Cursed with curiosity, I often dig about the catalogues of the micro record labels of the world in search of an undiscovered gem or two and, on a recent trawl, French label Distag came to my attention as potential purveyors of bargain basement synth pop.
And duly they were with “Vesanie” by Poupard being a lo-fi gem full of old school analogue beats that power short songs of a distinctly synthetic nature with the most important thing to note being that this is all done with an inestimable style that transcends the technological and budgetary limits inherent to the genre. Nor are Poupard - Laurie et David – mere products of the dancefloor generation as these curiously appealing snippets of synth pop magic seem motivated by greater things such as poetry, Kraftwerk and classical music and it is that variety, and consequent depth, that makes these 14 songs interesting. The technology may be primitive, but the ideas are not. To put it simply, you won’t get bored listening to “Vesanie”.
So there you have it. Bargain basement synth pop done with a clear artistic direction and no small amount of style. Poupard have indeed made a gem with “Vesanie”.
Also available on very limited cassette from Distag Records.