Jean-Pierre Massiera (at board) & Bernard Torelli (right) at Antibes Studio 16
Jean-Pierre Massiera's name should be familiar to anyone
into heavy duty psych/prog/experimental musick. Composer, arranger &
producer extraordinaire, JP is a shadowy figure involved in much of France's most
arcane musickal output. He had a hand in everything from Visitors's surrealist
sympho-prog & Horrific Child's deranged rock to J.P.M. & Co.'s discombobulated
disco & his pinnacle achievement, 1968s studio project Les Maledictus Sound
(a holy grail in French underground musick).
Jean-Pierre Massiera was born in Nice. Early on he was a
guitarist with two local rock bands in the sixties, Les Milords & Les
Monegasques. From there he gravitated to the recording studio, becoming a noted
sound engineer, involved in various ways with the French rock scene in the sixties,
seventies & eighties. As early as 1966, he had opened his own eight-track
studio in his home town, recording some of the pioneers of the local rock scene
there such as: Les Pyranhas, with drummer André Ceccarelli, later to become a
well-known jazz artist; & the female singer Jessie Joyce. In 1972, he
opened his new 16-track studio at La Fontonne between Nice & Antibes, which
became known as the Azurville studio (a.k.a. Antibes Studio 16).
Bernard Torelli is half-brother of Jean-Pierre. Bernard had been guitarist in numerous outfits & Jean-Pierre
naturally asked Bernard to participate in planned Antibes Studio 16 ventures.
Bernard accepted enthusiastically, having his own ideas for new projects & compositions.
Turn Radio On is illuminated by Torelli’s funk/rock
guitar work & Massiera’s phenomenal studio wizardry. Many Antibes 16 alumni guest on this mélange of
musickal marmalade. “Turn Radio On” TRO’s opening track is a perfect slice of
funky 70s R&B. From there this album somehow touches on: popcorn disco;
Earth, Wind, & Fire style soul/jazz fusion; syrupy orchestral dance
tuneage; blaxploitation soundtrack; Village People Indian tomfoolery;
pseudo-classical; & acoustical folk funk. “Radio Galaxia” offers up some
twisted French cosmic Funkadelic slop while “Special Night” is all sci-fi
hi-jinx. There something here for everyone to dig. Ya gotta love this OOP
treasure.
Massiera-Torelli – Turn Radio On, Marcy Music – 27 12 76
002, 1976.
Side A:
Turn Radio On
Help Taxi
Whistler Program
Knock Out
Chicaccordios
Quelquepart Quelqu'un
Side B:
Radio Galaxia
Radio Galaxia
Indian Duck
Concertrim
5/4 Connection
Special Night
Radioscopia
Enjoy,
Enjoy,
NØ
RHScZU9wZBF7f0HmLfeVkECouoJu3QHlHytD7huH9TE
ReplyDelete