french fries - TSA Artists

FRENCH FRIES
© Jérôme Hervé
SAVOIR FAIRE 2014
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BIOGRAPHY
Valentino Canzani aka French Fries' story begins in 1975, when his parents escaped from Uruguay, which had just come under dictatorial rule, and fled
first to Argentina, then to Paris. French Fries' father Pajaro Canzani had been a superstar multi-instrumentalist and producer in Uruguay with his group
"Los Jaivas" (think psychedelic Beatles). Once in Paris, his father reconstructed a fully-equipped studio complete with drums and various percussion
instruments, which enabled Valentino and his sister (Piu Piu) to familiarize themselves with rhythm and recording techniques at a very young age.
So began Valentino's musical education, he exercised his talent as a drummer until the age of 14. Like a lot of city kids, he was a big fan of both
basketball and American rap. It was at this time that Jonathan Chaoul (aka Ministre X and co-founder of ClekClekBoom) introduced him to house
music and all its sub-genres: Baltimore, Ghetto Tech, the sound of Brazil's favelas… It was also at this time that French Fries' production work underwent
a major change when he met Bambounou, who would become his new writing partner. Their musical complicity permitted the two friends to constantly
improve their production skills and refine their sound, with each of them bringing new ideas and techniques to the table to create their own brand of
club music, which was far removed from the hard electro style popular at the time.
In 2010, French Fries released his first EP "Arma" on the young Parisian label Youngunz. This would inspire him to found his own label, ClekClekBoom,
along with Adrien Creuse (aka Mr Boo) and Jonathan Chaoul. The first EP contained the underground smash "Senta", a minimalist, ultra-percussive
ghetto track with a hint of South America, championed by the likes of A-Trak, Bok Bok and even Calvin Harris. This success landed French Fries firmly
on the map of upcoming producers and led to remixes for artists as diverse as Girl Unit, Greenmoney, Scrarcha DVA, Surkin, Hot Natured, Skrillex, xxxy
and Justin Martin.
In 2011, Valentino further refined his approach to dance music with the EP "Champagne / Hugz", a more pronounced reflection of his love of Chicago
ghetto house and labels such as Dance Mania, infused with the influence from the UK bass scene and labels such as Nightslugs and Hessle Audio. In
addition, the EP was the first release by ClekClekBoom Recordings.
The B-side contained the first collaboration between French Fries and his friend Bambounou on the track "Hugz", the result of much time spent
together by the two young producers in the studio, correcting and improving each other's work. Valentino then started touring throughout Europe,
including many dates in England, where his excellent Boiler Room set served to further augment his profile. It was during this set that Valentino first
played "Yo Vogue", which subsequently entered heavy rotation on Rinse FM. The stage was now set for French Fries to expand his new sound. Claude
VonStroke quickly took notice and asked French Fries to compose tracks for his prestigious Dirtybird label. Naturally, the first single was “Yo Vogue”, a
sexy, New York ballroom-influenced, dancefloor-friendly track which was played out by DJs spanning many diverse musical genres. Following this
success, French Fries embarked upon his first North American tour. Meanwhile, he continued to develop his ClekClekBoom imprint, with releases from
Bambounou, Manaré, Coni, Jean Nipon and New Zealanders Chaos in the CBD, all of which contributed to furthering the new vision of French club
music. Valentino further explored his influences with his white label release “What to do / One Thing”, a blend of Amerie-style RnB and throbbing
Bangalter house music, tied together by a UK Garage stylistic approach. He further continued his collaboration with Dirtybird via his “Space Alarm” EP,
which was released in 2012. This was an important release for Valentino, as it incorporated analogue machines, which changed his way of thinking about
and producing electronic music. It was also at this time that he started developing a new Sci-Fi influenced sound, whilst retaining traditional ghettohouse patterns. These cold and robotic sounds are harmoniously envelopped within a production that is warmer and richer than ever.
French Fries began 2013 with the release of his “Everything” EP, which accentuated his arid, bare-bones production approach, whilst also retaining a
warm club appeal. Next up was the first ever ClekClekBoom compilation, “PARIS CLUB MUSIC VOL 1”, which was released on cd and double vinyl
and followed by a european tour with the entire label’s roster. Valentino followed up this compilation with yet another EP, “Drums / Traxx”, which
skilfully incorporated new tools such as the Minimoog Voyager and the mythical Drumtraks. The B-side, “Traxx”, was recorded in a single all-night jam
session with Chaos in the CBD. As is his habit, Valentino recorded his own voice to create a wild and sexy club hit in the same vein as 90s releases by
underground labels such as Dance Mania.
