Jean-Philippe Goude

Drones - Musea FGBG41O2.AR

In 1962, a ten-year-old Parisian began his studies of classical music and the piano. In the late sixties he dabbled with blues/rock bands and jazz for a while but kept his classical bias. Continuing his musicological studies into the early seventies Jean-Philippe Goude also developed his keyboard and writing skills along with a taste for weird sounds, in a group called MADAME BERTRAND. The band eventually dwindled to a duo and then disbanded when, in 1975, the Saravah label released Goude's first album with percussionist Olivier Cole. Entitled 'Jeunes Années' it is apparently interesting but with some weak compositions. A few months later he teamed up with Bernard Paganotti to form WEIDORJE, working alongside Patrick Gauthier on keyboards. The strain of their battle for recognition led to Goude's disenchanted departure in 1979, shortly before Paganotti broke up the group. Goude wanted more studio work and soon joined the people at Ramses Studio in Paris, working with Ramon Pipin's ODEURS and Richard Pinhas, before settling down to record a solo album. The compositions first came out as a private pressing for a gymnastics federation, with the title 'Sur un air de Gymnastique'. But then the music was rearranged for a proper commercial release. In 1980 the Ramses label (distributed by Polydor) unleashed 'Drones', a significant spiritual creation which in many ways is a direct descendant of Weidorje and a forerunner of the Gothic-Fusion that Paga Group present today. The guest list on 'Drones' is pretty phenomenal, including Blasquiz, Gauthier, Paganotti, Pinhas, Widemann, the Quatour Margand and the Guillard brothers. The album begins in classic Zeuhl style with a number that Weidorje used to play live (listen to tapes of Rombas 14-10-78 for example): 'Les Saturnales', which is exquisitely supplemented by the voice of Klaus Blasquiz. 'Dies Irae' is a major piece of Zeuhl Music, with similarities to some of Vander's 'Attahk', but more closely linked to the Weidorje / Paga composition 'Urantia'. Another tune with a clear Zeuhl attitude is 'Cantilene', a duet with Gauthier on piano and Goude on synth. The CD closes with a bonus track that had been originally intended for the LP, a chorus for three mini-moogs lasting five minutes. 'Trio de Mini-Moogs' is performed by Goude, Gauthier and Widemami. On the whole the album is a unique and personal vision of the use of electronic music within contemporary European culture. Just as Musea say, 'Drones' is Absolutely Essential.

Jean-Philippe went on to work with ODEURS and then got heavily involved in music for dance, film and television, releasing at least three albums of soundtrack music, including 'Méhi-Mélodies' which is quite entertaining; a cross between 10CC and Tangerine Dream. At last in 1987 he began to get more involved as a composer again, culminating in 1992 with a contemporary chamber music album 'De Anima'.

JPG Biography

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