EAST WEST

It can be tempting to see Pinhas' East/West as an important record in the career of the French musician, as he stopped the activities of his band Heldon to concentrate on his solo work. Moreover, this album was published in 1980, a symbolic year, the start of the Eighties. East West offers a wide range of musical styles : Houston 69 is a roaring industrial rock led by the vocoded vocals of Norman Spinrad, able to frighten some punks or metalheads. A contrario, several tracks belong to the ambient style (especially The Whale Dance). To my opinion, West Side, co-written with Eastern Europe electro-pop pionneer O.G.I. (does anyone know what he became?), could have been a hit-single : an energetic rhythm with an enjoyable melody and vocals which manage to inspire the will to shout WEST SIDE! with singer Dominique E.

On the other hand, one could argue that the times of exploration in electronic music were past : in other words, this record is good, but not essential, since it lacks the sense of innovation that Pinhas proved with Heldon or his first solo albums. In fact, East West appears as a good introduction for a beginner to the 70's electronic music.