Krootchey
Qu'est-ce Qu'll A (d'plus Que Moi Ce Negro La?)
Philippe Krootchey was a musician, DJ, radio and television host born in Versailles, France in 1954. In the early 1970s
he joined political gay liberation movement Revolutionary Homosexual Action Front (Front Homosexuel d'Action
Révolutionnaire) that gave radical visibility to homosexuals. Turning to the decadent nightclub scene of Paris, Philippe
became one of the most important disc jockeys of the late 70s and early 80s holding residencies at les Bains-Douches and
the Privilège. Philippe's look was striking and his elegance and charisma massive.
In 1984 Krootchey released his debut single "Qu'est c'qu'il a (d'plus que moi ce négro là?)" on disco label Casablanca
Records. Subsequently the single was re-released the same year but sung in English as "Whatazzy". For this release he
teamed up with former Love International bandmate Fred Versailles, who shared his love for Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic
Orchestra as well as glam rock and 70's black American soul music. Fred remembers, "The idea was to send a message about
racism against black people with a humorous tone. The French title translates to "What has this nigger got, that I do
not have?" Reversing the racial scales, Philippe (who is black) would get the girls and the fame, making white people
jealous. It was Philippe's tactful way to joke about racism he had experienced and overcame." The result is a slick
synthetic funk and electro boogie reminiscent of Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambata. Philippe rap and subverting
racism at the same time. On the B-side is "Voodoo" a slowed down instrumental dub version that stretches out the
original to over 7-minutes. Sadly on September 2, 2004 Philippe Krootchey died of a cerebral aneurysm, just short of
celebrating his 50th birthday.
All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios. For the jacket Philippe asked his friends
Pierre et Gilles to do the cover artwork. They made a portrait of Philippe as chocolate powder mascot "Banania" inspired
advertisement with a wide grin and red fez cap. This was a radical criticism on the embodiment of racism still present
in the 1980s from the colonial Era in France. Each copy includes two postcards with lyrics, photos and liner notes by
Fred Versailles.
Price
Genre
Format
12" - 1 disk
Release
04-08-2017
Label
Item-nr
1155722
EAN
0744271372816
Availability
Not in stock
Tracks
Title
Artist
1
QU'EST-CE QU'IL A (D'PLUS QUE MOI CE NEGRO LA?)
2
WHATAZZY
3
HOT VOODOO DUB