GYM AND TONIC

So like you, I also pick up a lot of my weekly groceries at the Cosmic Hearse Market. And lately I've been spending a lot of time in the 70's aisle. Mostly hanging out around the obscure French disco section. I have to say, I can not get enough of that right now. Last month it was all Africa all the time. This month it's France. Anthony Bourdain says the French have mastered all the arts, except for music. But that dude is way off base. Just head over to the Hearse and browse posts marked France. You will be stoked. I know getting down is both false AND ungrim, but I have been figuratively shaking it to this all day:



at least have the patience to wait for the vocals to come in


Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Anyway, Aesop will often say something like "play this at your next coke party" when serving up these hot plates off euro dance weirdness, and every time I get all jealous that some people have the time and energy to party down like that. All I do is work and go to practice, so I have to play these sweet jams at less exciting points in my day, like dish washing parties or laundry folding parties. At BEST a bone party but there's only so many times you can stop in the middle of the act and be like, oh, wait, you have to hear this French disco record I downloaded today!! Anyway, here's one for Aesop, play this at your next sitting in a chair with a bong uploading rad black metal demos party.




SWEAT!


The deal with this record is that it's essentially workout music. But not like Manowar or something that gets you pumped to slay some iron, its more Richard Simons/Jane Fonda style dance class music. The reason it's worth talking about it is the that music was written (probably in five minutes) by Alain Goraguer, one of my favorite French film composers of the 60's. He was a tight bro with Serge Gainsbourg and he did the soundtrack for La Planète Sauvage (The Savage Planet) among many other moody, urban, piano based jazz records. BUT, the music isn’t even what draws you in. It’s the ‘vocals’. Or rather instructions, or commands, that are spoken in French by Véronique & Davina. I have no idea what they’re saying. Probably, touch your toes, keep those knees up, good work ladies, or something like that. Outside of the dance studio, this record is pretty weird. If you're hanging out alone in your apartment, it is just fucking bizarre.

Here is the Savage Planet soundtrack so you can compare (bro move).