Alex Gopher
b. Alex Latrobe, Versailles, France. A central figure on the booming mid-90s Parisian house scene, Gopher is a former member of indie-rock band Orange, a band he formed with the members of Air, Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel. His unusual pseudonym is taken from a character in the US television series, The Loveboat. Gopher was also a producer for the extremely influential Paris-based dance music labels, Source and Solid, home to the acclaimed Parisian producer, Etienne De Crcy. In 1996, Gopher contributed two tracks to De Crcy's highly praised Super Discount compilation of French lounge-house tracks. His funky sound has been compared to the quirky, slightly kitsch "filtered disco" style of Cassius and Dimitri From Paris. Gopher claims influences such as Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder, Sly And The Family Stone and George Clinton and his 1998 debut, You, My Baby & I, featured the P-funk vocalist, Michael "Clip" Payne singing on several tracks. Payne also co-wrote two tracks with Gopher. Dunckel, Gopher's long-standing friend and associate, also contributed vocals and keyboards. While using the most advanced studio technology favoured by US house and hip-hop producers, Gopher's preferred instrument is the Fender-Rhodes keyboard, which he describes as "a more soulful instrument than any I know." Although not a concept album, the central theme of You, My Baby & I was indeed children and parenthood. The track "06 10 98" was named after the birth date of his son. Another, "The Child", samples Billie Holiday's "God Bless The Child". Gopher remains one of the leading exponents of a stylish French sound, funky, dancefloor-friendly and musically sophisticated.
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Albums
- (1998) You, MyBaby & I
Top Tracks
- The Child
- Time
- Party People
- Gordini Mix
- You, My Baby & I
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