The post-punk European young musicians had lost the urge for destructive sound and in-your-face bluntness by early 1980s. Taking the DIY element from punk, it was then mutated with the injection of elements from other genre such as disco, funk, reggae and ska. The result is a sound that is subtle and dark. England is the place that bands such as Joy Division, Bauhaus, The Cure, Public Image Ltd and Magazine emerged, and the ‘Neue Deutsche Welle’ (German New Wave) such as Daf, Palais Schaumburg, Malaria, S.Y.P.H. and Xmal Deutschland also took stage in Germany.

The French New Wave revolutionalised films as well as music in the 1960s. New comers such as Kas Product, Moderne, Metal Urbain, The Droids and Mathématiques Modernes started applying electronic elements making a sound that is cold and gloomy. It was a departure from the sugary French pop music beforehand and opened a new chapter.

Agnès b.’s LIBRAIRIE GALERIE is presenting ‘Modern Young People’ project, including exhibition, publication, sound and documentary representing the brief but memorable era marked from 1978 to 1983. It must be noted that the contributors are the importance creative forces at the launching stage of Agnès b. – together they represent a spirit that is timeless yet forward thinking.

Text: Bruno Moonbyrd | Translation: dilettante
Photo Courtesy: Agnès b.’s LIBRAIRIE GALERIE
Update: 10 Dec 2008

11 Dec 2008 — 14 Mar 2009

Agnès b.’s LIBRAIRIE GALERIE
1/F, 18 Wing Fung Street, Wan Chai, Hong Kong
+852 2869 5505

www.myspace.com/desjeunesgensmodernes