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SPACE ART

Progressive Electronic • France


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Space Art biography
Original synth wizards coming from early French spacey rockin underground. Until the beginning of the 80s The duet (Dominique Perrier & Roger Rizzitelli ) released three LP and a handful of singles that are now true rarities and classics of the genre. Sci-fi surreal electronic atmospheres / B-grade soundtracky vibes meets traditional comsic synth excursions. The two musicians have carried on their musical career in various bands / projects.

Similar artists in the archives: Spacecraft, Philippe Besombes, Hydravion, Flamen Dialis, Gaston Borreani

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SPACE ART discography


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SPACE ART top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.46 | 22 ratings
Space Art
1977
3.88 | 22 ratings
Trip in the Center Head
1977
2.33 | 9 ratings
Play Back
1980
4.05 | 2 ratings
Entrevues
2020

SPACE ART Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

SPACE ART Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

SPACE ART Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

SPACE ART Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 2 ratings
Nous savons tout
1978
2.00 | 2 ratings
Symphonix
1981

SPACE ART Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Entrevues by SPACE ART album cover Studio Album, 2020
4.05 | 2 ratings

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Entrevues
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by tszirmay
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Space Art is an electronic duo from France that had the distinction of releasing two rather unique and tasteful albums in 1977, the year punk reached the top and rendered prog somewhat temporarily obsolescent. The self- titled debut and the follow-up "Trip in the Centre Head "contained some fine electronic music that had also the benefit of being well received and critically applauded, even though the melodic French school is quite different than the more efficient and mathematical German one. Artists like Hydravion, Space, Paris France Transit, JP Rykiel, Dominique Guiot, Ose, Philippe Besombes, Ted Lasry and Molecule, to name only a few other than the legendary JM Jarre (for whom the members of Space Art played with in the 80s as touring musicians) carving out quite the reputation worldwide for offering a simpler, more accessible style of electronic music than the psychedelic giants from Germany.

Out of the blue, Space Art returns in 2020 after a very long absence, with a remix of old surviving tapes that keyboardist Dominique Perrier decided to release, even though drummer Roger Rizitelli had passed away in 2010. The results were well worth the wait as the compositions are mature and enticing even upon first audition, with tons of staying power. This becomes quite apparent on the opener "Lunes", which sets the bar quite high, as a surprising piano melody shapes the track as it slowly muscles forward for the next 4 minutes. It sounds like a long- lost classic within a few seconds, as the theme is utterly gorgeous, while the mid-section offers a typical jazzy interpretation, along with a swerving synth solo of the finest order. The next track is exploratory and adventurous without the need for ambient textures as its quite vivacious in its own right, the real drums adding muscle and depth to the twirling sounds. Fascinating. The more up-beat "Retrouvailles" offers a breezier synthesized sunshine colouring that has the drums thrashing about joyfully, as the fragrant synths lines flutter like a dancing butterfly. Short and sweet.

"Meteo" has a main melody strangely reminiscent of In the Court of the Crimson King that can do no wrong, a 6 minute plus foray into symphonic realms that works itself up into a frenzy, with a screeching guitar-like synth solo that creates havoc, as its so unexpected. Musical weather patterns that seem to change on a dime, just like the climates we all currently have to deal with. The final minutes is where the symphonic bombast kicks in, a glorious melody that lingers in the mind.

Playful and almost mischievous, "Inox" is a brief little ditty that has superlative drumming as well as that light and cheerful feel that gives this band the credibility of having an expanded repertoire of creativity, never too serious or too easy. As proven by the next piece, the aptly titled "Atmosphere" where the two polar opposites re-unite under the guidance of an ornate piano and some great synthesized orchestrations. It all sounds so effortless and pleasantly attractive. Halfway through, it veers off again into the jazzier zone while still incorporations odd sounds, constantly evolving and searching out new tonal horizons. Truly magnificent.

A fun side? Mais oui, les amis! The nearly 3 minute long « Space News" sounds like a broadcast theme for a TV station, complete with voice effects, oddball screwing synth flips, bass synth rumble and those shuffling drums! The segue into "2B" is equally unexpected, with all kinds of colliding rhythms and melodies, actually quite a complex blending of sounds that keep one on their toes. Nothing lingers on too long, no filler, no lack of direction at all. All is super tight and to the point, creatively astounding electronic music of the finest caliber.

The finale is unfortunately the most "techno" piece here, as its laden with all the classic and predictably formulaic sounds such as vocoder, whoop-whoop synths, clapping electronic percussion. It's a remix by some artist called Diakar, and honestly, nowhere near the quality and imagination of the 8 preceding tracks. Well, keeping this at the very end certainly sent a message.

