Casino Music

At the end of the 1970s, Gilles Riberolles and Eric Weber, high school friends, shared a house in Saint Mande near the Bois de Vincennes on the outskirts of Paris. The cellar was soon transformed into a rehearsal studio. Didier Esteban, the brother of Michel Esteban, the boss of the concept store "Harry Cover" in Les Halles and co-founder of the New York label ZE Records, and Philippe Chany, who would later compose the hit "C'est la Ouate" for Caroline Loeb, joined them in the first formula of a group that was to become Casino Music. The group was then managed by Alain Wais, music critic for the newspaper Le Monde, who released a first single 'Burger City / Viol AF015' in 1978 on Vid Ordur, the label of Alain Maneval, a Parisian radio host.  

Michel Esteban convinced the band to sign on ZE Records, resulting in a recording in New York at the mythical Blank Tapes Studios, with Chris Stein of Blondie in production, with whom Riberolles has become friends in the meantime. Casino was then composed of Gilles Riberolles on guitar and vocals, Eric Weber on bass, Jean Michel Lemeur on drums and Anatole Mundi on keyboards. The four Frenchmen were joined by the New Yorkers Allen Wentz on synths, Chris Stein did some guitar solos, Tom Malone -The Blues Brothers trombone-, and Ron Rogers on piano and percussion. The chorus will be provided by Aural Exciters members Christine Wilshire, Mary Seymour and Gina Tharps. Cristina will come to do a cameo, while Gilles will return the favour on "La Poupée Qui Fait Non" produced by August Darnelll. The album will be mixed at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas by Island records boss Chris Blackwell, whom Esteban managed to convince. Steven Stanley, sound engineer of Lizzy Mercier Descloux's 'Mambau Nassau' and future member of Tom Tom Club is behind the console. 

For the cover Esteban brought in one of his acquaintances, Richard Brenstein, who is responsible for all the covers of Andy Warhol "Interview" magazine. The album was released in 1979 in French version 'Amour Sauvage' and English version 'Jungle Love'. In spite of a very good critical reception of the album distributed throughout Europe and Japan and of the Parisian concerts of the group with Blondie or The B-52's at the Palace, sales were disappointing. In 1981 Esteban will produce a last single with Casino Music 'Go Go Word / The Beat Goes On' (an excellent cover of Sonny and Cher's hit " The Beat Goes On "). In 2010 ZE Records will re-release in Japan distributed by P.Vines Records the album 'Jungle Love' with all the French and English versions of the first album as well as all the versions of the last single and unreleased tracks recorded at Compass Point Studios. [SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA]