The Young Person’s (Brief) Guide to Heldon
By David Elliott
Original position in magazine: pages 52-53
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It’s been fun wallowing in Krautrock nostalgia this past year or so, but what about France? Was there a comparable ‘Frog Rock’ scene? Any equivalent Klaus Schulzes, Kraftwerks, Tangerine Dreams and Ash Ra Tempels? These particular acts were quite big in France and toured extensively there, but there were very few comparable French artists, in terms of style or status.
A bit of context… In the late sixties German and French rock music was heavily influenced by all things Anglo-American. But the more interesting scene was the reaction against it. Many young German musicians adopted an extreme response; turning away from the popular culture of the occupying forces, they delved into other cultures, science fiction, electronic instruments - and drugs of course. A lot of artists didn’t bother with lyrics… Experimentation was all. The French response was an alternative rock scene which was generally more political, more lyrical (but definitely not in English) and more jazz oriented. Come the 70s there were many fine bands around, but apart from Gong and a few UK festival appearances by Magma, le rock Francais was largely unknown here. Which is a pity. One of the best groups, who seemed to be the perfect cross between what was going on in Germany and France at the time, was Heldon.
Heldon was essentially Richard Pinhas and varied others. Born in 1951, Pinhas had studied and taught at the Sorbonne in Paris. Following two short-lived bands, Blues Convention and Schizo, he formed Heldon (named after a Norman Spinrad SF novel) in 1974. The debut album, Guerilla Electronique (Disjuncta 1974), set the scene: distorted sustained guitar over tense cyclical electronics. There was nothing jazz-like about this, nor cosmic. We’d probably lump it in with ambient now, but above all it was aggressive and urban. Fripp and Eno were undoubtedly big influences, and indeed Pinhas has gone out of his way to namecheck them in various sleevenotes. But it would be unfair to label Heldon as mere imitators; they were a great deal more than that.
If the debut was searing, then Allez -Teia (Disjuncta 1974) was edgily reflected. Essentially just Pinhas and Georges Grunblatt, they displayed a more subtle use of electric/acoustic guitars and electronics, including extensive mellotron. Comparisons could be made with side one of Fripp and Eno’s Evening Star (which it actually preceded). And if we continue the comparison then their third album, It’s Always Rock n’ Roll (Disjuncta 1975), was Heldon’s Index of Metals - a relentlessly direct and unforgiving double. Even the ‘quiet’ 18-minuter, ‘Aurore’, named after Pinhas’s dog, exuded ferrous tension.
A change of direction came with Agneta Nilsson (Urus 1975), showcasing Pinhas’s newly acquired Big Moog. But instead of expanding the sound a la Klaus Schulze (who also had the instrument) and reaching for the heavens, the Heldon sound became even more claustrophobic. This was a bass-heavy unsettling dirge of sound. The baby in intensive care on the front cover kind of says it all. Next up was Un Reve sans Consequence Speciale (Cobra 1976). Again, if you wanted a clue to its contents, the huge gushing furnace on the cover is pretty unambiguous. Drums and percussion had figured before, but here Francois Auger’s batterie was simply outstanding. Combined with Pinhas on exhilarating, menacing form, Un Reve was an assault on the senses.
Interface (Cobra 1977) saw Heldon go Sci-Fi, with eyecatching helmeted alien on the cover and ‘Flying Saucer’ musical triplet. There was a real ‘band’ feel about this album, with the settled line-up of Pinhas (guitars, electronics), Patrick Gauthier (moog), Francois Auger (drums, prcsn) and Didier Batard (bass). The 19-minute title track, in particular, showcased a tight, confident unit. A surprise, then, that Stand By (Egg 1979) turned out to be Heldon’s swansong. Featuring three quite different tracks - side one’s gradually evolving ‘Bolero’, a short jazzy interlude from Gauthier, and the storming title piece Heldon seemed to be on the verge of major recognition. But for some reason Pinhas decided to drop the band moniker and turn ’solo’, though he continued to call upon the services of his faithful cohorts. Certainly change was in the air: Egg Records had collapsed, there was UK interest in the form of Pulse Records and, what the heck, a new decade beckoned.
Which is where I shall leave it until the next issue, when Richard Pinhas’s solo career will be examined. Suffice it to say, Heldon are well worth checking out. They might not be as feted as their Krautrock counterparts but in their six year existence Pinhas and Co contributed some of the most stunning, searing instrumental music you’re likely to hear. Europe’s best kept secret?
Heldon’s back catalogue - except I think Agneta Nilsson has been reissued on CD (some with extra tracks) on the French Spalax label.
- Guerilla Electronique Spalax 14239
- Allez-Teia Spalax 14235
- It’s Always Rock ‘n’ Roll Spalax 14231132
- Agneta Nilsson [not reissued]
- Un Reve Sans Consequence Speciale Spalax 14234
- Interface Spalax 14230
- Stand By Spalax 14233