Edwige Belmore & Mathematiques Modernes

Another French legend passes, with the death of Edwige Belmore, style icon of late 70s Paris punk chic scene and half of new wave duo Mathematiques Modernes.

She was a central figure in late 70s France, in a scene that centred around Le Palace nightclub in the 9th arrondisement.  It was a club that mixed the street punk and the jet set, where celebrities like Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol, Grace Jones and Yves Saint Laurent could go, but were style and attitude were more important than who you were.

It would enter legend like New York's Studio 54, a place where fashion, music and style collided and sparked something new.

Much of what we think of as the style of the 1980s came from this scene, where she was a central figure.

Belmore was an inspiration for the likes of Pierre et Gilles and  Helmut Newton, her style particularly influencing Jean Paul Gaultier.

Her musical career might have been brief, but again it was remarkable.

Mathematiques Modernes released a single Disco-rough in 1980 . It was produced by Jacno,  former member of French punks Stinky Toys and later electro-pop pioneer as a solo artist and as half of Elli and Jacno. Needless to say it's a classic piece of post-punk minimal electro.

They released one album,  Les visiteurs du soir, in 1981. While very much of its era, it's the kind of treasure that has an appeal that has endured.

In 2013, Yelle covered their track A+B=C. The same year, Les visiteurs du soir was re-issued. It quickly sold out.

New: Jacno Future and Etienne Daho

With two mentions of musician Jacno - the performer originally known as Denis Quillard - in the past couple of weeks on the site, with Stinky Toys and with his later duo with Elli Medeiros Jacno and Elli, I was pleased to hear that a tribute album to Jacno, who died in 2009, has been released.

Jacno Future came out in June, and features his music performed by artists including Jacques Higelin, Brigitte Fontaine, Miossec and Thomas Dutronc.

There are two versions of his key piece Rectangle, the instrumental that established him as an electro artist following the demise of Stinky Toys.

This track Amoureux Solitaires is performed by Etienne Daho, who worked with Jacno on his solo works. Daho has had a long career since the 1980s and is one of the few French artists to have a following in the UK primarily on account of his work with St Etienne.

Daho collaborated with Jacno on Jacno's 1991 album Une idée derrière la tête and on his 1995 Faux Témoin album. Jacno produced Daho's 1981 debut album Mythomane.

The video, directed by Gaétan Châtaigner takes its inspiration from the Fritz Lang film Metropolis, which with its retro futuristic style fits very well with Jacno's musical vision.