Black Devil Disco Club - The Ransom Note PZYKMIX

Music

We love a good bit of psych every once in a while so who better to provide us with a psych festival special mix than the excellent Black Devil Disco Club. With more years of experience getting his hands on music than the entire staff at R$N Towers has of putting up cabinets at home, Bernard Fevre knows exactly what he's doing when it comes to all sorts of musical goodness and this brand new mix is no exception. He was even kind enough to stop off and have a chat with us as well – you can give that a good read below.

The folks at Liverpool Psych Fest have also written this handy guide to the mix, which is nice;

"On this mix we step inside a few of Fevre's different cosmic disco iterations, with three remixed Black Devil tracks (by Kerrier District, Lee Zero and Turzi) sitting alongside two Bernard Fevre tracks, as well as a nod to the maestro's influence on popular music: The Chemical Brothers' 'Got Glint?', taken from their massive 1999 album 'Surrender', features a sample from Fevre's über rare 70s track 'Earthmessage'. LeBatman's 'Dating Do's' also features a Fevre sample, this time from 'Dali' on 'The Strange World Of Bernard Fevre'. Gems from Roxy Music, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and Walter Murphy and The Big Apple Band show off the mix's shimmery disco flourishes, while the presence of Suicide and Zombie Zombie show Fevre's appreciation for a wider palette of sounds. The Beatles' lysergic backwards masterpiece 'Tomorrow Never Knows' gets a warping to close proceedings."

So there you have it – into the machine you go;

Who are you…where are you, what are you doing?

Bernard Fevre aka Black Devil Disco Club aka a child, since the beginning.

Sometimes here, sometimes out there.

I'm looking for new melodies, that's basically what I've spent my life doing.

Describe your sound without using the letter 'e'.

You'll need to use Google translate: Inouï, gras, piquant, haut, bas, strict, fou.

Let's say both strict and crazy.

What was the first electronic record you ever heard? How did it make you feel?

'Popcorn' by Gershon Kingsley. Thrilling.

Where does your love of music come from?

Hard to tell. Since I was a child. Which I'm still btw.

How psych are you?

I guess the strange melodies that come from my brain. The exaggerated FX that I use in my productions. I don't know if I'm psychedelic, but I have a lot of humour and I guess I don't see/hear exactly like everybody else. I have a song called 'I regret the flower power' which is a joke.

What's the most rebellious thing you've ever done?

Music. Or maybe stealing wheels from cars at night to sell them in the daytime. But it was a long time ago.

If a Black Devil Disco Club was an actual club, what would it look like? What would be the first track on the jukebox?

A lesbian club definitely. The mood and smell is the best.

With fountains of Marie-brizard and Cointreau. Interior design would probably be cartoon style, like Tex Avery. Two bouncers dressed in green (not sure they'd let me in though).

First track on the jukebox would be For Your Love from the Yardbirds.

How would you describe the French psych scene?

I don't know. Charles Trenet, Aqua Nebula, Charles Aznavour are pretty psychedelic in a sense. I don't know where John Maus is from but he's cool.

What is the spirit of disco? Where do you think it currently lingers the most?

Party, gathering, melodic, funny, sexy, mixed socially/racially and classy.
Disco is everywhere. I guess it will never day, as long as there people dancing together and smiling.

What's your knowledge of Liverpool like? Got any plans for when you're in the city?

I don't know the city so I'm pretty excited. I was dreaming about the Beatles when I was a teenager. Maybe I'll do like other tourists, visiting the Cavern. I'm a big fan of their experimental pop. Tomorrow never knows 🙂

How many kittens do you think you could cuddle in an hour? Or before your arms get tired? Whichever happens first.

I love cats. Actually I did a song with Afrika Bambaataa, part of it is about my cat. It's called Magnetic Devil, from the album Circus.
I had two cats, Winnie is now in heaven but Bingo is still here. He spends his time eating.

Taking care of cats is a full tim job. So No more than 1 hour a day per cat I'd say, after I don't have time to do music. I cuddle keyboards.

In your head, what does the devil look like?

I only know that we need him. God needs him.

Onto the mix…

Where was the mix recorded?

At home.

What would be the ideal setting to listen to the mix?

To calm down, take it easy, feel the vibe, enjoy life, don't worry about a thing.

What should we be wearing?

Bellbottoms, flower shirts and London boots.

Which track in the mix is your current favourite?

The Devil in Us because that's the track I wrote 10 years ago, which brought me new exposure, a new label, younger fans… it's a miracle.

If you could go back to back with any DJ from throughout history, who would it be and why?

I'm not really familiar with DJs to be honest. I only did a few mixtapes. I don't mix. I play live. I don't really go out anymore. I'd recommend my friend Cheyenne Schiavone who is pretty good though.

What were the first and last records you bought?

I've never bought that many records; I get them from friends. And I just listens to the radio or TV. I enjoy the zeitgeist but won't spend days listening to a song or an album. I never did.

If this mix was an edible thing, what would it taste like?

I'd cook spaghetti bolognese.

If it was an animal what would it be?

A frog from outerspace!

One record in your collection that is impossible to mix into anything?

Upcoming in the world of Black Devil Disco Club?

Maybe releasing a lost album from 1977, from the vault. And of course performing live and producing new music and working on collaborations. I just did a remix for a cool band called le Galaxie.