French 79

About

" ‘80s synth-wave with a modern touch, by an electro mastermind "

As the name suggests, French 79 is a French artist who was born in 1979. Simon Henner (his real name) has been living in Marseille for more than twenty years. Although this city has a long tradition of hip-hop, the musician and producer has chosen a very different path: electronic music. Aside from his solo career, he has also played guitar with two bands from Marseille, Nasser and Husbands. Two of his artist friends from Marseille, Kid Francescoli and Oh! Tiger Mountain, encouraged him to start a solo project to give free rein to his electro obsessions. His successful first album (‘Olympic’, released in 2016) and the long tour that followed proved them right: French 79 became a name to remember in the French touch revival.

If some of his melodies sound familiar, you may have heard them in various TV commercials over the past few years. ‘Joshua’, his second album, was released in 2019, encapsulating his passions for the pioneers of electronic music (including Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder), vintage sci-fi soundtracks for films from the 1980’s (WarGames, Blade Runner…), the majesty of breathtaking landscapes and, last but not least, analog synths. Nostalgia is welcomed with open arms. French 79 has a strong sense of aesthetics, which is obvious in his artwork and videos. His live shows reflect that too, in the design and light show, as his 2022 worldwide tour will demonstrate once again. Much more than a sought-after collaborator (he has worked with Vincent Delerm and Laurent Garnier, among others), French 79 has become a respected solo artist, too.