Voyage

Voyage was a French electro/space-funk band that released four albums between 1977 and 1982 on Sirocco. English singer Sylvia Mason-James sang on their first two albums, Voyage and Fly Away, which spawned the hits “From East to West,” “Souvenirs,” and “Let’s Fly Away.”

Members: Marc Chantereau (vocals, keyboards, percussion), Pierre-Alain Dahan (lead vocals, drums, percussion), Slim Pezin (vocals, guitars, percussion), Sauveur Mallia (bass)

Background

Voyage formed in Paris in 1977 when keyboardist-percussionist Marc Chantereau, drummer Pierre-Alain Dahan, guitarist André “Slim” Pezin, and bassist Sauveur Mallia teamed as a recording group.

Chantereau began percussion studies at age eight under Émile Got at the Conservatoire du 10e arrondissement de Paris. He entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique at fifteen and earned a first prize at eighteen under Jacques Delécluse. Chantereau started Paris studio sessions in his final conservatory year.

Pezin took up guitar at seventeen and first recorded behind singer Noël Deschamps. He played with Manu Dibango in the Soul Brothers by 1968, when an American producer recruited the group for outside recording projects.

Dahan was born March 23, 1943, in Oran, Algeria. He worked with keyboardist Mat Camison in Mat 3 and the Peppers. Roger Tokarz produced the Peppers for Sirocco, beginning with the 1973 single “Pepper Box” (b/w “Pinch of Salt”). Dahan and Pezin recorded the 1976 Tele Music library album Neo Rythmiques.

By 1977, Chantereau, Dahan, and Pezin interacted for nearly a decade on the Paris studio scene. The three worked with Johnny Hallyday and Claude François among other recording clients. Tokarz encouraged the musicians to make a record of their own as disco expanded across Europe. They contacted Mallia, a bassist in the same studio network.

Mallia was born in 1949 in Toulouse and studied classical double bass at the Toulouse conservatory. In 1973, he won a first prize and moved to Paris. Bassist Jannick Top connected Mallia with Paul Mauriat’s orchestra, where an audition secured a two-month Japanese tour. Mallia entered the Paris studio circuit through subsequent Mauriat sessions and later recorded with Cerrone.

Voyage began recording in September 1977 under Tokarz at Studios Ferber in Paris and Trident Studios in London for the self-titled Sirocco album.

Discography:

• Voyage (1977)
• Fly Away (1978)
• Voyage 3 (1980)
• One Step Higher (1982)

Research notes:

• Cash Box, March 24, 1979 — “New Faces to Watch: Voyage.” This is the most useful contemporary formation source. Dahan states that Voyage began recording in September 1977, identifies Chantereau, Dahan, and Pezin as the original nucleus, says the three worked together in Paris studios for roughly ten years, names Johnny Hallyday and Claude François among their clients, and credits longtime friend Roger Tokarz with pushing them to make their own record. (World Radio History)
• Marc Chantereau interview, Journal de la Confédération Musicale de France, March 2013. Chantereau gives the age-eight start under Émile Got, admission to the Conservatoire National Supérieur at fifteen, first prize at eighteen under Jacques Delécluse, and first studio sessions in his final conservatory year. The article also identifies 1977 as the year Voyage formed with Pezin and Dahan.
• Slim Pezin interview, Belle de scène, 2006. Pezin says he started guitar at seventeen, formed a group with childhood friends, entered studios through Noël Deschamps, and played with Manu Dibango in the Soul Brothers when an American producer recruited the musicians for outside sessions in 1968. (mylene.net) BnF confirms that Slim Pezin was the professional name of André Charles Pezin and gives his Oct. 25, 1945 birth date. (BnF Catalogue)
• Sauveur Mallia interview, Born Bad Records. This is the strongest source for Mallia: born in Toulouse in 1949; classical double-bass studies and first prize at the Toulouse conservatory; Paris move in 1973; Jannick Top connection; Paul Mauriat audition, tours, and studio work; Cerrone sessions; and Mallia’s recollection that the regular studio team decided to form Voyage. He also identifies Tokarz as Voyage producer. (Born Bad Records)
• Pierre-Alain Dahan records. French civil records give Dahan’s March 23, 1943 birth in Oran. (Décès en France) Rock Made in France places him in Mat 3 with Mat Camison and Denys Lable, then in the Peppers. (Rock Made in France) Contemporary record data identifies Dahan on the Peppers and gives “Pepper Box” (b/w “Pinch of Salt”) as Sirocco 48001. (Audruicq Ballade Dans Le Passe)
• Tele Music / BnF records. Neo Rythmiques appeared on Tele Music as TM 3058 in 1976 under Pierre-Alain Dahan and Slim Pezin. (Plexus Records) BnF also records multiple Dahan–Pezin compositions from 1976 and Dahan–Camison Sforzando/Sirocco material reaching back to the early 1970s. (BnF Catalogue)
• Billboard 1977–78 International Music-Record-Tape Directory. The directory lists Roger Tokarz as chief executive of Sforzando/Sirocco at 42 Rue Laugier in Paris and identifies Sirocco as the company-owned label. (World Radio History)
• Original-album credit data. The French 1977 Voyage LP credits Mallia on bass, Dahan on drums/percussion/vocals, Pezin on guitar/percussion/vocals, Chantereau on keyboards/percussion/vocals, and Tokarz as producer. It identifies Paul Scemama at Studios Ferber and Peter Kelsey and Steve Tayler at Trident Studios. (Chartsurfer)