LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts/ Vision Music Promotions) The result of numerous fortuitous encounters, 'Low Ends' is a song whose history demands some explanation. Here is the whole story…
In 2002, Malcolm McLaren - the Sex Pistols' former manager and a great admirer of French culture - had been living in Paris for several years. He was looking for a producer for his new solo album called Diorama, which was to be released by Tommy Boy Records as a follow-up to his 1994 album Paris.
Swiss DJ Stephan Grieder - manager of Svek Records in Sweden - brought McLaren to the
Relax Beat offices, an indie label managed by French electronic music artist Thierry Criscione. The latter was then working on a "chip" music album, made with vintage 8-bit Nintendo Game Boys. Enthralled by the new lo-tech underground scene and their DIY approach based on détournement, McLaren hired Criscione as the producer of his next record and soon everybody was working at the
Relax Beat studios in Ivry-sur-Seine (a southern extension of Paris' Chinese district). McLaren wrote an article called '8-Bit Punk' in American magazine Wired, in which he enthused about the blooming chip music genre that
Relax Beat was actively developing with such releases as the Boy Playground compilation, Koro Osanago's Mini-Click EP and Slabb's Instead EP.
As the album's recording took place in Ivry, Malcolm McLaren decided to get in touch with his old friend Tony Wilson, the well-known founder of Factory Records, as he wished to use the lead vocals from Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' in a new track called 'Love Will'. Once the tapes had been received from Britannia Row Studios in England, Thierry Criscione asked his friend Marc Durif from the French electronica band Nova Nova to finalize the track's production. The mix went to Stephen Hague, a longtime McLaren's collaborator and the producer of a few New Order's classics from the 80's. Happy with the resulting song, Tony Wilson gave a copy to
Peter Hook - the famously inimitable bass player of Joy Division and New Order. When Marc Durif heard that
Peter Hook had included the track in his own DJ sets, he sent him an acoustic piano arrangement of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' he had done using the full Ian Curtis acappella, and a relationship developed between Marc and Peter. Marc having composed a new song asked
Peter Hook if he would play bass and
Peter agreed to play bass on that still un-named track which was to become 'Low Ends'. Marc Durif then called up Thierry Criscione and Slabb from
Relax Beat to work with him on the original production and on remixes.
Nova Nova began his career on Laurent Garnier's own F Com label and Garnier first came to public attention as a resident DJ at the Hacienda, a legendary nightclub once owned by
New Order in Manchester. 'Low Ends' is released by Atal Music, a label owned and managed by Alexandre Escolier, who started his career in the music industry at Factory Records in the mid-80's.
So the circle is complete.
Nova Nova &
Peter Hook - Low Ends (Atal Music, 2013)
01. Original Mix
02. Slabb Remix
03. Thierry Criscione Mix
