Tele Music: 30 Classics French Music Library Vol.1 Vinyl 2LP

Killer selection of library music from Tele Music, the renowned (lol who am I kidding, there’s no such thing as renowned library music) French music house active in the 60s and 70s. Primarily situated in Europe, each of the major production companies (Bruton Music, De Wolfe, KPM being the most well known) are revered for their own unique sound, but Tele Music’s strength seems to lie in their versatility. This thorough survey of their catalog yields high-pedigree cues cut in an array of recognizable styles, anything from Miles Davis (“Sport Panorama”) to Pink Floyd (“Moon To Light”) to funky jazz flute (“La Nuit Est Une Fête”) to Kraftwerk (“Radium One”), each so good you’d be forgiven for mistaking any of them for major label album cuts. The second half of the comp moves into more modern electronic sounds, sometimes mixing them with organic woodwinds and percussion to sublime effect (“Rallye Du Diable,” “Mondial Scoop”). There’s also a fair bit of gentle female vocal accompaniment over rolling jazz grooves a la Cortex, Francoise Hardy (“Vertueuse Rêveuse,” “Le Soleil Sur la Peau”). No shortage of drama (not to mention incredible song titles, “Aubergine Time” anyone?) as all these tunes were cut in the hopes of catching the ear of some music supervisor for TV and film; there’s nothing low key or minimal to be found here. Unlike rare soul and jazz LPs which are often holding out in some geriatric collector’s attic, most - if not all - of these original library LPs were destroyed by their owners after a few years, so this is probably your only chance to get any of this stuff on wax. Don’t blow it!! Recommended.

• black double vinyl pressing
  
• deluxe embossed sleeve
  
• printed inner sleeve w/ liner notes
  
• limited edition of 500
  
• music label: BMG Production Music 2019
  

reviewed by naffi sandwich 01/2020