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 group formed in 1978 by Marc Moulin,

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 t ...

of disco,

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 ( electroa ...

, 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", a relaxed and dispassionate version of

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

'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 electronic circuitry. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical, electronic or digital audio signal that ultimately is plugged into a ...

, 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 asked the group to enter the Eurovision Song Contest. 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'', 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 Music genre, genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally music production, produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central Drum beat, rhythm is typ ...

music artists the group later inspired but, nevertheless, unusual in 1981. The fourth Telex album, ''Wonderful World'', was barely distributed. In 1986, Atlantic Records signed Telex and released the album ''Looney Tunes'' in 1988. In 1989, Telex revisited their old tracks and remixed them to resemble house music 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. 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 remixes for other artists' single 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 and " Minimal" by the Pet Shop Boys. Following the death of band member Marc Moulin 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''.

Discography

Albums

*1979: '' Looking for Saint Tropez''
*1980: '' Neurovision''
*1981: '' Sex'' (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) *1989: ''Les Rythmes Automatiques'' (album of re-recorded back-catalogue) *1993: ''Belgium...One Point'' (a box set of the first five albums plus bonus tracks) *1994: ''Is Release a Humour? - We Love Telex'' (Japan only. remixed by Japanese DJs) *1998: ''I Don't Like Music'' ( remixed 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 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