serge

Liminanas

If Serge Gainsbourg had written songs with The Velvet Underground, it might have sounded like The Liminanas. Somebody else wrote that, but it’s a great way to describe the sultry, fuzz-drenched basement-sound of the trio from Perpignan. Their second album Crystal Anis is out, and the second you hear the bass in Ballade pour Clive, you’ll get the Gainsbourg-reference. This is music to listen to with darkdarkdark-shades on, while Super8-porn is being shown on the screen in the humid cellar, the leather-clad crowd is getting anxious yet you’re keeping it cool. You might dance. Horizontally or vertical, maybe both. Gimme another shot, barkeep!
See a video for an English track from their debut album here.
Listen to their Beach Boys cover here

The Liminanas – Ballade pour Clive

Zane & Rosie

  • Posted on 11/06/2012
  • /Under Musique

An angelic female voice duetting with a male gravel-gargeler (if that’s a word) – ever since Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra set the standard for this musical template, our world has been enriched by tracks from Serge & Jane, Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue and countless gothic metal bands. Canadian singer-songwriter Zane, who sounds a lot like Lanegan, teamed up with the lovely miss Rosie Komadina, who calls herself a Croatian gypsy and producer on Twitter, to sing a part English, part French track that’s best summed up in these lines: ‘My mama said if you roll with the gamblers you’ll pay their debts/And sometimes you’ll run into black cats and a few regrets.’ Listen to it on their Bandcamp page (link below). By the way, if you’re into Lee Hazlewood, check out the superbe re-issue of his duets with (among others) Ann-Margret on Light In The Attic, here.

Celebrations

It was 20 years ago this year, that Serge passed away. There’s always a reason to celebrate his legacy, but this year we’re doing this with the release of the Dutch translation of Sylvie Simmons’ excellent SG-bio (on Feb 10, Maison Descartes Amsterdam), and with no more then three Soirée’s. On March 2 (appropriatly) in Bitterzoet Amsterdam, on March 5 in Ruimte X Tilburg (I won’t be there) and on March 12, as you can see, during the original Soirée in Petrol Antwerp. Serge van Duijnhoven (poet, writer, phenomenon, Gainsbourg-fanatic) will be there, singer-songwriter Rick Treffers, a food performer, a jazz pianist, a Flemish conferencier, and me. And in Antwerp of course the indispensable Louis Katorz and Pierre Elitair.
Oh, and on Feb 12 I’m partying like it’s my birthday (which it is) in De Nieuwe Anita Amsterdam, together with this gal.

Serge’s Swimsuit Selection

  • Posted on 28/09/2010
  • /Under Video

Les filles n’ont aucun degout? Serge caresse tendresse style, when smoking was still allowed in the bar of his favorite … erm, sauna.

Charlotte Gainsbourg in Bruxelles

  • Posted on 22/06/2010
  • /Under Musique
Yes, Charlotte Gainsbourg did Serge’s Couleur café last Saturday in the Royal Circus of Bruxelles. And L’hôtel particulier. And some hard rocking versions of her own songs (well, songs that were written especially for her), with added psychedelic fx. Those expecting the gentle, almost velvet atmosphere of Charlotte’s 5.55 album probably were disappointed – songs like Songs that We Sing and Jamais were grittier. Jamais even got funkier, with the emphasis on the bassline. I read some reviews of her show in Le Cigale Paris (here), the concert in Bruxelles was exactly the same. It was fierce, sometimes Charlotte could not be heard over the music – but then we knew she has no Aretha Franklin-pipes. I liked it a lot, the band was great (‘cept for the drummer they all played various instruments), the psychedelic fx worked (esp. in Le chat du café des artistes) and the Serge-cover were a treat. She also did a gorgeous Dylan-reprise (see video here). I’d love to see and hear her in a more intimate setting, with lots of strings and a plushier atmosphere. But those leather pants sure fit her nicely.