Michel Magne – “Pétrole Pop”
French film composer Michel Magne wrote this funk-tinged piece for Moi Y’ En A Vouloir Des Sous, a 1973 film that, as far as I can tell from this clip, involves some sort of factory/discotheque overseen by a pair of purple-satin-jacketed DJs and several gumshoes working out their best Kraftwerk impression (see 0:39). Oh, and the film’s title translates to “I Want a Communication Subsystem” if that helps clear things up. But regardless of mangled plotlines, the pairing of a blaxploitation-worthy backbeat with Arabic-tinged strings and a French woman sighing over pétrole (oil, that is) is pretty damn compelling in my book. Weirdly funky, it’s a head-scratcher and a head-bobber at the same time.
If this track piques your interest, be sure to check out Shake Sauvage, compilation of French soundtrack work in a similar vein, available here.
– Spoolwork