View source for Space (French band)

{{Redirect|Space (electronic band)|the English ambient electronic act credited as "Space" in 1990|Jimmy Cauty}}
{{Short description|French electronic music band}}
{{More citations needed|date=December 2008}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name             = Space
| image            = File:Didier Marouani,Yann Benoist,Bunny Rizzitelli (Space Moscou 1983).jpg
| caption          = Space performing in [[Moscow, Russia]] in 1983
| image_size       = 250
| background       = group_or_band
| birth_name       = 
| alias            = Didier Marouani & Space
| origin           = France
| genre            = [[Electronica]], [[space disco]], [[spacesynth]], [[New wave music|new wave]] (past 1982)
| years_active     = 1977–1980, 1982–present
| label            = 
| associated_acts  = Paris-France-Transit
| website          = https://space.tm.fr/
| current_members  = [[Didier Marouani]]<br/>Jeff Parent<br/>Manu Chambo<br/>Serge Munuera<br/>Marc Hazon<br/>Dominque Greffier<br/>Jean-françois Bourassin<br/>Michel Aymé<br/>Julius Tessarech<br/>Bertin Meynard<br/>Patrice Richard<br/>Richard Ominetti<br/>Jean-Louis Lechevallier
| past_members     = [[Janny Loseth]]<br />[[Roland Romanelli]]<br />[[Jannick Top]]<br />[[Yann Benoist]]<br />[[John Edwards (musician)|John Edwards]]<br />Janny Loseth<br/>[[Madeline Bell]]<br/>Patrice Tison<br/>Roy Robinson<br/>Dennis Cottard<br/>Cissy Stone<br />Joe Hammer
}}

'''Space''' (occasionally '''Didier Marouani & Space'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/5705-Space|title=Space|website=Discogs.com|accessdate=4 October 2020}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=November 2021}}), are a French [[music]] band active from 1977 through 1980 and returning with [[cover version|on-stage remake]] performances since 1982. Their work is associated with the short-lived [[space disco]] genre and is a precursor of [[electronica]].

==History==
===Instant success and breakup===
Space was founded in 1977 by [[Didier Marouani]]<ref name="AllMusic1">{{cite web|last1=Layne|first1=Joslyn|title=Artist Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/space-mn0001811373/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=12 January 2022}}</ref> (also known as Ecama). The band consisted of Didier Marouani, arrangers [[Roland Romanelli]] and [[Jannick Top]], and singer [[Madeline Bell]]. Marouani by that time had some fame as a solo pop singer, but soon focused on his band, whose name was suggested by the song “Magic Fly”, originally written in 1976 for a television program dedicated to astrology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://profondeurdechamps.com/2013/12/02/interview-didier-marouani/|title=Didier Marouani : "J'étais persuadé à cette époque que le synthétiseur deviendrait l'instrument majeur de la fin du XXe siècle"|website=Profondeurdechamps.com|date=2 December 2013|accessdate=4 October 2020}}</ref>

Didier Marouani: “Given the words of people who constantly told me that the melody resembles the sounds coming from space, I chose “Space” as the name".<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.90bpm.com/rubriques/damnright/2015/12/23/interview-didier-marouan/|title=INTERVIEW : DIDIER MAROUANI, LE VRAI SPACE COW-BOY|website=90bpm.com|accessdate=4 October 2020}}</ref>

In the early period, musicians strongly emphasized the sci-fi orientation of their group, often performing in stage costumes like spacesuits. Another reason for appearing in public in the form of "astronauts" was the current contract of Didier Marouani with record company [[Polydor]].

D. Marouani: “The producer and I invited my record company to release “Magic Fly” under my name, but the label decided that the composition was not good enough to do this ... My producer found another company, but I could not “light up” under in my own name, since the contract with my company remained in force... The suits appeared also because no one could recognize me in it. I had to come up with a creative pseudonym, and I settled on “Ecama”.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dreamchimney.com/interviews/Didier-Marouani|title=Didier Marouani – Dream Chimney Interview|website=Dreamchimney.com|accessdate=4 October 2020}}</ref>

The first three albums &mdash; ''[[Magic Fly]]'' (1977), ''Deliverance'' (1977) and ''Just Blue'' (1978) &mdash; sold over 12 million records globally. After the recording of Magic Fly, American drummer Joe Hammer joined the band.

However, after "Just Blue" was released, a critical moment occurred in the group’s history related to the increasing desire of its leader to perform concerts (previously impossible due to the imperfection of available synthesizer models), which led to a conflict with producer Jean-Philippe Iliesco.

D. Marouani: “... Everything was going well, but at that time, when I met with my producer, I told him about my desire to perform on stage. At that time, we did not have a single “live” performance, only television. I managed to get permission for a concert under the Eiffel Tower, with the support of (radio station) “Europe 1”, and the press too, but in the end, my producer decided to cancel everything. And then I said: “I'm leaving,” because — a group that does not give concerts will die sooner or later".<ref name="auto"/>

Didier Marouani left the band in 1979, and Joe Hammer went on to do other projects, Romanelli and Jannick Top continued and released the album ''Deeper Zone'' in 1980. The band split up in 1981.

From 1982 Marouani and Joe Hammer performed and recorded as "Didier Marouani & Space" with Janny Loseth of [[Titanic (band)|Titanic]] as lead vocalist. The band was later renamed Paris-France-Transit in response to legal action. Hammer left in 1992.

