PARIS — As the Eiffel Tower glittered with laser lights, a tune from the man known as France’s Disco King set the stage for the final leg of the Olympic Games opening ceremony.
As Cerrone’s “Supernature” raced through Paris, sports legends like Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal glided down the Seine, while deaf choreographer Shaheem Sanchez swayed to the beat using American Sign Language dance. This 1977 classic proved that the glittering charm of disco still reigns supreme on one of the world’s biggest stages.
For the 72-year-old Cerrone, this moment once again proved that his cross-generational music has lasting power.
“The sounds changed every decade, but for me I never lose the movement,” the music producer told The Associated Press on Sunday night before taking the stage to headline DiscOlympics, which brought more than 3,000 energetic concertgoers to a riverbank. nightclub.
The event was a tribute to the roots of dance music and to Cerrone, who shaped the disco genre in France in the mid-1970s with jams such as ‘Supernature’, ‘Give Me Love’ and ‘Je Suis Music’.
Cerrone said he still has indescribable emotions after watching the opening ceremony segment featuring his song, which was released nearly half a century ago. He was surprised when the ceremony’s composer and music director, Victor le Masne, approached him nine months ago. Le Masne suggested updating it with a more symphonic sound, with orchestral arrangements.
Cerrone said the creative process is like watching a woman be pregnant for months before giving birth.
“I think this is the best work of my career,” said the producer, who has released 23 albums and sold more than 30 million records worldwide.
Along with Cerrone, the 12-hour DiscOlympics featured several artists such as Agoria, He.She.They. and Kartell. The diverse lineup showed the evolution of disco into a foundation for subgenres such as hip hop, house music and electronic dance music.
Disco first made waves in New York City in the early 1970s with various musical influences from funk, soul and Latin music. Cerrone, along with other French artists including Dalida and Amanda Lear, was part of the Euro-disco movement in the mid-1970s.
European artists with disco influences, such as Daft Punk and Giorgio Moroder, have found success in the US
“Everyone knows that real disco never went away,” Cerrone said. “It never stopped. Sometimes it was higher than lower. … With the young people it’s funny. I performed at a big festival. I see 60,000 people in front of me. I stop the music and (they sing) ‘Supernature.’ It has never changed. Sometimes it is like that.”
Waël Mechri-Yver, a French-Tunisian musician, said Cerrone deserves great recognition and called him a disco musical savant. After first hearing about the legendary producer’s involvement in the opening ceremony a few months ago, he contacted Cerrone’s manager about his headlining role at DiscOlympics.
“He is the father of disco. He is the king of disco music,” says Mechri-Yver, who performs under the stage name WAÏ. His culture collective BABËL and Silencio hosted the DiscOlympics.
When Mechri-Yver heard Cerrone’s song during the opening ceremony, he knew it was perfect timing for his event.
“Disco is coming back very strong and we really want to be the champions of that music,” says Mechri-Yver. Together with Kosmo Kint and Cerrone’s son Greg Cerrone, Mechri-Yver recorded the song “Are You Ready”, which was performed publicly for the first time on Sunday and received favorable reactions from the audience.
“It’s very joyful, festive, inclusive, grateful music that’s about praising the Lord, praising nature. That’s why ‘Supernature’ was such an incredible achievement. The Eiffel Tower lit up. The whole world started singing. It was absolutely beautiful,” said Mechri-Yver.
DiscOlympics participant Alexia Charles was extremely excited about the event. The Parisian, in his mid-30s, rarely visits the nightclub scene, but felt compelled to see Cerrone perform – especially after the opening ceremony.
“It’s great to see,” she said. “You can hear people screaming for him. That is a good representation of electro music in France.”
Cerrone said seeing people cheering him on in his 70s fuels him.
“That’s the best deal for longevity,” he said. “It makes me happy to sing about that.”
___
For more coverage of the Paris Olympics, visit https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games.
