Biography
Drawing from house rhythms alongside variété française traditions, the downtempo electronic collective Variety Lab operates under French producer Thierry Bellia, who was born in Nancy. The project first surfaced in 2002 through the lounge single "London in the Rain." For its debut full-length Providence, issued in 2003 on Wagram Records, Bellia worked with Jérôme Didelot on bass, Alexandre Longo on keyboards, and Jacques Tellitocci supplying percussion and vibraphone. Appearing after "London in the Rain" had already established itself as a lounge staple and landed on more than a dozen chill-out compilations, notably several editions of the Hôtel Costes series, the album reached listeners. Two further Providence tracks, "Son of the Sun" and "R. Bvor," likewise turned up on multiple chill-out collections. A lengthy gap followed before Variety Lab returned with fresh material via the 2008 album Team Up! on Wagram’s Pschent sublabel. That release pairs a different vocalist with nearly every song and produced the singles "Soda Pop Confusion" featuring Kidsaredead and "We Should Be Dancing" featuring Sharko frontman David Bartholomé. The additional Providence song "Is This the Last Time?" featuring British psychedelic folkie Donovan also appeared on numerous chill-out compilations.
Albums
Singles
