Telex

Telex was a synth-disco trio formed in Brussels, Belgium, in 1978 by keyboardist Marc Moulin, who had previously performed with Cos. He was joined by vocalist Michel Moers and composer/synthesist Dan Lacksman, and together, Telex crafted a slick, stylish brand of Europop/disco with relaxed tempos and often-processed vocals. Their debut album, Looking for Saint-Tropez, was released in 1979, containing signature songs like the title track, "Moskow Diskow," and slowed-down covers of "Rock Around the Clock" and Plastic Bertrand's "Ca Plane Pour Moi." Neurovision (1980) and Sex (1981) followed, with the latter employing lyricists Ron and Russell Mael. (A 1982 U.K.-only release, Birds and Bees, contains all but three of Sex's tracks, plus several singles.) Nothing much was heard from the group after 1984's Wonderful World until 1988, when Looney Tunes displayed an about-face toward goofy, effects-laden electronic music somewhat akin to the Art of Noise or Yello. The band broke up soon after, though all three members also released material. Ten years later, long after all Telex material had gone out of print, the band received the remix-album treatment on SSR's I Don't Like Music (Remixes), featuring a host of new-school electronic producers like Carl Craig, Buckfunk 3000, Patrick Pulsinger, and Glenn Underground. A separate disc, I Don't Like Remixes, presented the Telex originals. The set proved so popular that a second remix disc, I (Still) Don't Like Remixes, Vol. 2, was released the following year. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi