The story so far… Earth is threatened by space invaders. Three astronauts are to be sent on a reconnaissance mission. And, the government chooses three losers left over from a genetic experiment. These three men are The Astropioneers…
They’re really Dirty Ali, Funky Farid and Monsieur Club, aka The Eternals. Or, to give credit where credit’s due, the trailblazers of French dance music with a sense of humor. Their debut LP, picked up by Benjamin Diamond’s Parisian label, Diamondtraxx, is an imaginary soundtrack to a non-existent movie. “It was a bit of an accident,” says Dirty Ali of the space-spoof concept. “It’s the product of research and the evolution of ‘us writing our music.’ We started with the ‘Astropioneer’ track which samples John Carpenter’s ‘NY 1997.’ Usually, samples come from disco or funk tracks, but our creative process is motivated by the idea of narration.”
Unlike “French Touch” artists such as Daft Punk, Cassius and Air — who made their name overseas before anyone in France even realized they were French — The Eternals have found their feet and established their name on home ground. “That’s how it was at the time,” claims Farid of the ’90s Gallic house explosion. “In France they didn’t have the chance to evolve. Now things are happening here and a new wave of musicians has arrived.”
But still, despite the Frenchness of the music, the titles and lyrics are in English… “Yeah, it’s the standard,” admits Farid. “Electronic music is like the science and technology worlds — everyone speaks English...”
“Strangeworld,” the first single to be taken off the LP is a glittering electro-pop track featuring Benjamin Diamond’s “Stardust”-like vocal — a surefire hit on this summer’s coolest dance floors.
