Leys, Bruno
Maintenant Je Suis Un Voyou
You heard him first on WIZZZ Vol. 2 (BORNBAD 013CD/LP) with the explosive "Maintenant je suis un voyou (Now I'm a
hoodlum)." Here he is again, with his full EP never released before. But, let's go back in time... In early 1967, Bruno
Leys was attending medical school in Paris. Driving back to the university with a friend, Bruno sang along nonchalantly
with the songs on the radio. His friend was surprised to discover his lovely voice and encouraged him to audition for a
group composed of friends from the university who were looking for a singer. Bruno was not selected for the group, but
became friends with one of its members, Emmanuel Pairault. Emmanuel had been studying economics, but decided to enter
the music conservatory instead, to learn the drums and the use of the illustrious Ondes Martenot, a primitive electronic
musical instrument. He composed a few solo numbers, remarkable for their use of that instrument. Looking for someone to
write lyrics to go with his instrumental tracks, he asked Bruno to try a few. Bruno and Emmanuel thereby put together a
small repertoire, with no ambition other than to have fun. Although the details are now forgotten, they worked hard to
bring their song to the attention of Nicole Croisille (a singer and actress), who suggested sending the demo to her
friend Norbert Saada, who headed a label called La Compagnie. This unprecedented use of the Ondes Martenot in a pop song
attracted Saada, who offered to make a record. Emmanuel quickly assembled a small team to make the recording. The
sessions took place at Dominique Blanc Francart's studio on rue de la Gaîté in Paris, with Bernard Lubat on percussion,
François Rabath on stand-up bass, Jimenez and Jean-Pierre Dariscuren playing guitar, Emmanuel Pairault and Sylvain
Gaudelette on the Ondes Martenot, not to mention Bruno on vocals. Four tracks were recorded for the EP: "Maintenant je
suis un voyou," "Eve," "Hallucinations," and "Galaxie." With the sessions completed, Bruno left for his obligatory
military service and thus lost control over things. Saada pressed a promotional 45 in an attempt to find a licensing
deal in Canada, to no avail. A real collector's item, this 45 includes "Maintenant je suis un voyou" and "Galaxie." Back
from his military service, Bruno learned that Saada had gone out of business and sold his catalog, putting an end to any
hope of issuing the EP (1969). "Eve" has never before appeared on a record.
Price
Genre
Format
7inch - 1 disk
Release
05-02-2021
Label
Item-nr
1308578
EAN
3521381561869
Availability
Not in stock
Tracks
Title
Artist
1
MAINTENANT JE SUIS UN VOYOU
2
HALLUCINATION
3
DANS LA GALAXIE
4
EVE