Cha Cha Guitri

about

Cha Cha Guitri from Saint-Etienne, France could have easily rivalled Elli & Jacno or Telex. Emblematic of that French touch which tinged new wave with a bit of sunshine, their electro, retro-futuristic songs have that slightly sweet and sour flavour between casualness and sophistication. The birth of Cha Cha Guitry in 1981 was a landmark for its members, Serge, Dominique, Charly and Marie. Once their hippie phase was over, the guitar, sax and flute were abandoned in the closet while machines took over: an EMS AKS synth, a Roland SH101, and a Roland TR808 rhythm-box. The two couples met in the congenial atmosphere of their "home studio" to record their songs. The boys composed and sang, and the girls sang and designed minimal costumes -- the elegance of which was enhanced by some DIY touches: no need for fabric, paper will perfectly do. As deceivingly offhanded stylists, the Cha Cha crew carefully crafted a music that was both studied and charmingly quirky, making collages of raw pop materials and avant-garde stuff. Scissors in hand, they took what they wanted from the Bauhaus, Moholy Nagy, or Sonia Delaunay's dresses, taping these iconic bits onto the sounds of Kraftwerk and what remained of pop culture (comics, movies, songs of the '30s or easy listening). Cha Cha Guitry, wisely ingenious, modelled tropical landscapes out of cellophane, thus elaborating their own synthetic surrealism. The adventure would not last more than a few years, just long enough to record two ca

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albums

French Synth Wave (St Etienne 1981)

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French Synth Wave

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French Synth Wave - St Etienne - 1981

French Synth wave - St Etienne 1981

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Nova - Coffret Danse

French Synth Wave: St Etienne 1981

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French Coldwave New Wave Synthpop Compilation1

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French Synth Wave St Etienne 1981

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French Synth Lovers #2

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Nova Danse - 1980

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French Synth Wave: St Etienne - 1981

Cha Cha Guitri

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