France

Heldon

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Premiere french underground band, founded by Richard Pinhas

Founded: 1973

Location: Paris, France

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Jarre, Jean Michel

French synthesist, popular

Founded: 1948

Location: Lyon, France

Website: Jean Michel Jarre Official Website

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Kravetz, Jean-Jacques

Keyboard player for Frumpy, Atlantis, Randy Pie and more.

Founded: 1947

Location: Paris, France

Website: Kravetz | News von Jean-Jacques Kravetz

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Founded by drummer Gilbert Artman, Lard Free was similar to Richard Pinhas' Heldon; French, unconventional, experimental, but, incredulously, a rock band. Later albums would draw parallels to the cosmic side of the ubiquitous "krautrock" of Germany. Artman would simultaneously lead the massive performances of Urban Sax.

Founded: 1970

Location: Paris, France

Website: Myspace page for Lard Free

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Magma

Perhaps most idiosyncratic of all progressives, Christian Vander's Magma documented the other-worldly parables of the planet Kobaia. The early side project Univeria Zekt album The Unamables is great introduction, but even their first two albums wouldn't prepare the world for the completely over the top epic Mekanik Destruktiw Komanndoh. Sung in Vander's self-created language, Magma's music a cross between Carl Orff, John Coltrane and some dark-ass heavy metal!

Founded: 1969

Location: Paris, France

Website: MAGMA - CHRISTIAN VANDER - STELLA VANDER - SEVENTH RECORDS

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Malherbe, Didier

Aka Bloom-Dido Bad-de-Grass, Didier Malherbe's post-Gong work included the vastly underrated fusion outfit Bloom, before continuing into the 80s on a world-fusion path, which included work with Zao's François "Faton" Cahen and in Hadouk, with Loy Ehrlich.

Founded: 1942

Location: Paris, France

Website: DIDIER MALHERBE

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Mona Lisa

French symphonic band hailing from Orleans.

Founded: 1973

Location: Orleans, France

Website: MONA LISA Le rock progressif francais

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Pierre Moerlen's Gong

Gong gone fusion

Founded: 1976

Location: Strasbourg, France

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Pinhas, Richard

Pinhas' contribution to the Parisian progressive music scene cannot be underrated. Also, a professor of philosophy at Sorbonne.

Founded: 1951

Location: Paris, France

Website: Richard Pinhas > Accueil

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Pulsar

Hailing from Lyon, Pulsar were one of the first French bands to receive a recording contract from an English record label (Terry King's Kingdom Records). Dark, atmospheric, their first three albums are somewhat of minor classics.

Founded: 1972

Location: Lyon, France

Website: Pulsar is back

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