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Baker's Dozen

Musical Delicacies: Sébastien Tellier’s 13 Favourite Albums
Rob Hakimian , July 15th, 2020 08:23

In this week’s Baker’s Dozen the French producer and songwriter tells Rob Hakimian about 13 albums from his youth and early adulthood that left a lasting impression on the way he makes, listens to, and visualises music.

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Billy Ocean - Love Zone
I was at the Marché aux Puces in Paris, it’s a big market of used items, and I was walking in the street and I saw this cover in the record shop and I don’t know why but I was attracted by it, so I thought I’ll take it. I did not know at all what was on the record, and after I came back home I put the record on the vinyl player and I heard ‘When The Going Gets Tough (The Tough Get Going)’.’ It’s the first song on the album and the most important instrument on the song is the bass, but it’s played by the synthesizer – a Yamaha DX7 – and I love it because the beauty of the DX7 is there in this bass. The beauty of the digital synths are in this record; this album is kind of a tribute to digital synths. For me I love it a lot, I use it a lot, I feel comfortable in this kind of sound. If you listen to this album you can see maybe not all the compositions are fantastic or perfect, but it’s always the best introduction for each song. All the songs have wonderful, wonderful intros – it’s great. I don’t understand why they did such good intros and after quite OK compositions. In terms production, I really love it, it’s a great album to listen to when it’s not dark, it’s bright outside, sunny. It’s a very glamorous album, it’s very sexual. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s one of my favourites. In the head of most people he’s a singer – and he’s really great on this album, his climax was on this album – but the production for me is what’s great.