soleil rare 2 - motions.

François de Roubaix - Un Peu, Beaucoup, Passionnément...

Diving into François de Roubaix's work is an exciting journey. Responsible for the most interesting and progressive soundtracks of the late '60s-early '70s, François de Roubaix surely died too young. 

Fortunately, the good management of his estate made his works available to everyone, either on vinyl or CD. As always when re-editions are floating around, original copies are just impossible to catch. Gotta accept the fact that François de Roubaix became cultissime.

Released in 1971, "Un Peu, Beaucoup, Passionnément..." features female singer Vaea and a romantic yet swinging orchestration. François (almost) at his best.

Acanthus - Sleeping Beauty (Samba Des Vampires).

Finders Keepers did it once again. By releasing the soundtrack of Jean Rollin's movie "Le Frisson Des Vampires", the label turned a digger's dream into reality. But while searching for data about Acanthus, I couldn't find anything. The only thing I know is that it seems to be a Parisian combo.

Anyway, I gotta confess I didn't discover the tune "Sleeping Beauty (Samba Des Vampires)" through the newly released Acanthus' LP, but from a "Written In Blood" compilation made by Nate Ashley.

The sound of this track is so bright, so mellow also... the end of the song seems to be cut, but that's the way it is.

Chan Kwong Wing - I Want To Be A Good Guy.

"Infernal Affairs" is an in-cre-di-ble movie. Period. So awesome that Martin Scorcese himself directed a remake ("The Departed"). But Tony Leung and Andy Lau rule over Leonardo Di Caprio. So much that it became a trilogy in Hong Kong. 

Chan Kwong Wing is the composer of the three movies and a famous movie scorer in Hong Kong. 

"I Want To Be A Good Guy" is a tremendous theme, with opressing violins. Then come the bass, and bing! the drums. Heavy drums. The track doesn't end here, as it is composed of several small parts ; as a whole it is a good way to acknowledge Chan's genius.

Guido & Maurizio De Angelis - Speed Fever.

The De Angelis brothers started their career as composers and arrangers in 1963 in Italy. They were then so prolific that they had to use various names. The strange thing is that they succeeded to remain so gooood.

The "Formula 1 - Febbre Della Velocita" LP was released in 1978. The movie was not a fiction, it was a documentary. You could think that a documentary does not need a powerful soundtrack. Well, the brothers didn't think so.

With its up tempo beat and light mood, "Speed Fever" is not the usual Italian score. It embraces the influences of the time, with class, and reminds of the work of Giorgio Moroder. It was the time of disco, folks.

Bruno Nicolai - Whisky.

Alongside Ennio Morricone and Piero Umiliani, Bruno Nicolai share the top spots of Italian film composer. Ennio and Bruno oftenly cooperated, Nicolai conducting Morricone orchestras on several occasions. Bruno Nicolai may not be as famous as Ennio Morricone, he may have a shorter discography, but his works would make any other movie composer jealous.

Nicolai made a specialty in scoring Mafia movies (spaghetti westerns as well), "L'Onorata Famiglia - Uccidere E' Cosa Nostra" being a good example of his style. 

In "Whisky", Bruno Nicolai displays his love for mind blowing drums and guitar fuzz for your listening pleasure.

Michel Magne & Jean Yanne - Luttons Pour Le Marché Commun.

If you are interested in scores and soundtracks, you already know about Michel Magne. Jean Yanne was a French actor and director, who died in 2003. Being in the cinema industry at the same time as Chabrol and Godard, Jean Yanne developped a rare sense of humour. He also signed a lot of lyrics for movie soundtracks. 

"Luttons Pour Le Marché Commun" is part of the "Moi Y'en A Vouloir Des Sous" movie, on the screens in 1972. It is a funky track, supported by an interesting stomping beat and an element that has its supporters : the cowbell. The lyrics are funny and absurd, but what else would you expect from Jean Yanne ?

The Chemical Brothers - The Devil Is In The Details.

This is quite new as "Hanna" is still displayed in theatres. I confess I haven't (yet) seen it. But I was curious to hear how The Chemical Brothers would scored a motion picture. And judging by "The Devil Is In The Details", it is not your usual ChemBros sound... no fury of samples, no angry beat... but simple repetitive notes that will be quickly stuck in your head if you don't pay attention. It's cute.

Eric Demarsan - Thème De Mathilde.

If I'm not mistaking, the soundtrack for "L'Armée Des Ombres" was originally only released as a EP. And "Thème De Mathilde" wasn't featured on it. So, when Universal Music Jazz and Emarcy released the entire soundtrack of the motion picture as part of the "Ecoutez Le Cinéma" series, it was a good surprise.

Eric Demarsan was tutored by monsters like Michel Magne and François de Roubaix. Can't think of a better schooling... "L'Armée Des Ombres", alongside "Le Cercle Rouge", is the most famous soundtrack by Demarsan. It includes beautiful themes, "Thème De Mathilde" being one of the best examples : light, bright notes, on a bed of strong basses (don't underestimate the basses of this track). A winner.

Alain Goraguer - Déshominisation I.

"La Planète Sauvage" is the absolute Graal of soundtracks. The original pressing sells easily for more than 150€. The (animated) movie is not very well known, even if it won the Special Prize at the 1973 Cannes Festival. In a way, it now exists in the shadow of its music. 

Goraguer's career is very eclectic. Able of being Boris Vian's and Serge Gainsbourg's sideman, he also wrote weird stuff, such as "Gym Tonic". Anyway, most of the time, Goraguer labelled records are must-have. Notice that Goraguer was sampled by beatmaking heavyweights like Madlib and Jay Dee.  

This track "Déshominisation I" has monster drums, and a recurrent low key guitar on top. Tense, but beautiful. 

David Holmes - Lifting The Building.

Let's say it : David Holmes is (or was) underrated. He released stuff without people noticing it, like its Free Association stuff. But with the "Ocean's" series, he had a great occasion to shine. And he didn't miss the chance to prove the world he's one of the greatest scorer of our era. 

His signature sound is made of live drums and percussions, and strong basses. "Lifting The Building" is so funky, that you will sing the notes while it's playing.