Yan Tregger - Ducks & Drakes (BBE MUSIC October 5, 2018)

Originally released on library music label Musical Touch Sound back in 1979, ‘Ducks & Drakes’ is an instrumental disco LP by pioneering French electronic musician Yan Tregger. Reissued this year by BBE alongside his 1978 album ‘Catchy’, Ducks & Drakes has achieved cult status among crate diggers and DJs, thanks to its ebullient charm and rock-solid leftfield grooves. 

Virtually impossible to find on vinyl for many years now, ‘Ducks & Drakes’ found wider allure in 2008 when Alexis Le-Tan selected album track ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ for experimental disco compilation ‘Space Oddities’. UK music hero Frankie Valentine brought these two magical albums to BBE’s attention and curated the project alongside the team. 

Amazingly (especially given the era in which it was recorded) the album was almost entirely performed, produced and composed by Tregger himself. Presented with its beautiful original artwork and previously unavailable to all but a lucky few record collectors, we’re excited to share the disco-infused magic of ‘Ducks & Drakes’ with the world.

1. Friend Island 03:25

2. The Girl In the Gold 02:50

3. Dawn and Darkness 03:34

4. The Ivy Heart 00:15

5. The Last Girl 04:07

6. Threshold 01:57

7. Haunting Refrain 04:39

8. The Ivy Heart (Reprise) 00:15

9. Girls Will Be Girls 05:21

10. Lanterns and Lances 03:18

11. Head for the Hills 00:13

12. The Way of All Flesh 02:48

13. Huff 02:47

Yan Tregger - Catchy (BBE MUSIC October 5, 2018)

Yan Tregger remains one of the more cultish names to emerge from the experimental French disco scene of the 1970s. But to a growing number of obsessive crate diggers, the two LPs recorded for the Musical Touch Sound label in 1978/9 ‘Catchy’ and ‘Ducks & Drakes’ have become like the holy grail of rare disco. 

Those diggers include Mark Grusane of the late Mr Peabody record store in Chicago. One of the deepest collectors of rare soul, disco and boogie, he included an edit of the sleazy disco bomb ‘Riff On’ from ‘Catchy’ on ‘The Real Sound of Mark Grusane’, his recent collection of hen’s teeth rarities for BBE. 

Now, thanks to the careful curation of UK music hero Frankie Valentine, BBE is delighted to dig deeper into the Yan Tregger archives and reissue these two in- demand LPs. First up is the 1978 LP ‘Catchy’, a heady collection of cosmic disco that should see Tregger’s name ranked alongside those of Arpadys, Cerrone and Space as one of the pioneers of French dance music. 

Characterised by its energetic rhythm sections, space-age synths and funky guitar riffs, ‘Catchy’ couldn’t be a more perfect title for this classic collection of late 70’s grooves.

1. Carry On 03:25

2. Catchy 04:11

3. Gimmicky 03:05

4. Sunny Wing 02:10

5. Light Heart (Pt. 1 & 2) 05:08

6. Riff On 03:26

7. Lyric Soul 03:18

8. Slow Zoom 02:30

9. This Time 03:48

10. At the Feet 03:37