In celebration of Ze Records 30th anniversary, Strut Records is releasing the compilation album Ze 30: Ze Records 1979 – 2009 in their honor. This collection serves as a snapshot of the influential tunes that came to fruition with the help of the cult record label.
Ze 30: Ze Records 1979 – 2009 features one of the earliest outings by Was (Not Was) ‘Tell Me That I’m Dreaming’, Bob Blank’s short-lived disco supergroup Aural Exciters, and a Larry Levan mix of Kid Creole’s ‘There’s Something Wrong In Paradise’. Other featured artists include Cristina, Bill Laswell’s Material, French experimentalist Lizzy Mercier Descloux and Les Garcons.
The French electronic duo Casino Music also found a spot on the album, with their cover of Sonny and Cher’s, ‘The Beat Goes On’.
Take A Listen: The Beat Goes On by Casino Music
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Prepared in conjunction with Ze Records founder Michel Esteban, the CD and vinyl packages feature a full history of Ze including interviews with Esteban and a number of original Ze artists along with rare and previously unpublished photos. Ze 30: Ze Records 1979 – 2009 is set for an August release via Strut Records.
Download: The Beat Goes On (Right click on link and select “Save Target As” in IE or “Save Link As” in Firefox)
Some Ze Records History: After the late ‘70s punk and new wave explosion in New York, Ze became a by-word for the anything-goes culture clashes that typified the Big Apple during the early ‘80s. Formed by French art student Michel Esteban and British journalist Michael Zilkha, Ze quickly created its own unique independent universe, signing artists as varied as Alan Vega’s electronic post-punk pioneers Suicide, trash disco queen Cristina and maverick producer August Darnell a.k.a. Kid Creole. With Esteban’s sharp graphic eye leading the label’s visual identity, Ze hit the New York zeitgeist head on and became supremely hip – in 1982, The Face magazine nominated it “the most fashionable label in the world.” The label’s early success led to a deal with Chris Blackwell’s Island Records, which gave Ze’s releases worldwide exposure and brought worldwide fame to Kid Creole, Was (Not Was) and more. Strut
Add A Comment
Comments are moderated.