===The return of "spAce" and beyond===
The name "spAce" was legally re-acquired after copyright disputes around 1990, allowing Didier Marouani to re-release classic albums and give a European live cover tour in 1993. ''Symphonic Space Dream'' was produced with collaboration from the [[State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation|Russian State Symphony Orchestra]]. In the same year, the [[S Club Juniors]] made a remix to their single "[[New Direction (song)|New Direction]]" featuring the backing track of ''Magic Fly''. The band's hit "Magic Fly" as well as many other songs from the self-named album were [[remix]]ed in 2003 by the Belgian dance music project [[Minimalistix]]. In 2004, their hit "Deliverance" was sampled in [[De La Soul]]'s single [[The_Grind_Date|Rock Co.Kane Flow]] featuring [[MF Doom]]. In 2007, it was retaken to feature in its entirety in [[Talib Kweli]]'s two-piece composition ''Hostile Gospel (Deliver Us)''. 2011 saw the release of Space's most recent album, ''From Earth To Mars''. The last track of this album, ''Message of Peace From Earth To Mars'', features recorded samples of [[Yuri Gagarin]]'s journey into space in 1961 and is a tribute to fifty years of [[space exploration]].

==Members==
===Current===
*[[Didier Marouani]]: keyboards, synthesizers (1977-1980, 1982–present)
*Jeff Parent (keyboards)
*Manu Chambo (keyboards)
*Serge Munuera (keyboards)
*Marc Hazon (percussions)
*Dominque Greffier (vocals, bass)
*Jean-françois Bourassin (guitar)
*Michel Aymé (guitar)
*Julius Tessarech (sound)
*Bertin Meynard (sound)
*Patrice Richard (lighting, manager)
*Richard Ominetti (lighting)
*Jean-Louis Lechevallier (lighting)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Musician-Band/Didier.Marouani.et.spAce/about/|title=Didier Marouani & spAce|website=Facebook.com|accessdate=4 October 2020}}</ref>

===Past===
*[[Roland Romanelli]]: keyboards, synthesizers (1977-1980)
*[[Jannick Top]]: keyboards, synthesizers (1977-1980)
*Joe Hammer: drums, percussion (1977-1979, 1982-1992)
*Janny Loseth: lead vocals (1982-1991)
*[[Madeline Bell]]: lead vocals (1977-1978)
*Cissy Stone: lead vocals (1978-1980)
*Patrice Tison: guitar (1979-1982)
*[[Yann Benoist]]: guitar (1983-2007)
*Roy Robinson: lead vocals (1991-1992)
*Dennis Cottard: keyboards, synthesizers (1982-1985)

==Discography==
===Albums===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Album
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[UK Albums Chart|UK]]</small><br><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/>
! [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]
|-
| rowspan="2"|1977
| ''[[Magic Fly]]'' 
| align=center | 11
|
* [[British Phonographic Industry|BPI]]: Silver<ref>{{cite web|title=Space – Magic Fly (album)|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/4121-872-2 |website=bpi.co.uk|access-date=15 January 2022}}</ref>
|-
| ''Deliverance''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 1978
| ''Just Blue''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 1980
| ''Deeper Zone'' 
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 1981
| ''The Best of Space''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 1982
| ''Paris France Transit'' 
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 1983
| ''Concerts en URSS''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 1987
| ''Space Opera''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 1994
| ''Space Magic Concerts''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2002
| ''Symphonic Space Dream''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| 2011
| ''From Earth to Mars''
| align=center | —
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart.
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Year
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Single
! scope="col" colspan="5"|Peak chart positions
! scope="col" rowspan="2"|Certifications
|-
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[Hot Dance Club Songs|US Dance]]</small><br><ref name="Awards">{{cite web|title=Space – Awards |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/space-mn0001811373/awards|website=AllMusic|access-date=12 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121009104146/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/space-mn0001811373/awards|archive-date=October 9, 2012}}</ref>
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop]]</small><br><ref name="Awards"/>
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[Irish Singles Chart|IRE]]</small><br>
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[Dutch Top 40|NL]]</small><br><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radio538.nl/web/show/id=44685/chartid=6717|title=De Nederlandse Top 40, week 20, 1977|publisher=Radio538.nl|accessdate=2008-07-30}}</ref>
! style="width:45px;"|<small>[[UK Singles Chart|UK]]</small><br><ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book|first=David|last= Roberts|year=2006|title=British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited|location=London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page=517}}</ref>
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1977
| "Magic Fly" 
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 3
| align=center | 20
| align=center | 2
|
* BPI: Silver<ref>{{cite web|title=Space – Magic Fly (single)|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/4121-872-1|website=bpi.co.uk|access-date=15 January 2022}}</ref>
|-
| "Tango in Space" 
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | 57<br>{{Efn|Chart position is from the official UK "Breakers List".|name=fn2|group=upper-alpha}}
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1978
| "Running in the City" 
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| "Prison"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1979
| "Just Blue" 
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| "My Love Is Music" 
| align=center | 59
| align=center | 60
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| "Save Your Love for Me" 
| align=center | 73
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
 |rowspan="2"| 1980
| "On the Air" 
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| "Tender Force"
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
| align=center | ―
|
|-
| colspan="8" style="text-align:center; font-size:9pt;"| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist-ua}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://marouani.space/ Official Space site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110315073247/http://fr.space.tm.fr/category/discographie/ Space discography]
* [https://archive.today/20130131211507/http://news.planetorigo.com/article.php?poarticle_id=92& Interview from 2004]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Space}}
[[Category:Eurodisco groups]]
[[Category:French electronic music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1977]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1980]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 1982]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]]