Telex announce details of a box set collecting their 6 studio albums
(Photo by Frank Uyttenhove) Out now is “EP1” by Telex which acts as a teaser for a box set collecting their 6 studio albums. Out on Mute on 3 March 2023 the box set holds remastered reissues of their six studio albums, “Looking for Saint-Tropez” (1979), “Neurovision” (1980), “Sex” (1981), “Wonderful World” (1984), “Looney Tunes” (1988) and “How Do You Dance?” (2006).
The material was remastered and newly mixed from the original tapes by Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers. The release will be available as a limited edition vinyl and CD box set and digitally.
The boxset, simply titled “Telex”, is announced by an EP, called “EP1”, which holds the following careerspanning tracks:
- ‘Rock Around The Clock’ (from Looking for Saint-Tropez)
- ‘Réalité’ (from Neurovision)
- ‘Sigmund Freud’s Party’ (from Sex)
- ‘Wonderful World’ (from Wonderful World)
- ‘Peanuts’ (from Looney Tunes)
- ‘How Do You Dance?’ (from How Do You Dance?
The vinyl and CD Telex box set includes a 12-page booklet and audio download code.
The Belgian synthpop trio consisting of the late Marc Moulin (1942- 2008), Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers formed in Brussels in 1978, at a time when electronic pop was regarded as novelty, with suspicion, as a harbinger for future dystopia and alienation. Telex were concerned about the consequences of new technology for human communication, their name taken, ironically, from a now obsolete piece of communications technology, adding a retro-futurist air to their legend.
It was on their cover versions that they deliberately played up the disparity between the ice-cool electronic approach and the sweaty, fleshy, frenetic passion of pop. Their cover versions – from the Yé-yé of Les Chats Sauvages’ “Twist à Saint Tropez” to the psychedelic soul of “Dance to the Music” (Sly and the Family Stone) from the rock n roll of Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” and “La Bamba” to the disco of Sparks’ “The Number One Song in Heaven” and beyond – see Telex embrace a wide history of musical genre.
The band famously entered the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Belgium with “Euro-vision”. Moers says he regarded their entry as “very Situationist International, the worm in the apple.” and they resolved either to come first or last. They didn’t achieve that goal, but became part of the Eurovision saga. Moers saw Johnny Logan (who went on to win the contest twice for Ireland) and told him, “you’re going to win”, Logan replied “Yeah. But if I win it’s good for me. If you win, it’s good for music.”
Telex announced their retirement in 2008, following Moulin’s death, and in 2021 began a new partnership with Mute beginning with the release of “This Is Telex”, featuring two unreleased tracks.
Since you’re here …
… we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading Side-Line Magazine than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can - and we refuse to add annoying advertising. So you can see why we need to ask for your help.
Side-Line’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we want to push the artists we like and who are equally fighting to survive.
If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as 5 US$, you can support Side-Line Magazine – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.
The donations are safely powered by Paypal.
