Karl Biscuit
Secret Love

Before embarking on a career as a renowned choreographer, Karl Biscuit dabbled in synth-pop with a completely personal style. In 1984, the EP "Regrets Eternels" was released, followed by another EP, "Fatal Reverie", in '86, and the single "Secret Love" a year later. And it is with this title that the Belgian label Crammed, a meritorious label, published a collection of all his material in 2003. This is a very interesting synth-pop, hyper-arranged with a macabre and funereal taste.

As evidence of this, the opening track is titled "La morte". The lyrics are a mix of Franco-Italian spewed by Biscuit with a lugubrious and deep voice. The music, however, is an engaging danceable track for alternative dance-floors, a possessed dance wrapped in synthetic spirals. The final result is very suggestive, certainly original. The track enjoyed reasonable success in the more "off" discos of the era and remains one of the "cult" masterpieces of 80s dance music.
"Fatal Reverie", is another little gem, an electronic tango once again featuring Biscuit's languid voice, amid synthetic suggestions that distantly recall the darker moments of Depeche Mode. "Fallen Angel" has an inconsistent rhythm, with an indefinable melody that seems to want to take all directions only to choose none. There are also anemic ballads, on the verge of nervous exhaustion, like "Les mêmes histoires", a synthetic nebula with a hypnotic rhythm, an anguished lament brushed by synthetic accordions and threatening background chimes. "No Friends" is made of the same material, possibly even more funereal. Piano chimes, frightening electronics, a melancholic violin, and a nocturnal saxophone weave delicate patterns for Biscuit's hallucinations.

As you may have guessed, the album is totally permeated by dark atmospheres and a sarcastic and perverse black humor. The only episode that hints at a glimmer of light is the funky-glam "Secret Love"; otherwise, it is pitch black. For fans of the genre, it is an unmissable work, sometimes guilty of naivety in trying at all costs for the horror effect, yet it still stands out for originality, with a taste hard to find in many much better-known records. As the Americans would say: "underrated and very cool!".