Back To The Light – Serge Ponsar, 1983

🇲🇶 🎤 🎶 💃 🕺 In 1983, Serge Ponsar released what would unfortunately remain his only album, Back To The Light. The Martinican singer began his career in small R&B orchestras before joining, at the start of the decade, his friend and drummer Pierre Marie—alias Mams—’s group, Black White and Co. The band already produced a French-style funk, heavily influenced by disco-boogie, which could rival American productions. Among its members was Sydney, whom fans of the H.I.P H.O.P. show would surely remember. It was also with Mams that Ponsar released Back To The Light, first as a single, which opened the doors to the WEA label for him. The album followed soon after, written and recorded between 1982 and 1983. Back To The Light is a concept album of sorts, telling the unglamorous story of a producer who steals his artist’s music and girlfriend. Above all, it features seven tracks tailored for the dancefloor, blending funk with electro sounds and occasional samples (such as the cash register drawers from Money by Pink Floyd), making it incredibly addictive(The bass riff in « Out In The Night » should sound familiar to you). After the album, Serge Ponsar collaborated with Simon Jurad, Jean-Paul Pognon, and Michel Alibo. In 1989, he was invited to contribute to Dé, the debut album by Ultramarine. Later, Mario Canonge wrote Peyi Mwen Jodi almost specifically for him, claiming Ponsar was the only one who could ever sing it. Further appearances followed, alongside Jocelyne Béroard, Tony Chasseur, and Khalil Chahine with Sakiyo. Tragically, Serge Ponsar passed away suddenly in 1993 while working on a new album. This project was eventually completed by Mario Canonge and Michel Alibo under the title Hommage.