Dancing The Line was released in 1985 on French label Nato – no connection to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. This is its first reissue. The album is inspired by the fashion of French designer Anne Marie Beretta, and features an eclectic combination of musicians: Beresford’s partner in Alterations David Toop, Kazuko Hohki from Frank Chickens, and classical clarinettist Alan Hacker. Lyrics are by Andrew Brenner.
In the early 1980s, Beresford began a fruitful collaboration with French producer Jean Rochard, appearing at the latter’s music festival in Chantenay Villedieu and recording for his label Nato. In 1985, Rochard introduced Beresford to French fashion designer Anne Marie Beretta, and a collaboration resulted.
Beresford explained to me that Banlieues Bleues, the festival in the Paris suburbs, had “some serious money [for the project], so we had a catwalk show without the catwalk – with Tony Coe, Alan Hacker and a couple of drummers. We could rehearse, and we went and hung out in Anne Marie’s atelier. We wrote a series of songs, some of them instrumental, some of them with words, around her and her clothes.” (Coe doesn’t appear on the album.)
Vocals are by Beresford – also on piano, Yamaha DX7 and RX11 drum machine – and London-based Japanese singer Kazuko Hohki from the group Frank Chickens, which Beresford and Toop had recently produced.
The music mixes urbane ambient pop with synth funk and influences from free improv and experimental music. It opens with the beautifully crafted pop song Tendance, featuring vocals by Beresford and Hohki. Funkier tracks include Sand From A Desert and Altitude. There are two free instrumentals – Horse Tail by Toop on flute, and Snap by Hacker. The clarinettist makes a thrilling contribution to other tracks too, notably Altitude, and Sand From A Desert – he was a self-deprecating but remarkable improviser. It’s great to have this reissue of an album that illustrates Steve Beresford’s richly varied artistic achievement.
Discography
Tendance; Sand From A Desert; Hiver 83/84; Lover Of Paradox; Snap; Un Aimant Vivant; Altitude; Clins D’œil; Comfortable Gestures; Été 82; Gift Of Linen; Horse Tail; Cicada (42.04)
Steve Beresford (p, elp, v); David Toop (f, g); Kazuko Hohki (v); Alan Hacker (cl). Chantenay, France, 2-13 October 1984.
Wewantsounds WWSLP97
