A few weeks ago I did a show on the music of Heldon, which was Richard Pinhas, either solo or helped by a rotating cast of characters. This show is going to feature more music with the same musicians generally working together: Richard Pinhas, Patrick Gauthier, François Auger, Georges Grunblatt, Michel Ettori, Didier Batard.
There is one additional "odd" track here, but once you hear it you will forgive it.
| The first Pinhas album is basically him alone, with help from Auger on drums on the title track (which covers all of Side B)
Ose was a trio of Herve Picart, Pinhas, and Auger, who released this obscure but very Heldon-like one-off in 1978 on the Egg label. |
| Claire P Richard Pinhas - Rhizosphere - Cuneiform |
| Trapeze / Interference Richard Pinhas - Rhizosphere - Cuneiform |
| l'Aube Jumelle Ose - Adonia - Egg |
| "Chronolyse" again features a solo side and a band side, with the band side featuring Auger on drums and Didier Batard on bass. The band side is once again a sidelong track, this time inspired by Dune. It's a monster but there isn't time for it tonight... it has been played in the past though if you search the playlists.
Georges Grunblatt was a frequent collaborator on the early Heldon material. On his solo album he is helped by Pinhas, Ettori, Batard, and Auger at different points. The material is not as dark as Heldon, brighter and sometimes even a bit jazzy. |
| Sur le thème de Bene Gesserit: Variation VII Richard Pinhas - Chronolyse - Cuneiform |
| Duncan Idaho Richard Pinhas - Chronolyse - Cuneiform |
| Wobberlee Walk Georges Grunblatt - K-Priss - Polydor |
| Far Out Georges Grunblatt - K-Priss - Polydor |
| "Iceland" is almost entirely solo, with Jean-Philippe Goude and Francois Auger adding minimoog and drums on "Greenland" respectively. Goude also has an album from the period called "Drones" that most of these guys appear on, but I don't have it, and I guess you have to stop somewhere right?
Patrick Gauthier's solo album from 1981 features a number of musicians from Magma, Weidorje, and Heldon. Ironically the track "Heldon" doesn't feature any actual Heldon personnel except Gauthier himself -- they all appear elsewhere. On "East/West", Pinhas' sound starts to get more 80s influenced. The two tracks included here are duos of Pinhas and Grunblatt. |
| Greenland Richard Pinhas - Iceland - Cuneiform |
| Heldon Patrick Gauthier - Bébé Godzilla - Seventh |
| XXXXX: "La Ville Sans Nom" Richard Pinhas - East / West - Cuneiform |
| Home: "Ruitor" Richard Pinhas - East / West - Cuneiform |
| Zadri & Mo were an obscure French duo who put out an electronic album in 1982. Although there is a nominal Heldon influence, the main reason it is included is that François Auger appears on drums, and it's a pretty cool album I never get a chance to play. This track is 25 minutes long so buckle up. |
| Erebus Zadri & Mo - Erebus - Polydor |
| We'll close with a couple of tracks from l'Ethique, This is a pretty strong, faster-tempoed electronic album from the early 80s. The lineup changes almost every track -- for the two pieces here, the first is just Pinhas, and the second adds Bernard Paganotti, Clement Bailly, and Gauthier. |
| Simple Melodic Transition Richard Pinhas - l'Éthique - Cuneiform |
| The Western Wail (part 1) Richard Pinhas - l'Éthique - Cuneiform |
| I hope this has been a good sample of solo Heldon material! Thanks for listening! |
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12:02 AM, May 24th, 2018