BENJAMIN VIDAL 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Five years ago, French record collector Vidal Benjamin wowed us with "Disco Sympathie", a killer compilation of obscure Gallic disco and boogie gems. For this similarly dusty-fingered follow-up, he's set his gaze on French new wave and synth-pop. It's an entertaining and eye-opening listen that moves from the samba-chanson of Cecilia and the fizzing electro-funk of Electropic, to the sweet and cheery synth-pop of "Reserve". Highlights in between include the bustling synth-pop sleaziness of Sonia's "J'Sais Plus Ou J'En Suis", the throbbing new wave quirkiness of Milpatte's "Je Vais Danser" and the low-slung post-punk pop of I:Cube's fresh re-edit of Yogo's "Reve De Star".

Review: Five years ago, French record collector Vidal Benjamin wowed us with "Disco Sympathie", a killer compilation of obscure Gallic disco and boogie gems. For this similarly dusty-fingered follow-up, he's set his gaze on French new wave and synth-pop. It's an entertaining and eye-opening listen that moves from the samba-chanson of Cecilia and the fizzing electro-funk of Electropic, to the sweet and cheery synth-pop of "Reserve". Highlights in between include the bustling synth-pop sleaziness of Sonia's "J'Sais Plus Ou J'En Suis", the throbbing new wave quirkiness of Milpatte's "Je Vais Danser" and the low-slung post-punk pop of I:Cube's fresh re-edit of Yogo's "Reve De Star".

Review: While largely unknown this side of the English Channel, Benjamin Vidal is one of France's most notorious crate diggers and record collectors. It's nice to see Gilb'r and company giving him a chance to showcase these digging skills via a compilation of his own on Versatile. Disco Sympathie differs from many bog standard disco compilations as it focuses entirely on French music from the early 1980s. The names are unfamiliar, and the sounds even more so; a hotchpotch of quirky, tongue-in-cheek cuts that variously doff a beret to American boogie, British and German synth-wave, eccentric synth-pop and the kind of expansive post-disco madness that thrills and intrigues in equal measure. It also features Sonia's "Sur Ma Musique", a hidden gem from 1980 that joins the dots between tongue-in-cheek Italo and throbbing synth-pop. It's not an expensive record, but it's certainly a great one.

Review: While largely unknown this side of the English Channel, Benjamin Vidal is one of France's most notorious crate diggers and record collectors. It's nice to see Gilb'r and company giving him a chance to showcase these digging skills via a compilation of his own on Versatile. Disco Sympathie differs from many bog standard disco compilations as it focuses entirely on French music from the early 1980s. The names are unfamiliar, and the sounds even more so; a hotchpotch of quirky, tongue-in-cheek cuts that variously doff a beret to American boogie, British and German synth-wave, eccentric synth-pop and the kind of expansive post-disco madness that thrills and intrigues in equal measure. It also features Sonia's "Sur Ma Musique", a hidden gem from 1980 that joins the dots between tongue-in-cheek Italo and throbbing synth-pop. It's not an expensive record, but it's certainly a great one.