Credited with being one of the most influential producers of early electronic music, Cerrone has enjoyed much success in the music industry. Dubbed the “French King of Disco”, Cerrone releases a double vinyl of his greatest hits, [_The Best of Cerrone_](https://cerrone.lnk.to/thebestof), on October 8th, in celebration of 45 years of his iconic career.
With tracks such as “Supernature”, “Love in C Minor” and “The Impact”, the record offers hits spanning from the 70s to those from Cerrone’s most recent album, _DNA._ The release will also offer a separate vinyl of instrumentals of his hit songs, available for the very first time on vinyl.
As one of the pioneers of electronic music and one of those credited with laying the groundwork for disco, Cerrone’s contribution to dance music is undeniable. He solidifies his place as one of the greats with this greatest hits album.
The double vinyl will be released on Virgin Music via Because Music.
_Flaunt_ spoke with Cerrone about the release of the record, the 70s and what he’s been up to lately.
**You have been credited as a pioneer of electronic music, laying the groundwork for house and techno, by popularizing the infamous four-to-the-floor kick drum pattern. How did you come up with this rhythmic pattern and did you ever envision how influential it would become?**
Actually, I first used that four-on-the-floor kick pattern when playing live with my first band, Kongas, in order to give that basic pulse for the percussionists. Also, when I recorded my debut LP, _Love In C Minor_, I wanted to more or less mimic a drum machine sound, by recording the kick, the snare etc. separately, in order to have a cleaner, sharper and more powerful sound.
**Did you ever think _Love In C-Minor_ would become such a smash record when you produced the record? What about that record made it such a success in your opinion?**
I would never have imagined it would be such a success, because the format wasn't even intended for the radio to begin with, (it was instrumental and 16 minutes long), and of course none of the record companies I went to would want to release it. Mind you, I recorded _Love In C Minor_ mostly for my own pleasure, like the idea was “OK, let's make one last record for the fun” and then I'll move one onto something else... I couldn't tell for sure what's exactly the secret of the success of Love In C Minor, except maybe for the drums mixed much louder than usual, the bass gimmick, the overall energy? You tell me.
**_Supernature_ was one of the first records to reference the environment, before climate change was even in the public lexicon. What prompted you to include an ecological message in your music?**
I saw “The Island Of Dr. Moreau” by Don Taylor (with Burt Lancaster) just a few days before going to the studio and I loved the movie, the message, the warning about “man messing up with nature”, and it was somehow an inspiration for _Supernature_. Lene Lovich, who wrote the lyrics of the song, has really succeeded in translating the concept into words, along with the music.
**How did you pick all of the beautiful women in your album covers? Did you know them personally or were they models picked by the label?**
Very simple, I set up castings and chose those who carried the most sensuality at the time.
**Any favorite memories from disco's heyday in the 70s? Any fun Studio 54 stories you can share with us?**
There were quite memorable moments at _Studio 54_! The memories are mostly visual : I've seen incredible characters popping out in these venues. I could not give you anecdotes, because back then, these were really crazy and excessive times, you know : sex, drugs & music ! Today, It couldn't exist any more!
**As a drummer by trade, do you typically start with rhythm when writing a new song? Or does melody always come first?**
In fact, I always like to start with the idea of a concept, a direction, which is both about sound and visuals. I try to create a musical universe on which I will be able to lay some live drums to start with, and later comes the composition and the production phase that will complete the vision.
**You took up DJing in the past few years. What do you enjoy about DJing? And do you ever perform live as a drummer these days, or is it strictly DJ sets?**
DJing has been a very interesting experience for me. Basically, it's not really different from what I had been doing for decades with Disco music: make people dance and be happy on the dancefloor! It's an evolution, I feel the same excitement and pleasure performing as a DJ, just like when I was performing at concerts with my musicians. Now, I perform mostly as a DJ, with sometimes a few tracks played live on the drums (namely on _Supernature)_.
**Who are some of your favorite drummers ever (RIP Charlie Watts)?**
Yes by the way I felt really sad when I learned that Charlie Watts has passed away. The Rolling Stones are a legendary band.... But to answer your question, my favorite drummers are Billy Cobham and Rod Harper (Santana) thanks to whom I learned to play the drums while playing on his records. He was really incredible when playing solos!
**And who are some of your favorite musicians these days?**
If you talk about musicians, then it's Daft Punk, Randy Kerber, Quincy Jones, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix and many more...
**What are your thoughts about the state of dance music in 2021?**
Regarding Dance music, I must confess that I'm not as surprised as I could be back in the 70's. There is no really new major dance style that has emerged lately, and it is more or less a recall of what has already been done before. However, one of the major evolutions are the quality of the productions as well as the quality and the virtuosity of the vocalists.
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