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The French synth-pop band Space had international hits with their 1977 dance numbers "Carry on Turn Me On" and "Magic Fly," leading to a deal with Casablanca Records and gold records for the band's songwriter and leader Didier Marouani. The dance group was formed by keyboardist Marouani in 1977. The group's biggest international success came later that year with the previously mentioned singles, both appearing on charts in a number of countries. Space toured and recorded for the next few years and continued to make well-received records, although no singles duplicated the success of "Magic Fly." After several albums, a rift occurred in the band; 1980's Deeper Zone, recorded under the name of Space, was actually an album by band members Roland Romanelli and Jannick Top, who took over and kept the band name, but went relatively unnoticed (Romanelli, incidentally, went on to compose extensively for television movies). This was the last album by Space, but the project continued with Marouani, who had written Space's music (under the alias Ecama) anyway. And so Marouani continued to record and perform — as Didier Marouani & Space, then as Didier Marouani & Paris-France-Transit (PFT) — to much success. In the Summer of 1983, he toured the U.S.S.R., drawing huge crowds in cities including Kiev and Moscow. Four years later, Marouani recorded his opera for choirs and synthesizers, Space Opera. The recording session was an international effort, bringing together choirs from the U.S. (Harvard University Choir) and U.S.S.R. (Red Army Choir). Apparently, a copy of Space Opera was put in the MIR space station. In other space-related activities, Marouani performed in Cayenne (capitol of French Guiana) at the 1990 celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Ariane rocket launch. He returned to Russia for another successful tour the following year and again during the early '90s for a historic performance in Red Square that included an extensive laser light show. The late '90s brought a reissue of the Space albums and the Best Of by Virgin France.
As a five year old in Monaco, Didier MAROUANI began his classical music studies in piano, notation and harmonics. At the age of fifteen, he entered the Paris Conservatoire and was to graduate with a second prize in Piano and a first in music notation. Didier began composing songs at the early age of ten to have his first recorded song two years later.
1975 :
First LP as an acclaimed singer in France. He also went on tours with JOHNNY HALLYDAY, JOE DASSIN and CLAUDE FRANÇOIS.
1977 :
More interested by composition than singing and looking for international recognition, he formed the group SPACE, composing all its music under the pseudonym : ECAMA.It was propelled to the top of all Hit-Parades. MAGIC FLY became number one in the world (N° 1 in record sales, as well as radio and club hit parades in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, South America, England, the Soviet Union, reaching the number one spot in the United Sates National Disco charts. A contract was signed with Casablanca Records, where the band's third album was to rank number 45 in Billboard's record sales).
The song « CARRY ON TURN ME ON » was the first French song to reach n° 1 in the Billboard dance charts.
In all, the three SPACE albums sold more than 10 million records. The French Foreign Trade Minister André Rossi awarded Didier many golden records for having achieved one of the most important successes within the French record industry..
1978- 1981 :
Didier travelled all around the world to promote his new LP which reached Top 45 on Billboard, Top 1 in 10 countries, Top 200 charts and Top 1 in 10 countries.
June 1983 :
Because his music was well-known in the Soviet Union, Didier and his band SPACE gave a series of 21 concerts in Kiev and Leningrad and in Moscow's Olympic Hall where more than 600.000 spectators attended the performance.
June 1987 :
Didier worked on a new album "SPACE-OPERA", the first Opera composed for synthesizers and choirs. He was able to obtain the participation of both the Red Army and the Harvard University Choirs (USA) for his album "SPACE-OPERA".
The album was relayed to the Soviet space station "MIR", thus making the album the first to be heard in space. "SPACE-OPERA" went on to achieve great success in Europe.
January 1990 :
At the request of the European Space Agency (ESA, CNES, ARIANESPACE), Didier & SPACE presented an extravagantly grand concert to mark the 10th anniversary of the ARIANE rocket, bringing together more than 40.000 people in Cayenne (Guyana).
May 1991 :
From 20 May to June 10 1991, Didier Marouani and his group SPACE returned to the Soviet Union to perform 14 concerts in Moscow, Leningrad and Kiev. A forty person team of musicians and technicians accompanied Didier, being one of Russia's favourite French artists, was accompanied by a 40 person team of musicians and technicians. Numerous visual effects and a state of the art technology in lighting, laser and projection effects was used. The concerts attracted more than 200.000 spectators, a triumph for the group.
Didier's & SPACE records sold over 12 million copies in the USSR.
1992 - 1993 :
In 1992, after a year of negotiating with both the mayor of Moscow and the Russian government, Didier was able to obtain the necessary authorisation for a concert in Red Square. His dream was finally realised 10 years after the project was first conceived. Some 360.000 spectators attended the free concert which, at the invitation of Didier, famous international stars and impressive sound, laser effects and lighting paraphenelia presented on a huge stage. Didier became the first artist to perform in the Red Square.
June 1994 :
Didier & SPACE were invited to an exceptional concert in Sebastopol, Crimea, thus becoming the first non Russian Artist to perform in that city in front of 60.000 spectators.
September 1995 :
The album "SPACE MAGIC CONCERTS" was released in France, the former Soviet Union, and in South East Asia (Taiwan, Thailand).
1999 :
After remastering and remixing the SPACE records for two years, VIRGIN decided to release the SPACE catalogue on CD and a the Best of SPACE for the first time on CD.
May 2001 :
Didier & SPACE gave a concert in Alma Aty (Kazakhstan).
July 2001 :
Didier & SPACE participated in the TAVRIA GAMES Festival (South of Ukraine).
2001 :
Didier MAROUANI has finish mixing the new SPACE album : "SYMPHONIC SPACE DREAM"; Didier Marouani has just finished mixing the new SPACE album "SYMPHONIC SPACE DREAM" which has been Didier's dream for the past 15 years. It mixes two musical universes : Synthesizer music and Symphonic Orchestra..
After five months of recording the synthesizer's music in New York, Didier obtained the participation of the St Petersburg Symphonic Orchestra, as both him and SPACE are a legend in the former Soviet Union.
Didier, his American sound engineer Michael Drexler and his team, went to St Petersburg to record the prestigious orchestra.
It took more than seven and a half months to record and mix the album which contains melodies and dance beats, mixed with music from the Symphonic Orchestra.
The whole album is orchestral with two remixes of the world-hits: MAGIC FLY and SYMPHONY and a song SYMPHONIC SPACE DREAM sung by Deborah Cooper, who sings with Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.
It is a very strong song and a very original album.
Listen to it and make up your mind....
NOVEMBER 1st 2001 :
World Premier on stage of the new SPACE Album «SYMPHONIC SPACE DREAM» in Kiev at the Ukraine Palace with the participation of the National Symphonic Orchestra of Ukraine (110 musicians). 5.000 people went to this concert which has been shot in video.
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