The cover art maintains their famous late 70s computerized logo and is a real treat. An unusually exciting as well as totally unexpected release that will surely, please many melomaniacs

4.5 interviews

 Symphonix by SPACE ART album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 1981
2.00 | 2 ratings

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Symphonix
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer

2 stars I'm embarrassed to admit it took a few moments for me to recognize this synth-rock arrangement of the Allegretto from Beethoven's Symphony No.7, despite the source being identified right there on the record sleeve beneath an ersatz M.C. Escher portrait of the composer himself, and despite this particular movement being a personal favorite (not that you should care). The single was almost an afterthought to the already redundant Space Art discography in 1981, released after the original duo of Dominique Perrier and Roger Rizzitelli had been conscripted into the touring arsenal of JEAN MICHEL JARRE (see: "Les Concerts en China").

Fans of Space Art (and they did have a small but loyal following, extending to at least one very young Proghead in the San Francisco Bay area) might enjoy the novelty of hearing what the group might have sounded like as an augmented rock ensemble, with ex-HELDON bass guitarist Didier Batard (among others) added to the line-up. But to these ears the strengths of the initial synthesizer / drum configuration were diluted by the additional players, especially when the boilerplate arena-rock guitar solo kicks into gear.

A moot point, at any rate: the record was little more than a minor valedictory for a talented but underachieving pair of musicians. But it at least helped to erase the bad taste left over from their 1980 "Playback" LP, a sample of which was re-recorded by the short-lived full band for the B-Side of the single.

 Nous savons tout by SPACE ART album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 1978
3.00 | 2 ratings

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Nous savons tout
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer

3 stars The final gasp of genuine progressive electronics from Space Art (before the band contracted the techno-pop virus of the 1980s) made a virtue of its Janus-faced stylistic schizophrenia. The A-Side of the single, "Nous Savons Tout" (translation: We Know Everything) was firmly aligned with the dance floor fads of the latter 1970s, but with a strength that bordered on psychotic aggression. Imagine Richard Pinhas of HELDON, flaunting gaudy platform shoes and flared bell-bottom pants, strutting his stuff at some heavy industrial discothèque, and you'll have a fairly accurate idea of its sound.

The flipside ("Mélodie Moderne") was another ball of wires entirely, looking backward to an era of synth-rock romanticism already disappearing below the event horizon of changing times. It's a lush, lyrical farewell to old-school symphonic keyboard artistry, but with the added impact of real drumming, and (thankfully) closer in style to the catchy Jarre- and Vangelis-influenced electronic prog of the band's first two underrated albums.

Space Art never quite reached its full potential, and I doubt their claim to being "Le Premier Groupe de Vulgarisation Scientifique" was anything more than a tongue-in-cheek PR motto. But on the evidence of these two sides of vinyl (mine is the extended 12" Maxi-Single) the band was more than capable of competing against a crowded line-up of better remembered synthheads.

[Consumer note: both cuts, but with an abbreviated version of "Nous Savons Tout", were included as bonus tracks on the 1997 CD re-issue of the Space Art album "Trip to the Center Head"]

 Space Art by SPACE ART album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.46 | 22 ratings

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Space Art
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by Dobermensch
Prog Reviewer

3 stars A hopelessly dated yet alluring and pretty little album full of analogue synths played in the style of Jean Michel Jarre. As soon as you see the cover you know you're in for one hell of a 'bag of cheese'...

Acoustic drums, albeit heavily treated, are played over an entirely electronic score throughout this '77 recording. The drums contribute to the 'cheese factor' dramatically. 'Space Art' are an artefact of the mid 70's electronic scene. There's nothing ground-breaking or original here, but it does sound pretty cool in this - the smelliest of 'Stilton Cheese' productions.

Tracks such as 'Axus' actually stop you recoiling in embarrassment momentarily as some thudding drums take control. Still, it's not one to play on a first date, unless you own a pair of 'milk bottle glasses'.

There are a few comparisons with Tangerine Dream's "Force Majeure' from '79 but unfortunately this is more tacky, with as much threat and intimidation as a warm cabbage.

At times this recording sounds like a really poor 'Video Nasty ' soundtrack from the early 80's.

Thankfully things improve with 'Ode A Clavius' - Strangely I can't help but be taken back to 1979 when I was 9 years of age. This is SO Christmas day - with presents lying all over the floor, with scrumpled up wrapping paper lying in living room corners. It really is weird what music can do to your mind...

I've probably been unduly harsh on this recording as it actually sounds pretty good if listened to from beginning to end. At the time it must have sounded super and genuinely ground- breaking.

I'm afraid to say it's a bunch of rubbish really, with no artistic comparison to the 'Berlin' branch of electronics that existed at the same time.

 Trip in the Center Head by SPACE ART album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.88 | 22 ratings

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Trip in the Center Head
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer

4 stars The abbreviated career of Space Art reached its apogee on the band's second album, released at the high-water mark of analog synth-rock in 1977. And it holds together remarkably well after more than three decades, thanks in part to an unbeatable combination of vintage synthesizers, aggressive drumming, and strictly instrumental arrangements.

