Spring 1983: first album by Alesia Cosmos

Following the story…

This fruitful period of musical experimentation of all kinds – see post: Premises -1977-1982 – ended with the launch of the first album of Alésia Cosmos.
End of 82 Pascal Holtzer and I Bruno de Chenerilles composed and prepared sketches in their respective home studios.

NB: the term did not yet exist, only a few electroacoustic composers and some sound tweakers ventured to analog mixing and recording equipment. Some Revox stereo recorders, a mixer, a few microphones, speakers and then analog synths, the first rhythm boxes, some effects – reverb, delay, fuzz, our electric guitars. It took us a few years to acquire these expensive machines.
At this time there was no computer software and the first affordable multi-track recorders appeared a little later. But with this equipment we could compose and rehearse. We found traces of some of these sketches recorded during the phases of preparation before recording this first album Exclusivo!

 

Beginning 83, we also founded a non-profit structure  to carry the first album’s project. Planetarium was founded in March 1983 at the very moment when we formed the group.

In addition to Pascal and myself, we invited Marie-Berthe Servier, who was involved in Corbo Combo in the previous decade, as well as an excellent Tunisian percussionist Lotfi Ben Ayed burning to mix his darbukas, bendir and bagpipes with our drum machines. A fifth strange character also joined in: Pierre Clavreux, a fake wacky breton ex-barde, who returned from Japan where he had hit the big drums of the group Kodō in Sado island.

In February or March, we were ready for recording the album at Studio Weekend in Gambsheim North of Strasbourg. A brand new small studio with a TEAC 8-track recorder, a professional mixing console, a few good microphones and a few analog effects. The studio was owned by Guy Mas and Jean-François Issemann. They  ensured all takes for a good week, which is very short for an entire album.

The project had matured for several years. The album was very well prepared. The members of the group were inspired and this very minimalist music was based on a mix between electro, rock, traditional music, composition and free improvisation. Each brought his particular feeling and the sauce had taken immediately on previous rehearsals.

We had decided to entrust the mix to another person in order to have an outside view of our music. We had met Michel Risse, ex-drummer of the french group Herbe Rouge and also electroacoustic composer. He was then beginning with his to become famous company Decor Sonore. Michel was involved in Sous-Paradis and he was in charge of producing the album in which all members of Alésia Cosmos contributed individually.

Appointment was made with Michel to mix the album at the Anagram studio in Paris. Pascal and I borrowed an old car to Jack Nietzsche (ex-bassist of Alesia Cosmos furi show duo). I remember an old Citroën Ami 8 which the engine went to smoke on East Highway in a downhill slope to Verdun.
Our tapes under our arms, Pascal and myself we joined Anagram studio by train, then by metro and stayed all night to mix the album with Michel Risse.

The launch of the album took place in mid-April with the first 3 concerts at L’Ange d’Or theatre-café our favorite venue in Strasbourg, France.

Concerts

Press extracts

Reissue

Exclusivo! will be reissued on vinyl in September 2017 !
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