"We're not separated by any ocean!" declared new French youth cultural magazine, Actuel, in the early 80s, proclaiming the birth of cross-over and the emergence of a new "sono mondiale." The message was instantly echoed on one of the first independent French radio stations, Radio Nova (actually an offshoot of Actuel). Musicians rushed into the breach, proclaiming the end of "ghetto-isation" and barriers came tumbling down between the northern and southern hemispheres as rock opened up to experimental and 'world' sounds. Meanwhile, a new form of militantism was springing up in parallel to the "sono mondiale." This radical new militant front was led by a generation of self-taught thinkers raised on 'underground' culture who banded into organisations and associations and launched themselves into a bitter struggle against the authorities, affirming the hopes and aspirations of their generation.

Rock also gained a new foothold on French television thanks to a series of legendary music programmes such as Hot Tension, then Les Enfants du Rock. Meanwhile, second-generation immigrants were busy affirming and expressing their multi-cultural identity. Sydney went down in history as France's first black presenter, making a name for himself on Radio 7 in 1982, then migrating to television in 1984 with his pioneering music show, Hip Hop (broadcast on TF1). That same year, the anti-racist association S.O.S Racisme launched its famous slogan "Touche pas à mon pote" which inspired a Bashung song of the same name. A few years earlier, in 1981, socialist minister Jack Lang had been appointed to the Ministry of Culture where he soon set about creating a "ministry of rock" devoted to helping the expression of youth culture and providing much-needed finance for venues and music festivals. Meanwhile, scores of independent labels (including New Rose, Bondage, Gougnaf Mouvement, Boucherie Productions and Les disques du soleil et de l'acier sprang up on the scene).

In this crucible of innovation and creativity, certain French rockers (both second-generation immigrants and 'voluntary exiles'), re-discovered their roots, integrating African, Arabic, Hispanic and Gypsy influences into their work. In 1982, Rachid Taha and his group Carte de Séjour launched a new genre known as "rock'n'raï" with the release of their debut album, Halouf Nar, on the Mosquito label. Shortly afterwards, the group took an even stronger stand on the issue of racism and integration, recording an ironic "rock'n'raï" version of Charles Trenet's patriotic 'chanson' classic, Douce France. Spanish influences also emerged on the French scene with the wild "flamenco rock" of Ricky Amigos and the "garage/western" of Franco-Chilian group Corazon Rebelde and Napo Romero's Chihuahua. Of the many groups pioneering the rise of the new "sono mondiale," two in particular stood out: La Mano Negra and Les Négresses Vertes. La Mano Negra (fronted by future solo star Manu Chao) whipped up a fast and furious fusion of Clash-style punk rock, rap, Raï and Hispanic rhythms into a Molotov cocktail they dubbed Patchanka (the name of the group's debut album released on Boucherie Productions in 1988). As for fellow alternatives, Les Négresses Vertes, they mixed influences from all sides of the Mediterranean, fusing a ska-style brass section with Java accordion, Raï, flamenco, urban folk sounds – and even a spot of belly-dance. Zobi la Mouche (released on Off The Track in 1989) went on to become a huge hit. Meanwhile, a thriving indie scene was emerging in Montpellier, in the south of France, where Catalan star Pascal Comelade fired off his own productions and lent a helping hand to other local rock acts such as OTH, Les Vierges and Général Alcazar.

All kinds of weird and wonderful indie hybrids emerged in the course of the following years. La Souris Déglinguée, fronted by Eurasian-born lead singer Taï Luc, sprinkled their punk rock with liberal doses of acid jazz and reggae. Théo Hakola, an American artist passionate about the Spanish War, joined forces with French musicians in the Orchestre Rouge (see photo) and formed a solid rock front against racism and police violence. Meanwhile, American singer Mona Soyoc teamed up with Spatz, the machine wizard from Nancy, to form pioneering "electro-klash" duo Kas Product. French indie star Lizzy Mercier Descloux carved out a niche for herself on the 'cold wave' scene in New York and did her bit for "sono mondiale," recording Mambau Nassau in the Caribbean and Mais où sont passées les gazelles in South Africa. Meanwhile, leading Belgian indie label Crammed broke geographical and stylistic barriers, mixing rock groups with electro acts and 'world' artists and thus prefiguring the trends that would dominate the decades to come. Crammed's master coups include Aksak Maboul and their ‘fake’ jazz, classical and ethnic music, Minimal Compact (a group of Israeli musicians living in exile), Hermine (a French singer from London) and Band Apart (a group of Marseilles musicians from New York).

At the end of the day, it was the "sono mondiale" branch of French rock that went down best with audiences abroad. While mainstream French artists strove to make an impact on the export market, groups such as La Mano Negra (and then Manu Chao as a solo act), Les Négresses Vertes, Rachid Taha and co. embarked on hugely successful world tours. What's more, 'le grand mix,' which began in the 80s, continues today fuelled by input from a new generation of artists working on the rap, ragga and dub scenes.

Anaïs Prosaïc

Interview with Rachid Taha:

Rachid Taha, former founder and frontman of the group Carte de Séjour, has gone on to make a name for himself as a solo rocker. His new album, Tékitoi? (released last month) includes a cover of the Clash classic Rock the Casbah, reworked Taha-style as Rock el Casbah.We asked the most Arab of French rockers for his opinion on 'melting-pot rock.'

RFI Musique: Do you think it's correct to say 'melting-pot rock' was born in France thanks to Carte de Séjour?
Rachid Taha: No, I don't agree with that. The term 'melting-pot rock' doesn't mean anything to me! Rock was a fusion of a lot of things right from the word go. You've only got to listen to Chuck Berry or Bo Diddley to realise that. That's the sort of comparison I was trying to make on my last album, Made in Médina. I'd just come back from a trip to Benin and realised that, in fact, the concept of mixing different music from different lands is just a question of where you are. If Bo Diddley had been born in Morocco, he'd have ended up playing gnawa music! The term 'melting-pot' is a pleonasm. Believe me, Carte de Séjour didn't invent anything!

RFI Musique: Did you feel like a bit of a lone voice at the time, though? Was it easy to make the kind of music you did and get it across?
Rachid Taha: Nothing's easy in France, you know! Making a film, an album or a piece of artwork has never been a simple, straightforward business. Art has always been difficult. But I don't think it's more difficult in France than anywhere else. When it comes down to it, I believe that it's when you're faced with difficulty that you find the strength to create. We didn't feel particularly alone in the early 80s, you know. We felt like we were part of a movement, part of the French rock movement of the time. When you start out you expect to take a few knocks, but I think Carte de Séjour ended up influencing quite a lot of bands, both in France and the UK. You can really see that today.

Interview: Pierre René-Worms

Recommended reading:
Rock métis en France, Paul Moreira (Editions Souffles, 1987).