 03/10/2007 Bob Sinclar – Live at the Playboy Mansion
Bob is relaxed, chatty and trade-mark flirty on a typically sunny afternoon in LA, the city where he’s chosen to decamp for some much needed me-time after a summer on the international clubbing circuit. And it just so happens to be down the road from Hugh’s HQ and the namesake of Bob’s latest album Live At The Playboy Mansion, an ode to the best of 70s and 80s disco.
“That period was so sexy,” he explains. “It was all about going out, dancing and enjoying disco styles. It was the golden age of clubbing. Also, the entire erotic ethos is something that I’ve always been attracted to. I based my persona from the erotic kitsch stories of the 70s and 80s”.
Born Christophe Le Friant – “that’s what my mother calls me. Bob Sinclar’s my alter-ego” – in France, Bob grew up in boho Le Marais, the Parisian district at the throbbing heart of Paris’s club scene and the epicentre of French gay culture, a culture notoriously at the forefront of clubbing trends. The launch of his own Yellow Productions label and several anthemic, international hits including ‘World, Hold On’ and ‘Love Generation’ later, and Bob’s now waxing lyrical over the inspirations behind this, his sixth album – and one that is close to his heart.
“With this CD I’ve tried to show an evolution of the music I love. For me it all happened in between ’73 and ’83. Everything seemed to happen in those ten years. Most of my favourite records are from that period,” he enthuses, “but also every classic film, even art, is from that decade.”
With his unapologetic ladies’ man reputation, Bob is perhaps a natural heir to Hugh Hefner and is effusive in his admiration for the octogenarian.
As for being in Playboy magazine itself, Bob is equally and candidly enthusiastic.
“For Playboy I’d do anything”, he grins. “Also, there are three parties a year and the biggest one is on Halloween. I would love to play that party as a DJ. It’s just the most amazing party, with the most amazing girls, guests and superstars. It is a very crazy and sexy party. Paradise for me!”
“Dance music today is just recycled from that period in a way, anyway,” explains Bob. “People saying Disco is dead… Disco will never be dead because it’s all about the feeling and people want to go out every Friday and Saturday and just enjoy the moment and forget their everyday problems. They want to feel good and I think that’s what disco brings.”
But for someone whose own music has strong routes in Hip Hop, does the Disco-heavy Playboy album mark a distinct  change in direction for Bob?
“I started off listening to a lot of Hip Hop, yeah,” he admits. “Then I discovered, by going to New York, that producers like Kenny Dope, Todd Terry, all the guys in New York were playing house and Hip Hop in the same sets. After that I started to discover all the DJs were sampling all the classics. So I looked into it and bought the original records that they sampled.
“I think to be a good producer you have to have a good knowledge of how the music was developed – its history,” Bob continues. “It’s important to understand the history of music so you can translate that into your own music. I love disco so I originally looked into what I call “Roller Disco”, which started around ‘73 to ’75, with of course people like Chic and Cerrone. After the 80s, Disco arrived very strongly in Europe and guys like Alexander Robotnikcame up with this “Italian disco” and they used a lot more drum machines and synthesizers, which gave it an electronic edge.
Talk soon turns to the seductive power of music – he is French, after all!
“Life is all about seduction,” he says, ever the playboy, “For girls, men and everything. So I would like to say I’m doing music for girls and all the gay community. It’s like I know my feminine side and I like to use it for all my melodies, harmonies and I’m also looking for energy in the beat. My music is very emotional.”
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