The Experimental Genius of Black Devil Disco Club
Parisian Bernard Fevre’s name might be a mystery to most, but the sole 1978 release under his Black Devil Disco Club alias has been a rare, sought-after gem among disco fans for decades. Recorded live under the pseudonym Joachim Sherylee and Junior Claristidge, which he shared with studio funder Jacky Giordano, his dark synth workouts, expansive percussion and spacey vocals set the path for the later explosion of Euro and Italo-disco.
The record might have languished in cult obscurity, though, changing hands for hundred of dollars online, had it not been discovered by Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label, who reissued it in 2004.
Now, for the first time, Black Devil’s Disco Club (as it was originally titled) has been remastered by Fevre himself. Out now on Anthology Recordings, it’s accompanied by four further remastered albums of library music that Fevre recorded under his own name: Suspense (1975), Cosmos 2043 (1977) and The Strange World of… (1977).
With the Chemical Brothers having already sampled “Earth Message” from Cosmos 2043 for their 1999 chugger “Got Glint,” it opens up Fevre’s genius and influence to a whole new generation—something he was keen to embrace when we asked the him story behind his early career…
“Art offers the chance to live several lives, so why not try it?”
France was, well, it was very French, you know! Just like the Americans think of it: berets, baguettes and 2CV cars. The French always complain, and it was the same back then. Paris was already a “rich” city but still was full of life. You could sense that things were happening in design, art and industry; people were looking to experiment. But just not so much in music, to be honest, which was annoying me, so I started playing the electric organ, Honner or Hammond, myself.
My music is… inspired by Chopin, Schubert, Vivaldi, Motown, rock ‘n’ roll, the black music of the time, even Bossa Nova or perhaps Tango, a style of music I was introduced to by my parents. Pop music at its best.
I’ve always spent a lot on gear. It’s an expensive way to the top if you wanna rock electronic music! On these [releases], I was using a Monodic Moog, a clavinet, a polyphonic Korg, some beat boxes, a Mini-Korg 700—which I still use (like on “Black Moon White Sun” from 2013)—a Solina, some FX made by Power (a French brand that doesn’t exist anymore), an Allen & Health console, and a 4-track Teac magnetophone.
Library music is just music produced to be used to soundtrack TV or cinema… generally, music that’s not available for the public. I had the chance to meet Eddie Warner (chef d’orchestre and A&R), who loved my cassettes and offered me the chance to record for him. He basically said, “Do what you want.” So I did!
I was recording it all at home, and then months later when the music was used in a broadcast, I would get sent a check by the French music collection agency SACEM. So it turned out I could make a living, even if I rarely got the chance to know where my music was being used. It was all happening like magic.
I have a brain that seems to work perfectly, whether I want to be bad or good. I can be a devil or an angel. So in a sense, it’s like being an actor. You pretend; you slip into different disguises. Art offers the chance to live several lives, so why not try it?
My guess is that 2043 will be the year I die. I will be 97. The future I had imagined was much more modern: flying cars, free, clean and fast public transportation, people smiling and having fun altogether. I guess I was wrong, but I still love surprises. It’s good to experiment, to dream, to look forward. Don’t look back; you can do that when your time has come.
I’ve heard a lot of musicians say I was an influence on them, but to be honest I don’t really see the point or the connection. Maybe I’m too old to understand this. I had the chance to grow up surrounded by the music of Charles Trenet, Serge Gainsbourg and the Beatles. It was really inventive. I don’t see this magic anymore, but once again, I might not be the best to judge.
I often thought my life was strange, because I didn’t understand much of it.
I was getting kicked out of classrooms because I was smiling or laughing. Why? I’ve always been a bit punk—a free spirit. I’m very bad at behaving with authority. I guess I just wasn’t born to follow, that’s it. I didn’t plan it. I’ve just been made like this.
I’ve always loved dance, the rhythms… My mother was dancing Valse Musette [the Parisian dance of the Jazz Age); she was a real devil. I’ve always loved music that moves, that tells something. Soundtracks are not necessarily lounge music.
I always tried so that each bar, each melody, means something. It’s not random. I pay attention to the music I produce. I think you can hear in the remasters that are coming out, that I put a lot of energy and soul in my music back then. I still work a lot. I need to satisfy my soul, my ego.
In the ‘70s/’80s, I probably spent more time dancing than working, but it was a valuable experience. Life was cheap, nightclubs were friendly, and I was getting paid for my music; so I wasn’t complaining.
[It was recorded with] no MIDI, no computer. Maybe listen closely; you can hear some scotch tape on the Revox tape that was playing a drum loop. I also used my Korg 700 a lot. It was just old-school gear with a 16-track console. I was my own producer, but I was helped by a sound engineer/genius.
The studio mix was sounding great to us. Giordano (who paid for the studio), a guy at RCA, the engineer and I were probably the only four people who thought it was great music. Nobody else really did!
I had a lot of fun when I recently remastered the old Revox tapes for the reissues. People will finally hear these albums how they were meant to be heard—better than all the bootlegs, the Rephlex reissue from 12 years ago, or even the original copies, actually. Because I did everything by myself, I know how it should sound. I did everything from A to Z.
I guess the world is a bit more ready to listen to them now. I just came back from a tour in Japan, and kids were really into it. It feels good. I hope to play a lot more in the next coming months. I was surprised and happy about the Rephlex reissue, but I didn’t get the chance to meet Aphex Twin. Honestly, I can’t say I’m totally into his music, but I sure recognize and understand why it’s attractive to some people.
[Before that], I was writing and producing for adverts and other artists. I was surviving, just out of sight, so I never really quit, actually. Thank god. I have hope in the future. It’s great to be surrounded by young people, fans or other artists, and I’m always willing to do collaborations. Let’s just have fun.
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