Etron Fou Leloublan

French art-rock unit Etron Fou Leloublan -- roughly translated, "Mad Sh*t, the White Wolf" -- was formed in 1974 by vocalist Eulalie Ruynat, bassist/vocalist Ferdinand Richard, saxophonist Chris Chanet, and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:5bcyaEu0l4K38zFn3bGgyf">Guigou Chenevier</a>. A product of the Rock in Opposition coalition -- a loose collective of British and Western European artists, spearheaded by <a href="spotify:artist:6P3Zlv61YNe6DHVZhFj8oL">Henry Cow</a>, that openly challenged the commercial, creative, and sociopolitical aims of mass-market popular music -- Etron Fou Leloublan boasted a frenzied, densely rhythmic approach ably captured by their 1976 debut LP, Batelages. Saxophonist Francis Grand replaced Chanet for the 1978 follow-up, Les Trois Fou's Perdégagnent (Au Pays Des...); a brief 1979 tour of the U.S. yielded the live disc En Public au Etats-Unis d'Amerique. Bernard Mathieu assumed saxophone duties and singer/multi-instrumentalist Jo Thirion replaced Ruynat for 1982's <a href="spotify:artist:4KMt98IljgbTUeeU9KAu7y">Fred Frith</a>-produced Les Poumons Gonfles, with yet another saxophonist -- Bruno Meillier -- signing on for 1984's Les Sillons de la Terre. That same year, a longtime Etron Fou Leloublan rule that the members could not participate in musical projects outside the group's ranks was lifted, and both Richard and <a href="spotify:artist:5bcyaEu0l4K38zFn3bGgyf">Chenevier</a> recorded solo efforts; the former teamed with Sophie Jausserand for A l'Abri des Micro-Climats, while the latter partnered with the celebrated cellist <a href="spotify:artist:1sSIqtxS2yVnNwEI84iUDI">Tom Cora</a> for En Avant. <a href="spotify:artist:5bcyaEu0l4K38zFn3bGgyf">Chenevier</a> concurrently formed a second group, Encore Plus Grande, while Richard moonlighted with Alfred Harth in Gestalt et Jive. Having apparently had their fill of revolving saxophonists, Richard, <a href="spotify:artist:5bcyaEu0l4K38zFn3bGgyf">Chenevier</a> and Thirion recorded 1985's Face aux Eléments Déchainés as a three-piece; the LP was the final Etron Fou Leloublan recording, with 1991's three-disc 43 Songs collecting the entirety of the group's studio output. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi