In 1978, Bernard Fevre released Black Devil Disco Club, a seminal record in dark electronic music that influenced Aphex Twin and Metro Area among others. Far from a relic of the past, Fevre continues to release compelling music to this day under the name Black Devel Disco Club. His latest, Circus, recruits myriad vocalist to his disco-goth vision, including Jon Spencer, Faris Badwan of The Horrors, Afrika Bambaataa, Yacht and Nancy Sinatra. Fevre explained to URB a little bit about each darkwave gem found on the record.
Fuzzy Dream: I love Jon Spencer way of acting and performing. He’s not only singing, which is very exciting and surprising. It’s a song about daytime melcancolia and how to make the world a surprising place.
Pavement Opposite: It sounds a bit like a weird and disco musical comedy form Broadway. It’s pretty “baroque” and I believe I’ve never heard a song like this before, which I’m really proud of. Nancy Fortune has a strange voice which matches perfectly with mine, I’ve been lucky!
X Paradise: This song is more about desire and sex. It’s a journey to a planet dedicated to sex…called Earth. Aja Emma from Cosmetics is like the commander of our spaceship and it’s a thrill to be on board with her.
Distrust: Faris from the Horrors has a unique style, very dark and urban but not gloomy. His voice is always between abstract and reality, that’s why it sound like a dream or a nightmare mixed with real life. This is the soundtrack of bein lost.
Stay Insane: Last summer I got the chance to perform at Southstreet Seaport Festival in New York with the band YACHT. I loved their show: they have a strong presence onstage, their sound is different and they are very promising young and lovely people. We might not have the same age but I believe we share some craziness, hence the name of the song.
To Ardent: It was also called “Too Ardent.” You chose. I would never have hoped to have the honor of havong Nancy Sinatra singing on my record. I wanted this song to be a bit like a science fiction soundtrack, like Barbarella. She’s perfect in this role. I believe it’s gonna be very suprising for her fans.
In Doubt: Cocknbullkid is a young artist from UK. Her voice is sexy and dangerous. Very attractive and scary at the same time. As if the black devil girl from my 1978 record was alive and lookig for some new people to capture.
My Screen: It’s the heaviest and hardest song from the record. A good first single to shock people. Between a kick in a metal garbage and a voodoo dance. I stare at this screen, in front of which I waste my time and destroy my life. Nicolas Ker from Poni Hoax is one of the most talentend frontman that France has never had and he really burns the song. He going in the screen and make it explode.
She Flees the Silence: It’s a song about failing to seduce in a nightclub. It’s a more happy and poppy song, I’d love to hear the audience singing that one with me. Lo Recordings suggested that their new signature Nazca Lines try some vocals and he did a great job. I didn’t know what to expect, but Jon Tye and his team are trustworthy people.
Magnetic Devil: I wanted to invite someone larger than life for this special song which is closing the record and which sums up the whole Black Devil journey. This track is less disco and more based on a “hip-hop Zulu Nation” groove. Afrika Bambaataa was in Paris and came to my studio, improvised some words about a relation with the devil. Within 15 minutes everything was done perfectly. He’s a professional. I’m really happy and proud of having all these guests on the record, but especially having a unity between each song.
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