Jean-Marc Foussat

Jean-Marc Foussat (b.1955) is a French-Algerian experimental electroacoustic musician, improviser, guitarist, VCS synths performer, label founder and sound engineer from Oran, Algeria. He co-founded Potlatch label with Jacques Oger and participated in its activity from 1997 to 2002. Foussat also started Fou Records in 2012. Jean-Marc began his career in the mid-1970s playing guitar and synthesizer in several experimental prog-rock groups, such as Mandragore, Lézard Marçio, Phyllauxckzairrâh N° III, and Carte Postale. He soon became more interested in vintage portable analog synthesizers and musique concrete tape collages, gradually moving away from guitar bands towards solo electronic concerts and studio work in solitude.

In 1981, Jean-Marc Foussat finished his debut album Abattage, comprising experimental collages and studio recordings made in 1975–81 with VCS III synthesizer, piano, guitar, found vocals and field recordings. The album was self-released in March 1983 through his own imprint Pyjama and later considered by critics as one of the seminal works for the French avantgarde/musique concrete scene. An out-of-print cult album was reissued on bootleg CDr in 2014 by Keith Fullerton Whitman's Creel Pone label.

Foussat joined Marteau Rouge ensemble in 1991, with Makoto Sato on drums and Jean-François Pauvros on electric guitar. The trio collaborated with Evan Parker. From 2000 to 2013, Jean-Marc Foussat played in the free improvised group Thrash The Flash with guitarist Marc Dufourd, vocalist Lea Dufourd, Damien Dufourd on trumpet, and clarinet/flute player Jérôme Bourdellon.

In 2005, Foussat started Aliquid duo with saxophonist Sylvain Guérineau – they released three albums on Leo Records, Nashazphone and Fou Records, including a collaboration with Joe McPhee. Some of his recent projects include Département d'Éducation Psychique with Dynamo Dreesen and Sven Rieger (aka SVN (2), which debuted with a recording session in Paris in 2014 and released two ambient/drone LP albums, as well as an experimental house remix on I.G.M - Last Momenta 12" single.

In 2016, Jean-Marc started 5599 duo with a French prodigy and adolescent improviser Augustin Brousseloux on electric guitar and alto saxophone. They released a debut Heureusement Que Le Sang Sèche Vite LP on Nashazphone label. Foussat participated in MIA 2016 (7° Encontro de Música Improvisada de Atouguia da Baleia, Portugal) event in May 2016, as one of the 60+ members of Ensemble MIA.

Jean-Marc Foussat has been collaborating with Jac Berrocal, Roger Turner, Raymond Boni (as a member of Raymond Boni Fortuna 21 Octet), Noël Akchoté, Claude Parle, trumpeters Jean-Luc Cappozzo, Thomas Berghammer and Nicolas Souchal, trombonist Matthias Mahler, vocalist Marialuisa Capurso, drummers Dirar Kalash and Paul Lovens, double bass player Fred Marty (in MarsaFouty duo), turntablist Hans Falb, violinist Irene Kepl, Samuel Blaser, Emilie Lesbros, Sophie Agnel, Daunik Lazro and numerous other musicians.

As a gifted recording engineer, Jean-Marc Foussat worked extensively with Joëlle Léandre and Joe McPhee, as well as Bill Laswell on Massacre (2) - Killing Time. He produced numerous live free-improvised recordings for such prominent independent labels, as Incus, Hat Hut Records, Po Torch Records, Rift, RecRec Music, and Celluloid.