Martin Circus

Martin Circus emerged in the late '60s as one of the first French-language rock bands, if not the first of its kind. The ensemble issued several respected albums before a stylistic overhaul produced the enduring disco epic "Disco Circus," clocking in at fourteen minutes. The track first appeared on a 1979 album and was trimmed to eight minutes by François Kevorkian, the disco and house veteran. Vogue, the French label, released a twelve-inch that same year presenting the complete version on the B-side of "Before It Gets Dark." Prelude, the storied U.S. imprint, simultaneously issued another twelve-inch containing the longer cut. Five years later Unidisc manufactured twelve-inch singles that positioned the full track on the A-side and a medley of similar length on the flip. Since then "Disco Circus" has surfaced on compilations including Harmless' Jumpin' 2 and SPLK's Prelude's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4, both of which quickly went out of print, and it was also included on Juan Atkins' Wax Trax! Mastermix disc in the late '90s.