Black Devil Disco Club

Black Devil Disco Club

Black Devil Disco Club is the name Bernard Fevre uses for releases after 2004. The project is associated with disco, space disco, electronic, dirty disco and dance music, and its best-known material begins with the 1978 record Black Devil Disco Club, originally issued on Out Records under the shorter name Black Devil.

Origins and early release

Black Devil Disco Club is a rare disco record built as an electronic studio piece in the suburbs of Paris. It is credited to Joachim Sherylee and Junior Claristidge, pseudonyms used by the French library music writers Bernard Fevre and Jacky Giordano. The recording uses synths, occasional tape loops and a drummer, with no MIDI or computers. In a later interview, Fevre says Giordano finances the sessions and that the co-composer credit serves as part of an arrangement to recover that investment.

Renewed attention and later work

The 1978 record is reissued in 2004 on Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label, bringing the project wider attention. Bernard Fevre then releases a new Black Devil Disco Club album, 28 After, in 2006 on Lo Records. The details of that release are limited, but it is attributed to Fevre working alone under the name.

Albums and releases

From 2006 onwards, the project’s discography includes 28 After (2006), Black Devil in Dub (2007), which consists of remixes of songs from 28 After, Eight Oh Eight (2008), Black Devil Disco Club Presents: The Strange New World of Bernard Fevre (2009), Circus (2011), Black Moon White Sun (2013) and Lucifer is a Flower (2020).

Related work by Bernard Fevre

Before Black Devil Disco Club, Bernard Fevre is known for rare electronic library music and for tracks including The Strange World of Bernard Fevre and Earthmessage. Earthmessage is sampled by The Chemical Brothers on “Got Glint?” from the Surrender album. He also releases at least three albums of electronic library music in the 1970s.

Collaborators on Circus

Circus features guest contributions from Nancy Sinatra, Afrika Bambaataa, Faris Badwan of The Horrors, YACHT, Jon Spencer of Blues Explosion, Aja Emma of Cosmetics, CocknBullKid, Nancy Fortune and Nicolas Ker of Poni Hoax.