At only 22 years old, French Fries kicks off 2014 with the release of his first album, “Kepler”, the consummation of his varied influences and continuing
musical evolution. This stellar album is a result of Valentino’s desire to create a coherent project, with 13 tracks centred around a common theme. It is a
project based on the story of the synthetic world of planet Kepler 62e and the artist’s attempt to create something organic within this dystopia. The idea
is to illustrate this struggle through the use of analogue machines and diverse variations based on this imaginary scenario. Two tracks from the album,
“Machine / Bug”, were released as an EP in early December 2013, with the LP to follow in February.
In June 2014, French Fries delivered an almost industrial approach to current leftfield 4/4 dance music, when he blended his signature minimal bass
sound with ambient arpeggios and stone cold funky staccato beats on the amazing "Shift” for Modeselektor’s new compilation (Modeselektion Vol.3).
This track first emerged on Jimmy Edgar's BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix as one of its highlights. In July, ClekClekBoom decided to unleash their second
compilation, “PARIS CLUB MUSIC 2” featuring a collection of some of the best tracks of the label and some exclusives including the strong cut “Got It”
by French Fries.
SAVOIR FAIRE 2014
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DISCOGRAPHY
Got It (exclusive track) - Paris Club Music Vol.2
ClekClekBoom - 2014
Shift (exclusive track) - Modeselektion Vol.3
Monkeytown Records - 2014
Kepler LP
ClekClekBoom - 2014
Machine/Bug Noticed EP
ClekClekBoom - 2013
Drums/Traxx EP
ClekClekBoom (white label) - 2013
Southside + Yo Vogue VIP – Paris Club Music Vol.1
ClekClekBoom - 2013
Everything EP
ClekClekBoom - 2013
Space Alarm LP
Dirtybird - 2012
What To Do/One Ting Dub EP
ClekClekBoom (white label) - 2012
Yo Vogue EP
Dirtybird- 2012
Champagne/Hugz EP
ClekClekBoom - 2011
Arma EP
Youngunz- 2010
SAVOIR FAIRE 2014
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REMIXES
Bambounou - Take It Out On Me (French Fries Remix)
Hot Natured - Isis (French Fries Remix)
Surkin - Lakeside (French Fries Remix)
xxxy - Bash (French Fries Remix)
Justin Martin - Molokini (French Fries Remix)
Scratcha DVA - Ganja (French Fries Remix)
Chaos In The CBD - Trying To Get A Dub (French Fries & Bambounou Remix)
Sound Pellegrino Thermal Team - Bassface (French Fries Remix)
Bambounou - Nappy Head (French Fries Remix)
Girl Unit - IRL (French Fries Remix)
50 Weapons
FFRR
Marble
Halo Cyan Records
Dirtybird
Hyperdub
Youngunz
Sound Pellegrino
Youngunz
Night Slugs
COLLABORATIONS
French Fries ft. Bambounou – K62 (Kepler LP)
French Fries ft. Bambounou – Hugz (Champagne/Hugz EP)
ClekClekBoom
ClekClekBoom
COMPILATIONS
French Fries - Got It / Paris Club Music Vol.2
French Fries - Shift / Modeselektion Vol.3
French Fries - Yo Vogue VIP + Southside /Paris Club Music Vol.1
SAVOIR FAIRE 2014
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ClekClekBoom
Monkeytown Records
ClekClekBoom
SOCIALS
FACEBOOK
https://www.facebook.com/lefrenchfries
“TWITTER
https://twitter.com/mrfrenchfries
SOUNDCLOUD
https://soundcloud.com/mrfrenchfries
RA
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/frenchfries
DISCOGS
http://www.discogs.com/artist/25799-French-Fries
CONTACTS
MANAGEMENT
Edouard Langé
edouard.lange@savoirfairecie.com
PROMO & COMMUNICATION
Elena Giustiniani
elena.giustiniani@savoirfairecie.com
Marine Sanvelian
marine.sanvelian@savoirfairecie.com
BOOKING
FR + BE
Simon Bierlaire
simon@savoirfairecie.com
WW
Lucinda Runham
lucinda@tsa-artists.com
Lola Pillu Perrier
Lola.pillu@savoirfairecie.com
SAVOIR FAIRE 2014
savoirfairecie.com - facebook.com - twitter.com/savoirfairecie – instagram.com/savoirfairecie
NA/SA
Callender De’Mont
callender@amonly.com