Froguerock

'Le Froguerock' was the northern French music scene of the 1990s. Its sound was part punk, part experimental, part industrial, and part Krautrock (from whence it acquired its name). It was left-wing in outlook and through sound and attitude it was attempting to challenge the prevailing capitalist paradigm. In other words it emerged from, and was a reaction to, a plethora of cultural phenomena that were occurring at more or less the same time. For example: France's Nuclear testing; the deeply worrying rise of the extreme right in countries across Europe; and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The protagonists of this 'scene' felt impotent and, at the very least, on a subconscious level, wanted to react.

As with Krautrock, which was a 'scene' that emerged from the first post-war generation of German young people and was a reaction to the society around them, so too can Froguerock be seen to have been born out of socio-political sensitivities. Although starkly different in many aspects, nevertheless Froguerock can be regarded as an avant-guarde-influenced French version of Krautrock for the end of the millennium. Essentially it was music created by startled idealists.

It included groups such as "Steeple Remove", "Panel Feçtoon" (a.k.a. "Panel Festoon"), "Dogger Fisheur German Bite", "TOL II", "Gonokox", "The Roll Mops", "King Biscuit", "Cornice" and "Eyeless".

Classic Froguerock tracks include "Dentist Drill - Dogger Fisheur German Bite", "HOY! - TOL II", "New World Order (Pt.2) - Panel Feçtoon".

Some of the predominant 'activists' within the music scene during those years were Christophe Vantyghem, Alex Reed (aka Reechka), Jean Bonnin (aka Jon Bonnin), Arnoud Kergourlay (aka Monsieur Gloo), Francis Forget (aka Fisheur Francis).

Albums by some of the above protagonists that may still be available - which give a taster of those heady days in France - are "Fahrenheit 4-5-1 - Panel Feçtoon", "Froguerocknoodles - Dogger Fisheur German Bite", "Les Lentilles Vertes - TOL II".

The music was phenomenal, and the gigs were 'supeur space'. The one remaining film of that era was filmed in a derelict factory on the banks of the Seine - entitled "Ultra Violet".

Several articles about the genre appeared in French music magazines and underground publications at the time, and to a much lesser extent in U.K. publications. Despite its lack of 'mainstream' awareness (as was the case with Krautrock for many years), nevertheless, in the great tome of musical history and underground scenes it certainly deserves a mention.

(See also Krautrock)

Notable Artists

* Dogger Fisheur German Bite
* Gonokox
* King Biscuit
* Stephanie Orange
* That Orange Lentil
* The Roll Mops
* TOL II
* Panel Feçtoon
* Steeple Remove