Telex was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

group formed in 1978 by

Marc Moulin Marc Moulin (16 August 1942 – 26 September 2008) was a Belgian musician and journalist (print, radio, TV). In the early-mid seventies, he was the leader of the jazz-rock group Placebo (not to be confused with the English rock band with the sa ...

Dan Lacksman Dan or DAN may refer to: People * Dan (name), including a list of people with the name ** Dan (king), several kings of Denmark * Dan people, an ethnic group located in West Africa **Dan language, a Mande language spoken primarily in Côte d'Ivoi ...

and Michel Moers, with the intention of "making something really European, different from rock, without guitar — and the idea was electronic music".

History

In 1979, mixing the

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

and experimental

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

, they released a stripped-down synthesized

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Twist à St. Tropez" by Les Chats Sauvages. They followed up with an ultra-slow cover of "

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful rendition was record ...

", a relaxed and dispassionate version of

Plastic Bertrand Roger François Jouret (born 24 February 1954), better known as Plastic Bertrand, is a Belgium, Belgian musician, songwriter, producer, editor and television presenter, best known for the 1977 international hit single "Ça plane pour moi". Bi ...

's punk song " Ça Plane Pour Moi", and a mechanical cover of " Dance to the Music", originally by

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the ...

. Telex built its music entirely from

electronic instruments An electronic musical instrument or electrophone is a musical instrument that produces sound using electronics, electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is pl ...

, employing joyously irreverent humor. The group's debut album, '' Looking for Saint Tropez'', featured the worldwide hit single "Moskow Diskow". In 1980, Telex's

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

asked the group to enter the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. The group entered and were eventually sent to the finals, although they apparently hoped to come in last. The group's song "

Euro-Vision "Euro-Vision" () was the entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1980, performed in French by Telex. The song was performed nineteenth on the night, following 's Trigo Limpio with "Quédate esta noche". At the close of voting, it had received 14 p ...

" was a cheerful bleepy song with deliberately banal lyrics about the contest itself. For their third album, ''

Sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones ( ova, of ...

'', Telex enlisted the US group Sparks to help write the lyrics. However, the band still refused to play live and preferred to remain anonymous—common practice in the

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

music artists the group later inspired but, nevertheless, unusual in 1981. The fourth Telex album, ''Wonderful World'', was barely distributed. In 1986,

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

signed Telex and released the album ''Looney Tunes'' in 1988. In 1989, Telex revisited their old tracks and remixed them to resemble

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

and other genres then prevalent in electronic pop. The result was ''Les Rythmes Automatiques'', released in 1989. After a long hiatus, Telex returned in March 2006 with ''How Do You Dance'' on

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

. It contained five original compositions as well as five covers. The group's last single was a cover of " On the Road Again", originally by

Canned Heat Canned Heat is an American band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1965. The group is noted for its efforts to promote interest in blues music and its original artists and rock music. It was founded by two blues enthusiasts Alan Wilson and Bob ...

. They also produced

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es for other artists'

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

releases, including "

A Pain That I'm Used To "A Pain That I'm Used To" is a song by English electronic band Depeche Mode. It is the opening track on their eleventh studio album, ''Playing the Angel'' (2005). Background Mute Records released "A Pain That I'm Used To" on 12 December 2005 as ...

" by

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex, in 1980. The band currently consists of Dave Gahan (lead vocals and co-songwriting) and Martin Gore (keyboards, guitar, co-lead vocals and main songwriting). Depeche ...

and " Minimal" by the

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

. Following the death of band member

in 2008, the surviving members of the band announced their retirement from making music with the band's final release, a compilation album titled ''

Ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) * ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album) *''Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds *''The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilatio ...

''.

Discography

Albums

*1979: '' Looking for Saint Tropez''
*1980: '' Neurovision''
*1981: ''

'' (released in some countries as "Birds and Bees" with a slightly altered track listing)
*1984: ''Wonderful World''
*1988: ''Looney Tunes''
*2006: ''How Do You Dance?''

Compilations and remix albums

*1982: ''More Than Distance'' (includes singles. album tracks, B sides, and newly remixed/recorded tracks, two with English lyrics by

Jo Callis John William "Jo" Callis (born 2 May 1951) is an English musician and songwriter who played guitar with the Edinburgh based punk rock band The Rezillos (under the name Luke Warm), and post-punk band Boots for Dancing before joining The Human ...

) *1989: ''Les Rythmes Automatiques'' (album of re-recorded back-catalogue) *1993: ''Belgium...One Point'' (a

box set A box set or (its original name) boxed set is a set of items (for example, a compilation of books, musical recordings, films or television programs) traditionally packaged in a box and offered for sale as a single unit. Music Artists and bands ...

of the first five albums plus bonus tracks) *1994: ''Is Release a Humour? - We Love Telex'' (Japan only.

ed by Japanese DJs) *1998: ''I Don't Like Music'' (

ed by

Carl Craig Carl Craig (born May 22, 1969) is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record label Planet E Communications. He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in the second wave of Detroit techno artists during the late 1980s ...

and others) *1998: ''I Don't Like Remixes: Original Classics 78-86'' (a 'best-of' compilation) *1999: ''I (Still) Don't Like Music Remixes Vol. 2'' (DJ remixes) *2009: ''Ultimate Best Of'' *2021: ''This is Telex'' (Tracks 1978/2006 newly mixed with 2 unreleased covers: "Dear Prudence" (

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...

) & "The Beat Goes On" (

Sonny and Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

)

References

External links

*
SynSound Recording StudiosMarc Moulin
- Official Website *

* {{Authority control Belgian electronic music groups Belgian dance music groups Belgian new wave musical groups Experimental musical groups Synth-pop new wave musical groups Post-disco music groups Musical groups established in 1978 Belgian musical trios Eurovision Song Contest entrants for Belgium Eurovision Song Contest entrants of 1980 Remixers Sire Records artists Atlantic Records artists Virgin Records artists EMI Records artists