Serge Gainsbourg

Love on the Beat marked a radical turning point in the career of Serge Gainsbourg. At 56, the ever-provocative artist shocked audiences once again by embracing a distinctly new wave and funk-influenced sound, with slick, modern production straight from New York City. Here, Gainsbourg is raw and confrontational, abandoning his soft poetic tone for something harder, urban, often disturbing — and as always, provocative.

Recorded at Right Track Studios in New York with top American session musicians (including Billy Rush on guitar and musical direction), the album has a strong Anglo-American flavor : drum machines, funky basslines, icy synths, and an overall gritty, nocturnal feel. Gone are the elegant orchestrations of the 1970s Gainsbourg fully leans into a moist, mechanical, late-night atmosphere, unfiltered and unapologetic.

With this album, Serge Gainsbourg pulled off a bold move: reinventing himself through the sound of the time while staying entirely true to his provocative identity. Vulgar? Yes, at times. Uncomfortable? Definitely. But also fiercely free, modern, and a step ahead of everyone else. Love on the Beat is a unique record, misunderstood by many at the time, but now recognized as a landmark in contemporary French pop music.