Jean-Jacques Perrey & David Chazam - Eclektronics

D Chazam with JJ Perrey / photo : C. Burckhard

On ne présente plus Jean-Jacques Perrey, qui a commencé VRP de l'Ondioline en 1954, et se trouve aujourd'hui, en papy monumental, à la tête d'une pléiade de ritournelles, naïves ou loufoques, interprétées au Moog. On retiendra bien sûr ses classiques (The In Sound From Way Out et Kaleidoscopic Vibrations), ainsi qu'une série de LP fabuleux parus chez Montparnasse 2000 (Moog Sensations, Moog Expressions, Moog Vibrations), dont seul Moog Sensations a été réédité en CD (Pulp Flavor/Dare Dare). C'est que Jean-Jacques Perrey avait été rangé prématurément avec ses jouets électroniques dans le grenier des années 70. Il aura fallu un pillage en règle de ses perles par d'innombrables remixeurs et surtout la reprise de E.V.A. par Fatboy Slim, pour qu'il émerge enfin dans la partie visible de l'iceberg des musiques décalées. En 1998, sollicité par David Chazam (compositeur pour le théâtre, chef d'orchestre de son Ensemble Philharmonique de Création Radiophonique), le manitou français de l'électro-kitsch démarre une nouvelle collaboration, 34 ans après son duo célèbre avec Gershon Kingsley. A l'arrivée, on a un disque un peu fourre-tout, où ressort en majeur le fun qu'ont eu ces deux compères à se lâcher dans un délire de sonorités frappadingues.
La petite histoire raconte que Perrey s'est présenté en studio avec quelques boucles enregistrées sur un sampler synthétiseur Kurzweil et de petites saynètes imaginaires en tête, pendant que Chazam ferait les parties rythmiques. En effet, les mélodies de Perrey sont enrichies par des beats pêchus et une production de studio sophistiquée, capable de faire étinceler toutes sortes de sonorités cocasses. Toutefois on y perd cette touche rétro-lunaire, ces motifs simplets mais accrocheurs, qui rendaient ses musiques attachantes.

Jean Jacques Perrey, born 20 January 1929 in France, is undoubtedly one of the great names of space age pop. He has been pushing the envelope of recorded music for over 4 decades. Inspired by inventor Georges Jenny, Perrey became the greatest proponent of the Ondioline, a tiny keyboard that could produce fascinating flute-like sounds full of vibrato. In the early 1960’s he and Gershon Kingsley exported this way out sound to the U.S. and intermingled its spacey sound with American pop. His first album with Gershon Kingsley The In Sound from Way Out, is one of the milestone markers of space age pop, and his last Vanguard album, Moog Indigo, is still sampled by DJs today. And when other musicians might be seeking to relax in retirement, Perrey continues to create and perform, spurred on by a new generation of admirers. But Perrey's life out of the public eye changed in 1993 when RE/Search Publications produced its first Incredibly Strange Music book.
A new generation of young musicians and modern music lovers were discovering Perrey's amazing musical legacy. Many artists began sampling his records, and dance remix whiz Fatboy Slim even had an international hit with his souped-up dance remix of Perrey's tune "E.V.A.". It was through the RE/Search book that a young French musician named David Chazam became fascinated with Perrey's music. Chazam sent a cassette of his own electronic music to Perrey, and proposed that they collaborate on an album. Perrey replied simply: "When, where and how?" Perrey and Chazam teamed up in the studio. J-J brought prepared tape loops (digitally loaded into his Kurzweil synthesizer/sampler), but no actual tunes. Instead, he had what he called "several cine-reels in my head" -- little movies, imaginary pictures and conceptual ideas that Perrey wanted to orchestrate. He described the feel of the music needed, and Chazam came up with appropriate rhythm tracks.
David Chazam explained, "This album was produced by a person who loves Jean Jacques' music -- me! I wanted to present his music with some modern
technical tricks, but I also tried to recreate the classic analog sound of his Vanguard recordings. I wanted to help him create an album that I hoped would be timeless, and wouldn't sound dated many years from now."
The newest release from the legendary Jean Jacques Perrey, "Eclektronics" is a perfect blend of classic '60s melodies with modern, groove-oriented samples and production techniques.