Laurent Brancowitz
| Laurent Brancowitz | |
|---|---|
 Phoenix mg 5760.jpg Brancowitz performing in 2007 | |
| Born | Laurent Mazzalai 19 October 1973 Versailles, France |
| Other names | Branco[1] |
| 💼 Occupation | Musician |
Laurent Brancowitz (born Laurent Mazzalai[2]; 9 October 1973) is a French musician who is the guitarist and keyboardist of the indie pop band Phoenix.
Early life
Laurent Mazzalai was born on 9 October 1973 in Versailles, France, to a German mother and Italian father.[3][4] He has a younger brother, who is fellow bandmate and guitarist Christian Mazzalai. Like his brother, he is half-Italian.[5]
Career
1992–1995: Darlin'
In 1992, Brancowitz joined the band Darlin', after an advert for the band was posted in a local shop looking for a guitarist.[6] The band's name was based on the song "Darlin'" by the Beach Boys, who inspired the band's sound.[7] The band consisted of three members: Brancowitz on guitar and drums,[8] Thomas Bangalter on bass, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo on guitar[9][10], and the band released songs under Stereolab's label Duophonic Records, with the former inviting the band to open for shows in the United Kingdom.[8] In a negative review written by freelance journalist Dave Jennings, the British music magazine Melody Maker described their music as "daft punky thrash."[11] Darlin' broke up a few months later, but Bangalter and de Homem-Christo chose to switch to electronic music and used the negative review for their new identity, known today as Daft Punk.[7] At that same time, Brancowitz went on to join Phoenix.[12]
1995–present: Phoenix
In 1995, after the breakup of Darlin', Brancowitz, Christian Mazzalai, Brancowitz's younger brother, Thomas Mars, and Deck D'Arcy, the latter three also originally from Versailles and friends in school, started playing together as a "garage band" based out of Mars' house, and subsequently conceived the band name Phoenix.[13] To pay homage to their hometown, the band shows images of the gardens of the Palace of Versailles on giant screens during their concerts.[14] Brancowitz is one of the band's guitarists as well as a backing vocalist and keyboardist.
During concerts, Brancowitz plays a Fender Bullet electric guitar, and also uses a wide variety of guitars ranging from Fender to Gibson guitars.[15]
Film and TV
Brancowitz has worked with Phoenix as a composer and writer for the soundtrack of the 2017 film The Beguiled, which was directed by Sofia Coppola, who is fellow member Thomas Mars' wife.[16]
References
- ↑ Bosso, Joe (21 December 2009). "Phoenix's Laurent 'Branco' Brancowitz on their astonishing 2009". MusicRadar. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ↑ Rahman, Ray (11 April 2013). "Three Rounds With.... Phoenix!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ↑ "Phoenix: Infectious French Pop". NPR. 10 December 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ↑ Hodgkinson, Will (23 July 2004). "Gaining in translation". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ↑ "Vintage Sounds Help French Indie-Pop Band Phoenix Make Jubilant Music". DCist. 13 October 2017. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ↑ Mullins, Ellie (23 February 2021). "Daft Punk: Who were they before?". We Rave You. Retrieved 8 December 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lynskey, Dorian (18 May 2013). "Daft Punk: the midas touch". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Chris Gill, "Robopop" Archived 3 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine (May 2001) Remix Magazine Online. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
- ↑ "Daft Punk : De l'école des "raves" à Homework". metamusique.fr (in français). Archived from the original on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ↑ James, Martin (2003). French Connections: From Discotheque to Discovery. London: Sanctuary Publishing. pp. 265, 267, 268. ISBN 1-86074-449-4. Search this book on
- ↑ "Review of Shimmies in Super 8". Melody Maker. April–May 1993.
- ↑ Collin, Matthew (August 1997). "Do You Think You Can Hide From Stardom?". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 16 October 2015. Retrieved 6 March 2007.
- ↑ "Phoenix Guest Program". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ↑ Solomon, Kate (17 November 2022). "Phoenix review – pop-rock stalwarts deliver a spectacular show". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ↑ "Gear Rundown: Phoenix". Mixdown Magazine. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
- ↑ "How Phoenix and Sofia Coppola influence each other". Dazed. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
 | This article about a French musician is a stub. You can help EverybodyWiki by expanding it. |
This article "Laurent Brancowitz" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Laurent Brancowitz. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
