This is a somewhat obscure genre. As an introduction, these two tracks give a terrific taste of the German aesthetic having been applied to disco. The first track by Ganymed is essentially a cover of Cerrone's Supernature (even including a weak version of Sweet Drums in the breakdown), but filled with amazing cosmic sounds and a story about aliens coming to Earth and changing the human race to be like themselves. There is a demonic voice juxtaposed with a sultry insincere female voice it makes for a rather unconvincing argument for them to come and do whatever they are going to do. They do say though that we won't have to work and that they are going to take us to Mars, which sounds like fun.



This other track by Goblin from Italy (the best name for a band ever) has a definite krautrock derived influence. The sound is very hard to describe. It has a little Deep Purple, mixed with Tangerine Dream, mixed with a bit of high school orchestra. Front and center is an amazing bass player and great organ sound. The track is from a 1982 horror flick by Dario Argento.


Please key me in to other artists in the same vein.

mp3: Ganymed - We Like You (The Way You Like Us)
mp3: Goblin - Tenebre

Jean-Marc Cerrone is the true embodiment of disco. With his sleazy steaze he brought immense talent to the genre and sold millions of records. He is a French music producer that got his start playing drums in rock bands, and then as an orchestra leader for Club Med. He started putting out records under his own name in 1976 and hasn't stopped since. His first album, Love In C Minor helped craft the sound of disco. The title track at 14:57 long paints Cerrone as the French Barry White. Supernature is an amazing effort that features incredible production and the most solid drumming in disco. The first side of the album is three tracks mixed continuously that are based on a concept of genetic engineering creating monsters that take over the Earth. This concept was revisited recently by Goldfrap in an album of the the same name. Supernature is a Moroderish track with a dark and creepy vibe. It seems to have a happy ending after battles between the monsters and humans (Sweet Drums) and the world learns to get along in harmony (In The Smoke). After the smoke settles, the second side features the track Give Me Love which is a dance floor banger, and possibly his best upbeat track.

mp3: Cerrone - Supernature Side A
mp3: Cerrone - Give Me Love