The French Connection

The latest of Madonna s dance/ambient producer-collaborators, Mirwais Ahmaezai began his career in music playing lead guitar with French electronic pop combo Taxi Girl during the post-punk era.

The group, who were continually plagued by drug problems throughout their eight-year career, scored a number of hit singles in their native country with tunes which betrayed an equal love of The Stooges and Kraftwerk. And for all the modernist lustre of Mirwais debut solo effort Production, it s also informed by the fact that he came of age during the late seventies and early eighties, when new wave and fledgling electronic acts such as Devo forged an uneasy truce between disco and punk.
When people talk about a mix of punk and disco, it s true, Mirwais admits, but when I was younger my real background was more rock, things like Patti Smith, The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, and also the punk scene from England, The Clash. And it was a mix of both energies that was interesting for a band like Taxi Girl. For a lot of people, a band like The Stooges are not music, but for me it s one of the most beautiful bands ever made. Why? Because when they started in the sixties after John Coltrane, the free jazz experience, Iggy wanted to do exactly the same thing. It s not exactly the same music but it is the same energy, and for me it s the reason why it s so modern, just for the spirit.
No surprise then that Mirwais was also a fan of Suicide, the NY duo who best spliced punk brinkmanship with electronic dystopianism.
Yeah, I saw them in 78 and it was incredible on stage, he recounts. The first Suicide album (is) an incredible album, so basic.
Production on the other hand, is distinguished by a sense of invention typical of Gallic dance acts tracks like Definitive Beat and Naive Song inspire fair comparisons with Daft Punk, Cassius, The Micronauts, Air et al. But then, Mirwais is rubbing shoulders with some serious company: Georgio Moroder remixed the single Disco Science , while Stephane Sednaoui (best known for his work on Madonna s Fever , Garbage s Queer and Bjork s Big Time Sensuality videos) directed the arty blue movie which accompanies the tune.
Perhaps unsurprisingly though, the highlight of the album is Paradise (Not For Me) , featuring vocals by Madonna. Here, Mirwais has swathed la Ciccone s voice in unfamiliar textures, and goth-geisha tones which offer tantalising hints as to what the singer s next long player (also featuring tracks produced by William Orbit and Sasha) will sound like.
With her, you could say she wanted to try new things every time, Mirwais explains. She takes risks. Maybe it s a little bit more different because it s the first time she has worked with a non-Anglo Saxon person.
Was he nervous about working with her?
No. Honestly not, because I ve never been a fan of someone and I think it has helped me in my relationship with her. You could have this kind of psychological pressure when you work with someone so famous, you could be disturbed by that, but it s alright, you know? She s really intelligent and she has a good sense of psychology herself, she can manage a lot of different situations. I worked as an engineer because I needed to make money in the past, and you know, sometimes it s better to work with Madonna, because she s quieter. With some English people, it could really be very bad!
Production is out now on Sony.