 |
  |
F-COM, FRENCH LABEL
F for Fundamental
19/07/2000 -
F for Fnac
1998 - Techno beats were heard in France for the first time, pounding out of speakers at cult Parisian nightclub Le Boy (now sadly defunct). Two years later Eric Morand, a young producer working at Barclay, met Laurent Garnier, a visionary French DJ (still unknown at the time) who was on a one-man mission to import house to France. Creative sparks began to fly and the pair embarked upon their first collaboration, bringing out Garnier's first EP French Connection, on Fnac Music. Given that the market was still at an embryonic stage and Fnac wanted immediate results, Morand found himself in a difficult position as Fnac's first electro pioneer.
After two fairly chaotic first years, things began to fall into place and Morand went on to launch Shazz and Deepside. Morand felt the tide beginning to turn and started planning his departure from Fnac, making sure the artists he had signed were well protected before he left. The Fnac story soon came to an end, but not before the label had brought out a string of cult classics including Acid Eiffel, Lunatic Asylum's The Meltdown and Garnier's legendary Wake-up. (Meanwhile, Garnier's Wake-up nights shook up the Paris club scene, going down a storm with ravers at Le Rex). 
F for Family
1994 - F-Communications came into being and wasted no time in making a name for itself as the first independent electro label to promote French artists. Following the example of leading indie labels such as Nu-Groove, R&S and Warp, Morand set out to prove that France had just as much to offer in the way of happening electro sounds as Detroit or London. It was not the ideal time to take such a stance, however, with French authorities cracking down on raves and the French media whipping up a storm of controversy by linking techno with ecstasy.
Rave militants soon fought back and an organisation called Technopol was set up to promote techno awareness, headed by none other than Eric Morand himself. Meanwhile, F-Communications began its assault on the record market, releasing Garnier's debut album Shot in the Dark (featuring the wonderful acid-influenced single Astral Dreams). F-Communications promptly followed this with a series of other releases from young hopefuls such as Lady B, Scan X and Taho.
Gaining in credibility and confidence, the small "family" label began to expand and demo tapes came pouring in, assuring that the F-Com stable was kept stocked with new talent. Loyal to its famously eclectic approach, F-Com soon started signing artists from abroad as well as local talent. St-Germain was one of the label's seminal acts in those days, scoring a hit with Boulevard, an innovative fusion of rhythm box and jazz. Meanwhile, electro began to emerge on the French mainstream, record stores extending their "electronica" section as the French media promoted a more positive image of the rave/techno alliance, citing F-Com as one of the scene's prime movers and shakers. Berlin's Love Parade also attracted massive media coverage, inspiring former French culture minister Jack Lang to support Technopol's bid for a Parisian version of the Love Parade. 
F for Famous
1998 - The Techno Parade became a reality. While smaller than its cousins in Berlin and Zurich, Paris's Techno Parade has nevertheless forged a reputation for its cutting-edge sounds. Meanwhile, techno continued to invade the mainstream, assimilating itself into French culture in spite of restrictive radio quotas and legal obstructions. Exciting new electro hybrids began to emerge on the market as techno fever spread and F-Com was always ready with the latest sounds from Elegia, Juantrip’, Nova Nova, Scan X and Aqua Bassino. Laurent Garnier also emerged as a leading star, carrying off a coveted "Victoire de la Musique" award for his second album and bringing the house down when he performed at the legendary Olympia in Paris. Meanwhile, the Montreux Jazz Festival also paid tribute to Garnier and Morand's label, organising a special F-Com night in their honour.
In the autumn of '98 F-Com celebrated its 100th release with a double CD compilation featuring the label's most seminal hits. The following year F-Com took the international charts by storm, making the majors green with envy when Mr Oizo and his fluffy yellow glove-puppet Flat Eric rocketed to n°1 (just about everywhere) with their cult single Flat Beat. Mr Oizo - aka Quentin Dupieux, a young French composer and video-maker - owed his success to an ad. for a famous brand of jeans and to the inimitable F-Com.
Following the phenomenal commercial success of Flat Beat, Morand could have been forgiven for lying back on his laurels for a while. But he got straight back to work releasing Garnier's third album, which confirmed F-Com as a rising star on the international scene.
F for Future?
F-Com's reputation is now such that the label can afford to branch out in new directions and take commercial risks, which it does by promoting Galliano's Afro-electro fusion and Nova Nova's alternative mix of piano, vocals and cello. This label of which the motto is "Electronic With No Limit" has certainly proved there's no limit to its visionary capabilities.
Marc Tetefort
