SPACE “THE BEST OF” // EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Music | Johnny | November 17, 2009

This is probably the most exciting interview we have done since our inception.

“A Huge influence on bands like Daft Punk, SPACE sold 12 million records across 4 albums from 1977-81, and are sadly referred to as one of Europe’s great forgotten innovators of the 1970’s”

NO WAY should spAce be forgotten!

Whilst a certain Parisian electronic duo were still (probably impossibly chic) toddlers, French band /production SPACE had worked out that making lots of hooky synth disco and wearing Space suits in public at all times were a potent pop combination, one that enabled them to sell 12 million records across 4 albums from 1977-81, before imploding in the time honoured fashion of lawsuits and bittter recrimination all round.

Fast forward nearly 3 decades and following on from the recently released “Carry On Turn Me On” remix package on sister label Tirk, the lovely people at Nang now give their valiant attempt at capturing the essence of those 4 albums, and the breadth and diversity of their sound in one 14 track extravaganza!

‘Magic Fly‘ sounds as fresh and other-worldly now as it did then with it’s irresistible hookline, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, ‘Carry on Turn me On‘ remains Space’s most genuine contribution to the disco pantheon, with it’s orgasmic vocals and floor destroying, organic groove.

Watch the video below and melt baby…

‘Running In the City’ is the sound of forgotten futures past, ‘Flying Nightmare‘ a cosmic funk odyssey. ‘Deliverance’ remains one of the few Disco tracks to feature a full male voice choir and tracks such as ‘Robbots’ and ‘Inner Voices’ usher in the sound of the 80’s.

We are talking about pioneers of a golden age that unfortunately lasted only a few years.

Things draw to an appropriate close with perhaps the bands greatest conventional pop moment, ‘Save you Love for Me‘ , an epic, over blown euro-synth pad belter, full of genuinely synthetic emotion and perfectly plastic soul.

A fitting end to one of Europe’s great “forgotten”  innovators.

//////////////// Didier MAROUANI & SPACE INTERVIEW ////////////////

TASHED.COM: Hi spAce!, I did not even exist when you guys were representations of the golden age of space disco, along with Cerrone and Moroder! I would like to say this is such an honour, to be able to interview such legends.

I never ever consider me as a legend!!!, I had the big chance in my life to express my musicality and transmit it and I am very happy to meet a large public that still appreciate my music.

TASHED.COM: What was is like back then? Was space disco a worldwide phenomenon and accepted because it seems to have lasted only a few years?

I want to tell that for me I never made disco music, I composed tracks like “MAGIC FLY” and record it but I was not thinking about Music fashion or Disco music; in fact “MAGIC FLY” has been number one worldwide in the radio, sales and Disco charts but my music has never been composing to follow the disco fashion. And it has been since all these years proved that my music wasn’t a single act that stayed 2 years in the memories of the public.

TASHED.COM: Who else would you say besides you guys really represented space disco at that time?

At that time Cerrone was also in the top disco charts, and Vanguelis was doing very well, I think that the electronic music start really in the 1977 in all the world and more in France, I think it is a musical concept like it happens in Painting or Literature. I remember that I was very surprise in 1977 when I was going to nightclubs to see the stage full when “MAGIC FLY” was played, I was astonish but of course Happy!!!!!!

TASHED.COM: Who/what was your inspiration in those years from 77-81? Being pioneers, there wasn’t much precendence for such brilliance!

I think that all creators has been inspired by their predecessors, I’ve been influence for sure by my classical musical studies and the composers so important as Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven.

I used to listen to very different style of music, Pop, Rock, Classical, Opera, it depended on my mood. An Astrologic woman very well known also asked me to compose the main theme of the TV series program that she was prepared on Astrology and Planets; at that time I’ve heard Tangerine Dream and Krafwerk and I’ve been completely shock by the sounds of the synthesizers and I decided to buy one in order to record the theme of the TV program, these sounds was great for this theme….and MAGIC FLY born very quickly inspired by these magic synthesizers sound, “MAGIC FLY” has been release very quickly all over the world and became #1 in 25 different countries, at that time I didn’t think that I was a pioneer, I was just composing in a new way for me, using Synths because I was able to create new sounds with it and create a particular ambience on each track.

