D20

D20 is upon us!

Recently, I've been listening to a fair amount of 70s and 80s French music―everything from Bernard Szajner to Karen Cheryl―and I figured it's about time I share some of it with you!

Since I'm in a disco sort of mood today, we'll talk about Voyage, a very theatrical yet loungey disco group that made music you'd be more likely to hear at a cocktail hour rather than a thumpin' club. That's not to say the tunes on their 1979 LP, Fly Away, are timid, meek, or tired―they just have a more subtle, subdued funkiness and swagger to them that is unusual within a genre known for oftentimes being rather bombastic and in-your-face. Some of the songs, like "Eastern Trip," dabble in more experimental-leaning electronic ideas, while others, like "Tahiti, Tahiti," pull from world musics you'd be more likely to find on a David Byrne record than a West End 12".

Fly Away and it's predecessor, the spectacular debut Disco Around the World, were, oddly enough, followed up by 3, which took a decidedly new wave pop turn (for the worse). LP4, One Step Higher, found Voyage truly returning to its disco roots, but without the same sort of gusto and innovation they'd utilized to make the first two records such classics. It sounds more like an 80s teen drama soundtrack than an actual disco album.

Anyway―check out the below four tracks from Fly Away and wrap your workweek up with good vibes!

Voyage - Souvenirs

Voyage - Eastern Trip

Voyage - Tahiti, Tahiti

Voyage - Let's Fly Away