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BIOGRAPHY Marc Moulin studied economics and political science. But this man from Brussels was also a radio producer, humorist and playwright. And he wrote a weekly column in 'Télé Moustique', the Belgian equivalent of 'Télérama', where he gave proof of his civic conscience. JAZZ/INFLUENCES As a pianist, Marc Moulin formed his first trio in 1961. It is a backing band for expatriated American musicians such as Johnny Griffin and Don Byas. PRODUCER Marc Moulin produced records for his friend, the jazz guitarist Philip Catherine, and for a number of pop artists throughout the seventies and eighties: Lio ('Banana Split' and the album PLACEBO In 1969 he formed a jazz group with his friend Philip Catherine, merging jazz, funk and rock. In the early seventies, Marc created the avant-garde jazz-rock collective 'Placebo'. Their influences are jazz but also Jimi Hendrix, James Brown and Soft Machine. The project is a kind of 'ratatouille' of musical ideas, featuring all the Belgian 'hipsters' of those days. They experiment with the Moog and the first synthesizers. Between 1971 and 1975, they released three albums that have become legendary. The 'Placebo years 1971-1974' has been reissued by Blue Note in 2006. SAM' SUFFY This mythical album, first released in 1975, has been reissued by Blue Note in 2005. The lineup is simplified around the trio Marc Moulin (piano and synthesizers)/Richard Rousselet (trumpet)/Bruno Castellucci (drums), after 'too much dissipation with Placebo'. The album is a crossroads of soul, jazz and early electronic music. Moulin sampled sounds of hippos and water, and during the concerts he used pre-recorded Moogs and the very first sequencers. He made funny references to his favourite musical genres: soul ('Le Saule'), boogaloo ('Le Beau Galop'), blues ('La Blouse') and boogie ('La Bougie'). Almost 35 years later, Sam' Suffy is still a cult album, often sampled by many contemporary producers (e.g. Jill Scott, DJ Vadim and Handsome Boy Modelling School). TELEX [www.telex-music.com] Founded in 1978 with Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers, this trio is openly disco-pop electro oriented. They will release five albums between 1979 and 1986. Whereas Kraftwerk brings in rigor and modernity, Telex responds with surrealistic, even nonsense humour. BLUE NOTE Marc Moulin was contacted by the famous jazz label in 1999. Freed from all kinds of pressure, he merged all his experience in one single project, mixing jazz, electro and soul, combined with a sophisticated production. Released in 2001, “Top Secret“ and the single “Into the dark“, brought Marc his biggest success and international recognition. This debut album on Blue Note is followed by 'Entertainment' in 2004 and I am you in 2007. The three albums reached gold-status in Belgium. WRITINGS Apart from music, he had added to his activities to a domain that suited him perfectly, as a weekly editorialist in Télé Moustique magazine. He has also written two plays (“L’ascenseur” and “Le grand voyage” and an essay, “La surenchère (L'horreur médiatique)”, a visionary and pessimistic criticism of media. Marc Moulin |
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