Honeyelk

Honeyelk was a French Zeuhl band that released the album Stoyz vi Dozévéloy on Oxygène in 1979.

Members: Gérard Blanc (bass, guitar, synthesizer, Fender Rhodes, vocals), Christian Blanc (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Pierre-Yves Maury (clarinet, saxophone), William Grandordy (grand piano, Fender Rhodes, piano), Frank Lovisolo (guitar), Fabien Giacchi (bass), Eric Rieuvernet (synthesizer), Jean Cortes (violin)

Background

Honeyelk formed in Toulon in the mid-1970s when brothers Gérard and Christian Blanc rebuilt the earlier five-piece Honey Dream once they returned from a period in England. The Blanc brothers first played in local Toulon groups in the early 1970s with setlists of progressive-rock repertory, then developed originals with Honey Dream. The rebuilt lineup paired bassist-keyboardist-singer Gérard and drummer-percussionist Christian with reedist Pierre-Yves Maury, pianist William Grandordy, and guitarist Frank Lovisolo.

Lovisolo learned music from his grandfather Angelin, principal trombonist at the Toulon opera. He later earned a first prize in classical guitar.

Honeyelk financed sessions in a private studio and recorded the eleven-minute “Stoÿz” and fifteen-minute “Do Zé Vé Loy” as the planned first side of a larger album. Both pieces deviated from their earlier material, so the group abandoned the longer-album plan and retained the two tapes as a complete program. The two recordings became the complete program for the 1979 Oxygène LP Stoyz Vi Dozévéloy.

Discography:

• Stoyz vi Dozévéloy (1979)

References and notes

• The strongest narrative source I found is the December 2025 Nightfall article. It identifies Gérard and Christian Blanc as Toulon brothers, places them in local groups at the start of the 1970s, identifies Honey Dream as a five-piece that moved from progressive covers into original material, records the period in England and subsequent lineup reconstruction, and states that Honeyelk self-financed the two long recordings in a studio of their own. It also explains why material intended for one LP side became the entire record and gives the 1,000-copy Oxygène pressing. (Nightfall)
• Frank César Lovisolo provides the strongest primary biographical evidence. His own curriculum vitae gives a May 17, 1957 Toulon birth, a first prize in classical guitar, and a series-E scientific baccalaureate. A biographical text on his site identifies his grandfather Angelin as principal trombonist at the Toulon opera and states that Angelin gave Lovisolo his first music lessons. I used only the musical details relevant to Honeyelk. (Frank Lovisolo)
• The existing JRS page confirms the core album lineup and the Oxygène release: Gérard Blanc, Christian Blanc, Pierre-Yves Maury, William Grandordy, and Frank Lovisolo appear on the original album material. The extra names currently listed on the artist page belong to later archival tracks represented on the expanded reissue, so I left them out of the pre-album lineup. (JazzRockSoul)
• A separate French-progressive source independently places Honeyelk in Toulon under the earlier Honey Dream name and reports the same progression from local progressive covers to Honeyelk. It also gives the 1,000-copy figure. (Rock N Roll Perolas)
• An older record-market listing confirms the original French Oxygène pressing as catalog OXY 047, independent of the later Musea reissue. (Google Groups)
• One additional account states that the two-track LP was captured on eight-track equipment across roughly two days. I left that detail out because I could not corroborate the session duration from another sufficiently independent source. (Aanijalkia)