TASHED.COM: Are you surprised that there is renewed interest in the genre these days, along with Italian and other disco twists? (we have such a soft spot for it, we hope it can last for as long as possible!)

In 1977, the people thought that the synthesizers will be in fashion just for a small period but at that time I knew that the technologies will develop very much and that the synthesizers will be the main instrument of the end of the XX century. I think that I was correct and today there is not a lot of album that is record without using synths.

Today music creators are less than in the 77, a lot of DJ’s appears but they are not create the same way that we’ve done at that time, main of them are using existing music and create other sounds or rythmes on top of it. I think that public in the disco or anywhere needs melodies and maybe that’s why Italian and French music get success.

TASHED.COM: You guys wore helmets way way way before Daft Punk came onto the scene, what was it like seeing them doing it?

In some press articles, DAFT PUNK said that they are the “Spiritual sons of SPACE”, they’ve been inspired by SPACE music, of course this is a compliment to inspire musicians with your own music, but when I saw them with helmets and cosmonauts suits I thought it was a little bit too much and a lot of people on the SPACE website sent messages.

TASHED.COM: Didier MAROUANI, you left in 79′ and Space officially split in 81′, releasing only Symphonic Space Dream in 02′ with the rest being compilation albums. Are the 3 of you still in contact and what’s on the cards for all of you the past few decades?

I left the band in 1980 because I’ve got problems with my producer, I was sure at that time that the band will died just recording albums without giving concerts; that’s why I left the band and create another one and started giving concerts in Russia and former USSR, in 1982 the Russian Ministry of culture asked me to come to former USSR to give concerts; I answered him that I will be very happy to give concerts there but not for the Nomenklatura, that I wanted to give concert to Russian public, he accepted and told me that he will give me huge venues and we went there for 21 concerts in Moscow at the Olympisky stadium for 9 concerts, Kiev 6 concerts and Leningrad 6 concerts, over 600.000 people attended to the concerts that was more than a musical act but really a Cultural and social act.

That was the first time they ever organize a concert tour; we bring to former USSR for the first time a laser show. For the Russian people and without being pretentious the SPACE concerts has been a small little door opened to liberty; of course somewhere, somehow I realized at that time that politic power used me, telling the Russians: “you like this music…you want this music….we are offering to you the band”; but I didn’t care as my main goal was to meet with this public and tried to bring them all my music and my sensibility. Today 26 years after the beginning of my “Love story” with the Russian, Ukrainian and former USSR, a larger public is coming to see us on stage; we are giving concerts in huge venues t between 15.000 to 40.000 people and the public that came to the concerts in 1983 are coming back today…..with their children which grown listening to my music. It is huge honor to be loved by such a Musical and Culture public.

I release much more albums than that, when I quit SPACE, I composed an album called “PARIS FRANCE TRANSIT” and a double live album recorded during the very first USSR concert tour; I recorded an album in 1987 called “SPACE OPERA” with the participation of the Red army choirs and the Harvard Glee club choirs at that time it was quite impossible even to think to record a Russian ensemble with an American one and I had to get the special permission from the Russian Ministry of culture; this album has been bring into the MIR station by the Russian cosmonauts and launch into space with a CD player in a sign of hope and communication.

Also a “BEST OF LIVE” in 1991 and “SYMPHONIC SPACE DREAM” recorded with the participation of the St. Petersburg Symphonic Orchestra, for me this album was a dream since my childhood, to mix Classical and Electronic music. I recorded and mixed this album in New York and we recorded the symphonic orchestra in St. Petersburg, that was an amazing experience.

TASHED.COM: You are releasing a Space “The Best Of” on Nov 9 on Nang Records, what was the impetus for this? We have to say more of Space is ALWAYS a good thing.

