Trisomie 21
Chapter IV - Le Je-Ne-Sais-Quoi Et Le Presque Rien

Trisomie 21 is a post punk band formed in 1981 by Phillipe Lomprez (vocals, drums) and Hervé Lomprez (guitar, electronics), two brothers from Abscon, in the North of France. They began composing songs at the age of 16 while studying at school. The brothers were influenced by Kraftwerk, The Residents, Yello, P.I.L as well as the films of George A. Romero. Their music consists of lush soundscapes that do not easily fit into any one category. Lyrics are sung in English because in the north of France the duo sought to contradict the trend at the time for everything to be sung in French. Musically their mood is melancholic and one can hear traces of Joy Division, Durutti Column and The Cure. Since 1983 they’ve recorded 15 albums and appeared on numerous compilations and remain active to this day.


For their fourth album the Lomprez brothers spent September and October of 1985 recording nine new compositions. In January 1986 ‘Chapter IV, Le Je-ne-sais quoi et le presque-rien’ was released by PIAS sub-label Scarface. The title came from a 1957 book by French philosopher and musicologist Vladimir Jankélévitch. The songs on the album, including the emblematic “The Last Song”, were captivating, original and without concession. This record further opened the door to new opportunities, and the band’s music spread further internationally. Sadly some of the songs had phase related problems and caused partial cancelation playing back monophonically, so the band remixed and re-recorded the songs and reissued them on CD only in 1987. We have added the nine remixes/re-recordings as bonus tracks here as a double LP. All songs have been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley. The LP is housed in a replica of the original jacket featuring artwork by Stephan Barbery from a Goya painting and includes a double sided insert with lyrics, notes and photos. “This record is dedicated to nobody”