Kloot Per W was first active in the Belgian music and art scene in 1969, and recorded first as bassist for The Misters in 1970s and later guitarist for The Employees and was probably one of the first artists to release his solo albums as cassette-only releases, two in 1980 and 3 in 198.
Kloot has been active in the acclaimed bands Polyphonic Size (who had two albums produced by JJ Burnel of The Stranglers), Sandie Trash (F), Strictly Rockers, Chop Chicks (with DJ Buscemi) and De Lama’s. The ‘XXXX of Kloot Per W’ a compilation of Kloot’s 7”s was released in 1995 and a cassette anthology ‘Moon‘ in 2000. In 2018, Kloot Per W released an acclaimed album of Velvet Underground covers called ‘Inhale Slowly and Feel’ and ‘DRILL‘, a collection of instrumental abstract music for his art installation that rebuild the Raymond Scott Manhattan Research Inc studio.
Now Kloot Per W has just released a new single entitled ‘Nuits Blanches‘ to celebrate he has given us a list of his top ten French songs.
1) Patrick Coutin: j’aime regarder les filles.
Same thème as Peaches bij The Stranglers but much more sexy and I love the way he sings like he’s absent minded, and the guitar sounds.
2) Taxigirl: Chercher Le Garçon.
We met them via JJ Burnell, he produced our albums (Polyphonic Size) and theirs. I loved their sparse electronics combined with guitars. Later I worked with Mirwais is session guitarist before he produced a couple of Madonna albums.
3) Jacques Dutronc: Mini Mini.
He’s my favourite French anti-singer. His songs have a DIY edge and the word playing is brilliant, I could have easily chose one of the other 50 songs he recorded in the mid sixties. He’s a rocker.
4) Les Tueurs De Le Lune De Miel: Route Nationale 7.
Does Humour belong to music? Yes Sir humour makes most music better. I like people who don’t take themselves too serious. This is an old Charles Trenet Song. They were also known as The Honeymoon Killers.
5) Antoine : Les Elecubrations.
Meaning wild imaginings, this is clearly a Dylan goes electric parody very funny but still contains a groovy piano. He talks about a new generation taking over from older show biz types. He namedrops Johnny Halliday, the so called French Elvis and Yvette Horner a vitas Accordion player, they should be put in cages in the Parisian Medrano circus. I like French humour.
6) Trust: Antisocial.
French hard rock, not really one of favourite genres but this one is the exception. When I was the bass player of The Misters at the end of the ’70’s we played a few times with them in the north of France and they were very good live. Not really a cliché hard rock band but a sound that had punk influences and the lyrics were very political (left.) The Misters stole parts of this and called it Lucile. This song was covered by Anthrax.
and Metallica.
7) La Folie: The Stranglers.
JJ Burnell is half French so he has no problems singing in French, he sang 50% of the Polyphonic Size songs. I liked the faked seriousness of the song…is about madness.
8) Les Rita Mitsouko –Le Petit Train
Singer Catherine used to be a porn star, this song is even better when you see the funny video.
9) Lizzy Mercier Descloux: Ou sonts passes les gazelles.
She was once part of the New York No Wave scene playing with James Chance, this later recording can be seen as one of the first examples of worldbeat this time by a French Demoiselle.
10) La Poupée qui fait non: Michel Polnareff.
Recorded in London some say Jimmy Page played the acoustic guitar others say that it was Big Jim Sullivan, no matter what this is a stunning peace of French rock. If this guy would have been British or American is maybe would have been known as one of the greatest songwriters coming out the beat era.
Kloot Per W Group are releasing their new single ‘Nuits Blanches’, a darkly drawn picturesque French song about a lonely old guy window shopping for love interests he won’t ever sleep with. Underscored by a longing and produced by Pascal Deweze and Mauro Pawlowski and mastered by Uwe Teichert.
Out on special 10″ vinyl on Jezus Factory label the lead track is backed by ‘Je T’ai Toujours Aimeé’, a reworking of an old number from 1982 by one of Kloot’s old bands, Polyphonic Size that JJ Burnell of The Stranglers originally sang. And b side, ‘Tout Abandonné‘ a man goes out on his bicycle to never return alive.
This release was conceived at the start of 2020 and in fitting with the year was plagued with Spinal Tap style problems, from multiple artwork changes, guitar tracks that kept going missing in the studio and the inevitable pressing plant delays it’s a miracle it got here.
In 2019 Kloot had a very busy year; making the critically acclaimed ‘Insider/Outsider’ album with Mauro Pawlowski (Evil Superstars/dEUS/Hitsville Drunks’ which yielded a minor radio hit with ‘Land Of The Most Forgotten’. That same year he made a collaboration album with Rudy Trouvé which sound tracked a joint art exhibition the pair made. In 2020 Kloot aimed to make the album of his life; lockdown tried to stop him but a successful Crowd Funding campaign has meant he can spend 2021 making the album of his life. At 65 Kloot is just getting started!!!
This maxi single was produced by Pascal Deweze and Mauro Pawlowski and mastered by Uwe Teichert (dEUS, Public Enemy, Placebo).