Thank you very much I really appreciate, I am very happy that Nang records decided to release a new “BEST OF SPACE”; it was also an opportunity to remastered all our tracks in order to offer to the new generation a good sound and show them my music. Nang record worked with passion on that project since a year to get the best result and bring my SPACE music to new hears!!!!!

TASHED.COM: What equipment was used back then? We would love to hear the stuff you guys used!

We were using at that time the very first synths that we could get, “Korg String Ensemble” and “Korg Horns ensemble”, “ARP Axe and Arp Odyssey” for the very first album, after for the second and third album we used “Prophet 5 an 10”.

Concerning the drums in our 3 first albums it was a real drummer playing, we used to record only the Bass drum in 1 day per title, the drummer had on his cane a Clik and he was playing on it; that’s why it was so long to record and have a bass drum and snare that are very regular!!!!! All the sequences were playing live at that time there was no sequencer!!!

TASHED.COM: What do you think of the contemporary electronic music scene? Any artists/musicians/bands catch your ears?

I am trying to listen different kind of music, right now I am listening to Air, Birdy Nam Nam, Crystal Method and Fisherspooner, But I was 2 weeks ago at the concert of Elton John together with Ray Cooper, I am listening Opera, Rock….as I told you……a lot of different music styles.

I like very much also analog sounds and I recorded the new SPACE album “FROM EARTH TO MARS” that will be release in February 2010 with a lot of Analog synthesizers, their sounds are deeper, more life in it; but I will also use digital synthesizers; it will be a mix between Analog and Digital sounds.

TASHED.COM: “Magic Fly” was probably the most famous track made but tracks such as “Running In The City” & “Carry On, Turn Me On” just sticks to one’s head ALL the time. We love almost all your tracks, but which one was most satisfying on a personal level for you?

You know the SPACE songs are all my babies and it is very difficult to choose one or another because they are all representing a particular moment in my life when I created it. Of course I am very proud of some songs like “Let me know the Wonder”, “Ballad for space lovers” or “New York-Paris”, but this not mean that I prefer it and it is always difficult to make a choice when I decide which titles we will play on stage; so every time I add some titles that we did not played before and I am always happy to play old songs because we work on the sounds and arrangements again and the public is happy to listen these titles too.

For my last concert in Armenia in Erevan October 30th 2008, I decided to play a song called “TEMPS X” that was a huge Hit in Europe but we never play it on stage; also we played 2 new songs from the new SPACE album “FROM EARTH TO MARS” that will be release in February 2010, for this 2 songs I asked Madeline Bell to join us to record these songs as she was the original singer for the 3 first albums; it was wonderful to work again with her she is so talented and wonderful woman.

TASHED.COM: They say you are one of Europe’s forgotten innovators of the 1970s, what bollocks! Here we are to make sure that will never happen!

Thank you very much for your compliments!

TASHED.COM: We sincerely wish the best for all of you and spAce, Didier. We appreciate taking your time and we look forward to hearing your remixes and new album soon!

‘THE BEST OF’ SPACE TRACKLISTING:

01 – Magic Fly
02 – Running In The City
03 – Just Blue
04 – Carry On, Turn Me On
05 – Tango in Space
06 – Air Force
07 – Prison
08 – Flying Nightmare
09 – Deliverance
10 – Fasten Seat Belt
11 – Symphony
12 – Robbots
13 – Inner Voices
14 – Save Your Love For Me

“The Best Of album” was released last week on 9th November and is a basic requirement for all your cosmic disco needs, with Space being absolute pioneers!

There is a remix album coming out soon and a brand new album, From Earth To Mars, due to be released in Feb 2010!

Don’t forget to check out the Remix package for “Carry On, Turn Me On”, featuring BOTTIN, Architeq, AN2 and others, released on TIRK Recordings.

MP3 SPACE – MAGIC FLY

MP3 SPACE – CARRY ON TURN ME ON

MP3 SPACE – RUNNING IN THE CITY

NANG RECORDS

TIRK RECORDINGS

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