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Obo​ž​avam Te

by Les Masochats

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Federico D.
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chslbrtr
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Soundmission
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psyomdj604
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Nasul Gnelempf
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1.
Avala 08:09
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2.
Ada Medjica 05:42
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3.
Beograd 07:11
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4.
Marakana 07:59
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5.
Mirijevo 07:13
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6.
Kalemegdan 08:30
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7.
Urban Calling (Industria) 06:57
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8.
Vidikovac (Idea) 08:09
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about

Unreleased Goa Records is honored to release "Obožavam Te", the amazing album of Les Masochats, a French-Serbian collaborative project between legendary POF Music owner Fred Giteau and Dr. Vaki. Fred Giteau debuted in the electronic scene in the early 90’s. He first met John Acquaviva, who introduced him to Richie Hawtin in Windsor and later to Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Jeff Mills, and Mad Mike in Detroit. He then spent time with Moby and Joey Beltram in New York. His early psychedelic and hypnotic influences were Hawtin’s F.U.S.E. and Underground Resistance. In the mid 90’s, Fred turned his attention to trance music with the help of Sven Väth, the co-founder of Harthouse, who became his mentor and a major source of inspiration. He also attended Trance Body Express events in Paris, where he enjoyed the music played by DJ Yayo and Serge Souque of Total Eclipse, however Fred's musical tastes were more eclectic.

Between 1995 and 1996, Fred co-produced several Trance vinyls with ODC, Coral Beef, and Mike Eggert for German labels Suck Me Plasma and Mindworx Records. He provided ideas, searched for sounds, made the arrangements, but needed a partner to put things together as he was primarily a DJ. At the same time, he co-founded POF Music with Olivier Le Castor and Patrick Salhofer. Consequently, he remixed Der Stern Von Afrika's "Lumbumbashi" with Amtinaöus on his label, and Der Dritte Raum's "Trommelmaschine" with Olivier Le Castor on Harthouse. Fred was a huge fan of the latter, having the chance to own a DAT copy of "Hale Bopp" months before its release and this trance anthem soon became his favorite track.

Fred never considered himself a Goa artist per se. What he enjoyed the most was the repetitive and hypnotic side of Trance music, the bass, the roundness of the sound; strictly speaking, the elements that "transcend" the audience. He defined his music as "Electro Psychedelic Trance", a phrase that became the title of two compilations to which he contributed, one track to each. In the second volume released by Bochumer Ton Manufaktur, he collaborated with Vaki, a Serbian artist who helped him remix a track by Moksha under the name "Hovek Olam". In 1998, assisted by a guitarist and a percussionist, Fred and Vaki formed a project called "Les Masochats" and produced a full album that remained unreleased until today.

The name "Les Masochats" is a French-Serbian word-play. Fred Giteau’s first wife and mother of his daughter Yelena was nicknamed "Maca" or "Maso" ("cat" in Serbian). Fred added the French equivalent "Chats" to form "Les Masochats" (cat-cat), a direct reference to the Disney romantic musical comedy film "Les Aristochats" (The Aristocats). The title of the album, "Obožavam Te" ("I adore you") alludes to the love story of Fred with Belgrade. The names of all tracks in the album are intimate memories of this magnificent and electrifying city: "Avala" is a mountain overlooking Belgrade; "Ada Medjica" is an island where the couple used to chill after weekend night events; "Marakana" is the home-base of Red Star Belgrade team; "Vidikovac" and "Mirijevo" are two tough neighborhoods where solidarity flourished; "Industria" was a legendary nightclub; and "Kalemegdan" is an old fortress where Fred played many memorable sets.

The band produced this album during a tragic time in history. The Kosovo War had begun and Fred witnessed the misinformation inside and outside Serbia as the population was regarded, similarly to Milošević, as "Nazis". He "preached" the good word to the new generation who was suffering from these forced parallels between the people and their leader. Les Masochats echo the vibes and moods of the uncertainty that cast its shadow over this beautiful country. When NATO started bombing Yugoslavia, Fred brought his ex-wife with him in France and retired from the scene before the album was completed.

The music here was produced with a simple keyboard and Cubase at Vaki’s room studio. Fred and Vaki sampled and sought for grooves in their sound-banks. Percussion and guitar were played and recorded live, and later technically processed. Fred always allowed for improvisation during his sets. The style of Les Masochats is a mixture of techno, groovy and rhythmic claps that break and restart, bongos, and guitars reminiscent of S.U.N. Project. Some tracks incorporate riffs of traditional Serbian music, just like famous acts from Israel did with melodies of their own folk tradition or ethnic Indian sounds. Fred recollects the time he played along Tsuyoshi and Mark Allen as deeply inspirational. He had his distinct style and sound signature, that always exceeded the "pure" Goa Trance range. What mattered to him was mostly the "vibe". One of his fondest memories was him playing the white-label release of ManMadeMan's "Karmaflage" at a "Return To The Source" event in London.

The tracks of "Obožavam Te" were played during very few events. Fred first tested them in Belgrade and the crowd was particularly fond of "Kalemegdan", which soon became a Serbian trance anthem. On 15 May 1999, he performed in Berlin with the support of an association and Radio B92, as a plea for peace in the Balkans. Fred invited his friends John Acquaviva, Richie Hawtin, a DJ of the Xperiment collective of Belgrade, and everyone played for free during this initiative. Emphasizing his commitment to peace, his last gig took place in Zagreb, Croatia, an opponent of Serbia at the time, where he performed one of his most electric sets ever.

The release of this album completes a full circle to Fred’s contribution to the Trance scene. As per his wish, revenues from the digital sales will be donated to his daughter Yelena who will redistribute them to a cancer-fighting organization. This is Fred's way of giving back something to Serbia, for everything that Serbia gave to him during the happy years.

Tracklist:

01. Avala
02. Ada Medjica
03. Beograd
04. Marakana
05. Mirijevo
06. Kalemegdan
07. Urban Calling (Industria)
08. Vidikovac (Idea)

credits

released March 8, 2023

All tracks written and produced by: Fred Giteau, Dr. Vaki
Mastered by: Federico Draeke
Audio restoration for tracks 3, 4, 7 by: Federico Draeke
Artwork by: Federico Draeke
Photography by: Valek
Executive producers: Vas Cosmogenesis, Federico Draeke
Catalogue number: UGR 043

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Unreleased Goa Records UK

DAT Universe sublabel, perceived as a logical continuation and the final phase of the “Unreleased Goa Project”, that exists since 2007. The aim is to release in digital format until now hidden and obscure Goa Trance tracks, or re-release rare albums.

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