Cerrone — Supernature - Cerrone III

Along with Giovanni Giorgio Moroder, Marc Cerrone is one of the most influential & respected European figures to come out of the 1970’s & 1980’s disco scene.  Between 1976 & 1989 the French disco drummer, producer & composer released 13 albums, and many singles, that are now thought of as prime & creative examples of Euro disco, post disco & funk electronics.  “Supernature-Cerrone III”, his third album from 1977, is often considered as his masterpiece. This 2011 reissue of the album offers up the albums original six tracks, and some new extensive linear notes along with a new interview with Cerrone himself.

The album opens up with the just under ten minute title track, which is an all time moody & sci-fi tipped euro-disco classic. The track is built around a mid-paced throbbing disco beat, which  is added to by a fairly stripped & bobbing synth work of the (at the time) new ARP Odyssey synthesizer -the MKIII.  The track is clearly influenced by Donna Summer’s work with Giovanni Giorgio Moroder on tracks like “I Feel Love” & “Love To Love You baby”, with it’s stripped back moody purely electronic production/ backing. Yet Cerrone very much put’s his own distinctive take on the track with it’s sc-fi leanings- the tracks  vocalist Stephanie De Sykes(who also featured of early Cerrone hit Love In C Minor ) tells of a future where the use of artificial chemicals in agriculture has caused " the creatures down below" to emerge and "take their sweet revenge" against mankind. Along with main bass line & sythn throb, Cerrone adds in all manner of electro animal like noises that take in growls, bleats & calls, which all add nicely to the whole theme/ story of the track.

The next two tracks “Sweet Drums” & “In The Smoke”, are really continuations/sub-suites to the title track. “Sweet Drums” is built around pounding layers of  synthetic  tribal drums that are weaved with whooshing & billowing synth textures. Where  “In The Smoke” takes a more ambient type feel with slow & stripped heart beat drums that are weaved with moody synth textures that playing out a slowed down version of the title tracks melody- these three tracks took up the original first side of the vinyl album, and I guess they make for a rather nice suite of connecting songs.

The next three songs (that appeared on the original side two) “Give Me Love”, “Love Is Here”, and “Love Is The Answer”, are all a bit more traditional takes on disco with funk bass lines, tightly strummed disc0 guitar struts,  jiving string & horn layers,  some synth/ electronics, and a mixture of repetitive yet soulful & groovy male & female vocals. All three tracks here are well produced & put together slices of disco fare, though they are somewhat less distinctive than the title track, and it’s related suite of songs.

The CD comes with a sixteen page booklet, and this features: a six page write-up about the album, it’s context & influence, this write-up also includes snippets of a recent interview with Cerrone- all in all it’s a most informative & interesting write-up. Also in the booklet are a selection of photo shoot pictures for the album(that feature a rather spaced-out looking Cerrone been grabbed by naked people in animal masks, as he walks through a large greenhouse), single covers & labels, and a few pictures of Cerrone receiving gold discs for the album back in the day.

All told this is a nicely presented & put together reissue of this classic slice of electro fed euro disc/ disco from this respected figure. This is part of a series of Big Breack Records reissues of Cerrone key work that features, his deubt album “Love In C Minor”, and a selection of later albums that take in: “Cerrone’s Paradise” & “Cerrone IV- The Golden Touch”