About this item

Les Disques Bongo Joe is reissuing Au Revoir, the debut album by Société Étrange, originally released in 2015 on the Lyon-based label S.K. Records, and now considered a cult classic. This Lyon trio, composed of Antoine Bellini (electronics), Romain Hervault (bass), and later joined by Jonathan Grandcollot (percussion), explores a minimalist instrumental soundscape, where repetition and tension play a central role.

"Au Revoir" was created with a raw and intuitive approach, mostly composed during the group’s earliest days. At the time, Antoine and Romain were working as a duo, experimenting with drum machines and electronic sounds inspired by the post-punk of the 80s, the robotic grooves of Neu! and Cluster, and the DIY spirit of early hip-hop. The result is a music that is both hypnotic and introspective, where the presence and absence of sonic elements balance with minimal precision. Between electronic layers and winding bass lines, the tracks move forward like on a foggy road, uncertain but captivating.

For this reissue, Société Étrange offers two new recordings. One of them is a revisited version of "Voiturin à Phynance", renamed "Voiturin à Fifinance" for the occasion, with Jonathan Grandcollot now fully integrated into the group. His percussive style, both organic and melodic, has profoundly transformed the group’s sonic dynamics, adding richness and texture to this new version. The previously unreleased track Blanchard completes the edition, offering another facet of their universe, more spontaneous and free.

This reissue is more than just a re-release of an out-of-print album. It is a testament to the evolution of Société Étrange, a group that blurs genre boundaries, seamlessly blending post-punk, krautrock, dub, and electronic minimalism. With "Au Revoir", the trio crafts a singular instrumental sound, where each note seems to carry a unique weight and intention, borrowing equally from abstraction and narrative.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: Not unlike The Field's brilliant 'Looping State Of Mind' from 2011, the appeal of Société Étrange's superb odyssey 'Au Revoir' lies in the development and growth of these pieces through constant, faltering repetition. Loops cascade into each-other while saturation and delay builds, juxtaposes and decays again. Beautifully organic sounding electronic compositions.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Coke
A2. Voiturin à Phynances
A3. Des Nouvelles De Pélaguiz

B1. Premier Soulier
B2. Première Valise
B3. Orangeade