Along with Christian Vander (Magma) and Richard Pinhas (Heldon), Gilbert Artman is one of the most important figures of the French music underground from the 70’s. Like Vander, Artman is a jazz formed drummer, while with Pinhas he shares that same philosophy forged in the facts of May ’68 that had so much influence on so many French artists of their generation. Precisely due to the May ’68 revolution, Gilbert quits his job as a decorator to concentrate all his energies into creating music. In 1969, working as a professional musician, he plays with Steve Lacy and Don Cherry. In late 1970 he forms Lard Free, a band that will go through many personnel changes and musical directions mainly due to Artman’s constant research in experimentation and innovation.

Wah Wah Records proudly brings you lavish reissues of the three Lard Free LPs respecting the original artwork’s full 70’s pop art glory and including inserts with liner notes. The pack of reissues is completed by a fourth LP, Unnamed, issued for the first time ever in vinyl format.

Lard Free’s second LP, I’m Around About Midnight, was recorded in Paris in a three day session and released in 1975 also on Vamp. There is a totally different line-up from that of the first LP and it features long time friend Richard Pinhas, with whom Artman explores (in his own way) some sound passages of strong Heldon inspiration, although in a less immediate register, building an organic layered sound that emanates a certain shadowy formal beauty. The strong Artman-Pinhas connection is also confirmed by the inclusion on Heldon’s Third of the track “Pale violence under a reverbere”, on a different mix and different title, “Méchamment rock.”

Featuring : Gilbert Artman (drums, percussions, vibes, hammond organ, steinway piano, tenor sax), Richard Pinhas (guitars, bass guitar, arp synthetisers, synthi vks 3), Alain Audat (synthi vks 3, tenor sax, clb), Antoine Duvernot (alto sax, flute)