Alexander Robotnick – Problèmes D'Amour

I have to smile every time I see the timing for the Single Edit version of the U.S. Promo version released by Sire Records:
3'65"
You have to wonder about that. More than 60 seconds in a minute? Amazing! Technically speaking, the timing of this should read 4'05" (but even the album sleeve says 3'65"!) Stranger still, my vinyl recording of this edit actually plays out to 4'50".
So I sometimes think, circa 1985, this is a little joke perpetuated perhaps by Maurizio Dami [Alexander Robotnick], or the man behind the mix, Bruce Forest.
3'65" lives on, even on Discogs! ;-)

Bought this off Juno last month for about US$13.

Two Words RIP OFF

Nice remix! Good sound! Beautiful vinyl...a futur piece of history without no doubt.

Alexander Robotnick said in a interview: "Giampiero, the head of Materiali Sonori, pushed me to make some disco music, because we were both broke. "We can make easy money with disco music," he said to me. "Just put a bass drum in four/four and you sell 10,000 copies!" So I worked on a disco track with my cheap electronic equipment. The track was "Problèmes d'Amour." Anyway, I was disappointed by the results of "Problèmes." We sold just 10,000 copies, so it was the minimum figure, as I said above. And I started to be involved in different things. But some years later I understood that the track had an impressive influence on dance music and it was a cult track for some DJs. In the end it's better like this. It's not bad to have a song that is still relevant for the scene."

People talk about the foundations of techno and house; this is one of the original tracks that created both genres. This record was a must during the early 80s in Detroit, MI. A timeless classic!

Unique, original Bass-synth sound doing an extremely sophisticated riff...mock-eerie organ sound...slightly off-key rhythm-guitar stabs doing a Jamaican Ska thang... basic, crude "proto-house" drum-machine track...Background female vocalists singing in perfect French...Slightly cheesey male vocalist also singing in French, but not as well, and with an obvious Italian accent...catchy arrangement but no real low frequencies...sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? But this quirky masterpiece captivated the ears, hearts and minds of almost 2 generations of old school DJs and Dancers. The song was massive at David Mancuso's Loft and Larry Levan's Paradise Garage, and even Bruce Forest got a good response from his Better Days crowd...so good that he was inspired to remix it for Sire. That dubby remix is also a must-own, but this review is of the original, "fat-label" 12 inch release, and both sides of this single are totally timeless, essential, and belong in everyone's crates.

Problemes D' Amour is a classic! considering it came out in 84, it still does wonders for me. This italo-disco classic always reaches deep inside and brings out a fuzz of joy in me. Maybe its the bit of catchiness that makes it so appealing, with its sexy vocals and sleazy synths? Or maybe its the strip bar scene in National Lampoons European Vacation that i find so hilarious, especially because this song is in that scene. Or maybe its always struck a chord with me because it is simply brilliant! SO BRILLIANT!