The trademark image of the hazmat suit on the LP cover, reflecting what looks like a Maxfield Parrish landscape in its visor, aptly illustrates the opposing poles of the Space Art aesthetic: splashy and romantic, but more down-to-earth than the band's name would suggest. The music here is more deliberate than its looser, self-titled predecessor (released earlier the same year), sounding at times not unlike backing tracks for songs before any vocals were added. But the material is stronger, and played with more confidence, to a point approaching proto-1980s arena-rock bombast, in cuts like "Odyssey" and "Hollywood Flanger". Every track is a model in musical euphony, but all of them are mere warm-ups to the epic album closer "Psychosomatique", which ebbs and flows over eleven tense minutes toward a perfectly timed, Panavision climax of considerable sonic drama.

With a little more exposure the Space Art duo could have made a bigger commercial splash, instead of being quietly absorbed into the touring band of Jean Michel Jarre. The superstar synthesist was an obvious kindred spirit and role model, and the first two Space Art efforts actually compare favorably to Jarre's career zenith "Oxygene" and "Equinox" albums. Today, Space Art is remembered (if at all) as a cult favorite of synth-rock connoisseurs with long memories. They were a late addition to the ProgArchive database, and are likewise long overdue for a belated re-evaluation.

 Space Art by SPACE ART album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.46 | 22 ratings

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Space Art
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer

4 stars The '70s Space Art team of Dominique Perrier and Roger Rizzitelli should have attracted a much larger audience, but their albums never enjoyed the same degree of promotion and distribution mobilized by kindred synth-rock rival Jean Michel Jarre (who effectively neutralized a potential competitor by hiring the duo as his backing band in the early 1980s). The two acts shared strong common ties of geography and style, but Space Art would always be non-starters in any sales contest, despite an equal flair for melodic hooks, and the stronger muscle provided by a live drummer.

Their self-titled 1977 debut LP was located squarely on the Jarre/Vangelis axis, light years closer to home than the drifting interstellar explorations of other electro-prog pioneers (Schulze, Froese, Pinhas et al). The opening 'Onyx', which gave its name to an earlier CD re-release of the album, is still the perfect introduction to the Space Art sound, boosting the group into orbit on the afterburners of an incredibly catchy riff, and presented with enough wide-screen grandeur to make Cecil B. DeMille sit up and take notice. There's a motif of sorts in the contagious opening melody, recurring at the start of Side Two ('Aquarella', on the original vinyl), and in the more ominous, escalating atmospherics of the album closer 'Laser en Novembre': in musical terms the sound of our local star going supernova and obliterating the inner solar system.

But the album more often borrows its cues from the quasi-classical synthesized arrangements of Walter/Wendy Carlos, almost verbatim in the long 'Ode a Clavius', named after the lunar crater where Stanley Kubrick's enigmatic monolith was uncovered. Imagine the faux-baroque soundtrack to 'A Clockwork Orange', updated with state-of-the-art equipment (circa 1977) and fortified by heavy drumming. After more than thirty-five years it sounds better than I remembered (in a retro sort of way), enough to certainly warrant a second look, and better late than never.

 Play Back by SPACE ART album cover Studio Album, 1980
2.33 | 9 ratings

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Play Back
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by VOTOMS

2 stars This is the third and last album from the pioneer electro french duo Space Art. And this is not a bad album at all, but it's boring, not cacthcy, and it loses a lot of strenght after their two epic early releases. The effects are cool IMO, even the ''supermario jumping sounds''. But the lack of variety on effects not works when the band have no catchy rhytms to show us. Another point is: this album sounds happier than the other releases. No, it haven't sound commercial for me, but it loses the space feeling that i have for it. This isn't a space ART anymore.
 Space Art by SPACE ART album cover Studio Album, 1977
3.46 | 22 ratings

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Space Art
Space Art Progressive Electronic

Review by VOTOMS

3 stars Space Art - self titled album

What? They're bad? Come on, if you're here, you already want cliche analog synth music, you filthy man! Space Art self-titled album, or Onix, engages a cheesy, but somehow pretty sympathetic musical environment. The music isn't complex to undestand. Much like Trip in The Center Head, but a little better. The sixth track (Ode a Clavius) took my interest after the first two minutes. Actually, the intro of this track, my favorite from all Space Art's work, it's a classical wannabe composition for oldschool electronics. The late minutes get's pretty interesting. OK, it's catchy. A little catchy. I'm sad there aren't too many minimal synth fans nowadays, and I can understand why Space Art remains underground in the progressive territory: they're cheesies than cheesy enough. I listen to loads of electronic vintage tapes and even the cliche ones are more inventive than this! But you know, it has some charm.

Thanks to Philippe Blache for the artist addition.

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