies, lush arrangements complete with string and horn sections, a chorus of female vocalists, and a very sexy feel throughout.

 

Expanding soundscapes

As early as 1977’s “Cerrone 3”, it was obvious that there was more to Cerrone than just “disco” music: “Supernature” was a fusion of electronica and disco, and the instrumental “In The Smoke” was ambient electronica reminiscent Jean-Michel Jarre.  Both tracks had heavy sci-fi overtones.  The parallels with Jarre do not end there, as both artists subsequently made careers out of staging large-scale “event” concerts around the world incl. Paris, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

More recent forays into electronica include the 2006 “Orange Mecanique” soundtrack written for a French staging of “Clockwork Orange” and 2010’s “Cerrone Symphony: Variarions of Supernature”.

 

Pop-Rock-Funk fusion

With “Cerrone V: Angelina” (1979) and “Cerrone VI” (1980), the sound started to evolve into a kind of pop-rock fusion with Cerrone venturing lead vocals (“Rock Me”, “Angelina”, “Panic”, “Time Is Running Down”).  These two albums are among my favorites and I personally would have liked a few more in the same vein...

The “disco” sound also gradually evolved into West Coast/LA “funk” (1982’s “Cerrone IX: Your Love Survived”, 1983’s “Cerrone X: Where Are You Now”).

The rest of the 80s and first half of the 90s was notable for the large-scale live shows and a series of collaborations with top international artists including Toto, Nile Rogers and Laura Brannigan.

 

The new millennium

2001’s “Cerrone by Bob Sinclar” re-introduced the master to the dance floors and cemented his cult status for a new generation of kids.

2002’s “Hysteria” was Cerrone’s first studio album since 1994 and also one of his best – with stand-out tracks “Hysteria”, “It Had To Be You” and “The Only One” bringing a fully-updated “House” sound to the new millennium, along with more experimental tracks such as “101” and the down-tempo “Wake The Beach”.

Cerrone has kept up the momentum with 2007’s “Celebrate”, and a flood of remixes and collaborations in recent years with the likes of Jamie Lewis, Joey Negro, La Roux and others.  I personally look forward to more original studio tracks!

Check out my YouTube channel for a few Cerrone favourites (attention!  Most are NSFW - Not Safe For Work)

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