Hologram Teen is the solo project (and anagram) of former Stereolab keyboardist Morgane Lhote. Her colourful playful songs are heavily influenced by disco and 80s French pop.

Initially from Paris, Morgane relocated to Los Angeles where she concentrated on her solo material. 'Captain Fluo' is a disco-fuelled love letter to 1980s Paris and its underground nightlife, record store discoveries and the exhilaration of growing up as a gay teenager in a world of self-discovery.

Produced and mixed by Andrew Claristidge (Acid Washed) at Duca Sonora Studios in Brittany Captain Fluo is a vibrant fusion of propulsive beats, bouncy synths and funky basslines. Morgane’s signature keyboards weave through a constellation of guest vocalists including Sandra Zettpunkt, Maxwell Farrington, Eric D Clark and Alex Aikiu. From the euphoric pulse of ‘Lust Pill’ to the radio crooner nostalgia of ‘Fréquence Gaie’ each track is a portal to the dance floors and late-night airwaves of a bygone era.

Drawing inspiration from French pop icons like France Gall, Michel Berger and Louis Chedid alongside the sleek productions of Italo disco pioneers Kasso and the genre-defining touch of David Bowie, Nile Rogers, Quincy Jones and Depeche Mode, Captain Fluo is a heartfelt ride through an era when music was liberation. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Actarus
2. Connection Transpacifique (feat. Sandra Zettpunkt)
3. Wolkman
4. Donovan Magic Orchestra
5. Macadam Bubblegum
6. Pack Ur Patience (feat Sandra Zettpunkt)
7. Fréquence Gaie (feat. Maxwell Farrington)
8. Lust Pill!
9. Memphis Sounds
10. Why Ya Wanna Wait (feat Eric D. Clark)
11. Danceteria (feat. Alex Alkiu)

“I am OBSESSED with the 80s. I love the loud neon colours and fashion and the kinetic energy of the music. It’s uplifting and bittersweet with a ton of keyboards, what’s not to like?” reasons Morgane when asked what it is she likes about the decade. This exuberance is brightly reflected in the mirror ball synthpop of her third album released at the end of September. It is her second long player to appear on vinyl after the release of Between The Funk And The Fear debut on the Polytechnic Youth label.

Morgane was the keyboard player in Stereolab between 1995 and 2001 during which time they released Emperor Tomato Ketchup (her favourite) and Dots And Loops. As a teenager though she first played the drums, then guitar and bass. She only learnt the keyboards one month before joining the group. “They gave me 40 songs to learn, it was a baptism of fire”.

After leaving Stereolab, Morgane first moved to New York for nine years; she’d always planned to move to America having spent a lot of time there with her parents and of course those space-pop pioneers. The warmer weather of LA enticed her though and you can hear its pulse in Day-Glo Chaos. The album’s thumping heart is pumped by the city’s night sky and when asked she cites three particular albums as her favourites: the oddball analogue electro of Jacno’s 1979 debut; John Carpenter’s ‘Escape From New York’ and The B-52’s ‘Cosmic Thing’. There’s also a strong nod to the playful computerised harmonies of Yellow Magic Orchestra whilst she’s somewhat partial to the synth prog of Yes and Soft Machine. “I actually created a synth on Ableton Live named after Rick Wakeman’. I should create one after Mike Ratledge next!”

Throughout her work (but especially on this record) you can hear the influence of computer games. “I’m an avid gamer and have been one since I was a teenager and fell in love with my Commodore 64”. Though not a fan of Hotline Miami or the GTA series (“too violent”) she liked Hang On and loved Outrun which she used to play a lot on her Sega Master System. “I just got the soundtrack reissue from Data Disc and it is beautiful” she enthuses.

You’ll see and hear such influences on the lead single from the album ‘Midnite Rogue’ the video to which pays (im)perfect juddering homage to such arcade culture. Car tyres glued to sticky tarmac, French pop music lost in the air. The title was inspired by a Fighting Fantasy book which she adored as a kid. “I love the idea of this entity causing mischief during night time”, she beams. It’s not hard to see why. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Teen Beats Highway
2. Theme From Don Henley
3. Yum Yum Yellow
4. Valley Nights (Burnin’)
5. Mid-Temp Neophyte
6. Radio Staccato
7. Diamond Boombox
8. Abstract Daddy Vol 1
9. Allison In Neon
10. Midnite Rogue
11. VHS Nemesis
12. Magic Ears
13. Floppy Disk Symphony

The second of January’s brace of new Polytechnic Youth releases sees the return to the label for Morgane Lhote, with her post Stereolab project HOLOGRAM TEEN. A fabulous new 4 trk 7” EP entitled “Géométries insensibles” and released on pink wax in ace new Nick Taylor artwork.

Morgane herself says of the project “the EP is the soundtrack to an imaginary 1980s dystopian sci-fi French movie in the vein of "Le Prix du Danger”, "Les Maîtres du Temps" and "Le Dernier Combat". The tracks follow the linear film narrative (at least my version of it!) of set up/conflict, "the chase scene", hope, and finding love. I kept the instrumentation simple and the songs short, with a handful of tracks and synths settings across the tunes, to keep a cohesive sound and narrative. it was really freeing to go for the "less is more" approach for once. That is until the last track which goes a bit "Xanadu" on you, but trust me, that's a good thing!"

The EP, to these ears, recalls a passing nod to those early to mid ‘70s French cosmo-disco LPs, which at one point you’d struggle to give away, yet now fetch £50+ at Utrecht fairs- once thought as cheesy now highly sought after and in their own way, quite pioneering and often in whacked out, cosmic sleeve art. Regular PY (amongst others) art genius Nick Taylor reproduces this look perfectly for it’s sleeve, cemented further with the pink vinyl pressing…

Hologram Teen is releasing a 2-track single on 7" vinyl via London's Happy Robots Records. This is the solo electronic motorik disco project of Morgane Lhote, former long-term keyboard player of Stereolab. Originally from Paris, Morgane moved to London when she was 20 and spent 12 years there. Then she moved to NYC and, nine years later, moved to Los Angeles. Her name is known to many for her work as keyboard player in the seminal indie kosmische act Stereolab, having recorded and performed with the band during their imperial phase between 1995 and 2001, when they released a series of career defining albums including ‘Emperor Tomato Ketchup’ and ‘Dots and Loops’. Fans of Common will also be able to find Morgane on the Sgt Pepper inspired sleeve for his Electric Circus album. She followed her time in Stereolab with a stint in The Projects and, from 2005, played in Garden with members of Simian Mobile Disco before starting the Hologram Teen project.

FOR LOVERS OF: French house, Etienne de Crecy, Deadmaus5, ESG, Umberto, Yello, Add N to X, Death in Vegas, Stereolab, Ghostbox Records, Goblin and Italian Zombie Horror Soundtracks.