Telex

Release Date: 8th September 2023
Catalogue Number: TELEX2

Individual vinyl edition, using the original artwork
Remastered and newly mixed by band members Dan Lacksman and Michel Moers, Telex releases Neurovision.

Released in 1980, the album was the follow up to their debut Looking For Saint-Tropez, and includes the track ‘Euro-vision’ which was famously entered into the Eurovision Song Contest, representing Belgium. Moers says he regarded their entry as “very Situationist International, the worm in the apple” and they resolved either to come first or last. They didn’t achieve that goal, but became part of the Eurovision saga.

The Belgian synthpop trio - Marc Moulin (1942- 2008), Lacksman and Michel Moers - launched in Brussels in 1978 and, as one of only a handful of synthpop pioneers at the time, helped bring electronic pop to the mainstream. Telex announced their retirement in 2008, following Moulin’s death, and in 2021 began a new partnership with Mute beginning with the release of This Is Telex.

Recent Praise:

“Telex were largely misunderstood during their time together in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, yet this boxset containing the arch Belgian synthpop trio’s six newly remastered albums suggests they deserve a closer listen.” - 8/10* Uncut

“This release is a must for all synth music fans.”- Blitzed magazine

“...a vital bridge between Kraftwerk and arguably all subsequent EDM... New Beat’s ground zero.” - Classic Rock

Known for their cover versions - having re-read Sly Stone, Plastic Bertrand, Les Chats Sauvages, and many more over the years - Telex managed to tread a fine line between comedy and innovation. Focusing heavily on a lo-fi synthesised sound, the Belgian alt-poppers would use plenty of humour in their work, but never allowed this to outshine or overshadow the musicality of it all. Released in 1980, Neurovision is a case in point. According to the band, this was their tongue-in-cheek entry to the Eurovision Song Contest, for which they were chosen as representatives for their home country in the same year. Deliberately banal lyrics, mostly referring to the competition itself, married to the glittering wonder of a proto-electronic soundtrack, mark it as a work of bold daring and a little genius. Sadly, it failed to secure them last place in the tournament, as they hoped, forcing them to settle for 17 out of 19.