It's never been easier to share your music than it is today; in the age of Bandcamp, Soundcloud, Youtube and MixCloud, anyone wishing to broadcast what they create or play can do so with just two clicks (and a registration). Before the internet, things were more complex.
The famous DIY (Do It Yourself) required a few extra steps: recording yourself or having your music recorded, burning it, distributing it and communicating as best you could. A real adventure, perfectly illustrated by the legendary Le Kiosque d'Orphée label.
At the end of the 50s, a passionate audiophile by the name of Georges Batard founded a small independent label in Paris, open to all musical styles, as well as to amateur musicians wishing to have a concert, a few songs and various sound experiments recorded. Everything was included: French folk song, amateur religious choirs, jazz, beat, sound illustrations, psychedelic rock, provincial folklore, progressive, souvenirs of special events, punk, reggae, classical, contemporary, musique concrète and more.



For over forty years, Le Kiosque d'Orphée has offered a unique panorama of amateur music from France (and beyond). Here, for example, you'll find a record ofVosges spruce, another by theorchestra and youth choir of Besançon's Saint-Claude parish, and a jazz-rock album by Algue, mélodie, mélodie - rock by Jean-Luc Hamonet (which has become a cult classic). Today, many of these records are reissued by contemporary labels with a penchant for cryptic music.
Here are 10 discs from this magnificent cavern of the underground.

Mar-Vista - Visions of Sodal Ye (1976)
When these two from Lille (Claude Cuvelier and Jean Skowron) released this rock-prog record in their youth, they certainly had no idea that in 2014 it would be reissued by Strawberry Rain, a Canadian label specializing in rare music and ranked number one for reissues. Somewhere between Tangerine Dream and French-style psychedelia mixed with La Monte Young and Terry Riley, this album is one of the label's nuggets.

Francisco Semprun & Michel Christodoulides - Incantatory worlds and carnivorous spaces (1970)
These two improvising musicians have spent much of their lives setting to music the choreographies and performances of mimes Pinok and Matho. The result is a bewitching, rhythmic music reminiscent of ancestral rites and ceremonies. Together, they play all kinds of instruments and manage to create a dramatic tension reminiscent of certain minimalist (or maximalist) music styles such as Charlemagne Palestine or Terry Riley.

Danielle - Véro je t'aime (1982)
Véro is the name of the dog Danielle holds in her arms. And it's hers. It's rare to find an album dedicated to her dog containing such beautiful songs with lyrics that border on kitsch - without ever sinking completely into it. Danielle's voice is soft, fair and touching. Once you get past the cover, you'll discover melodies that stay in your head and are well arranged. Special mentions to Véro je t'aime and Le Petit Mozart.

Alain Meunier - Voyage aux fonds de la mer (1979)
Also reissued(Wah Wah Records) and now legendary, this Alain Meunier album smacks of the late Klaus Schulze in Grand Bleu style. It's easy to be won over by these sincere oceanic sounds. "This record is dedicated to all underwater divers, to the "Pagure" club and to all those who fight for the protection of Nature." What better dedication could there be?

Michel Deneuve - Le Cristal (1987) (cassette)
This instrument by the Baschet brothers continues to fascinate musicians. Used by the likes of Pierre Henry, Toru Takemitsu and Luc Ferrari, it's instantly recognizable for its sounds straight from outer space. Michel Deneuve, a former student of Alain Kremski, is one of its greatest masters, and has devoted several works and recordings to it. Here is one of his first and rarest, containing several of his compositions.

Olivier Greif - Sri Chinmoy's Music Played On The Piano By Haridas Olivier Greif (1980) (cassette)
This is a very rare recording. Olivier Greif, the French composer who died in 2000, was the disciple of an Indian spiritual master for almost 10 years. This former Berio pupil with a flamboyant musical career withdrew from the world, his friends and composition to serve this guru. He transcribes, orchestrates and conducts choirs where his master's spiritual songs are performed in concert before thousands of people. Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin were also part of the adventure. Greif's improvisational gifts were proverbial; to hear him freely interpret these melodies (as De Hartman did for Gurdjieff) makes any Greifian music lover curious...

Groupe Vocal Du Foyer D'Education Populaire De Villefranche De Rouergue - Larzac (1975)
"There are the cries of the rich, there are the cries of the poor, there are the cries that have only known the bastards" On the Causse du Larzac in 1971, a merciless war began against the French state, which wanted to expand a military camp. The nationalist conscience of the Aveyronnais awakens and revolts. Lanza del Vasto emerged in the midst of this struggle, bringing ecological awareness to an entire country. When a label takes a stand.

Didier Bocquet - Eclipse (1977)
Reissued in 2018 by Caméléon Records, this French synth-cosmic record is the first by one of the genre's pioneers. For lovers of experimental ambient in search of experimental rarities. Didier Bocquet has now moved on, but this master stroke of his youth continues its furrow.

Madhya - Meditations on the Threshold (1987)
This record has all the makings of an ambient by-product (the cover is a real eye-opener) or a relaxation music, but on closer listen, there's a variety of timbres, harmonies and melodies that make it a much richer record than our initial impression might suggest. On vibraphone, an unknown Thierry Guinot (founding member of Madhya) with a subtle, fine touch. Saxophone, flute and gong join two synthesizers for 45 minutes of futuristic music flirting with spiritual jazz and metaphysical music not so far removed from the Rosicrucian fascinations of Satie.

Claire and Pascal Genneret - La Polka Du Nucléaire (1980)
Certainly the most incredible cover of the entire Kiosque d'Orphée. This committed couple take a musical stand, railing: " With nuclear power we'll all die, with nuclear power we'll all die, but there'll be electricity ". But all in music, accompanied by Philippe Vézien's accordion and supported by the Mouvement Écologiste Briard and the Groupe Femmes de Troyes.
François Mardirossian
To explore this labyrinthine label further, the Playlist