[2] College, in Grellier's words, was an attempt "to synthesize into my music the emotions of my childhood" and was greatly influenced by American 1980s pop-culture, "80's soaps and an aesthetic which I particularly like: color, images, silvery films and the sun – images of Los Angeles, Chicago and all of the other cities that [...] continue to fascinate me"[3] as well as artists including Daft Punk, Alan Braxe, Fred Falke, Lifelike, Jacques Lu Cont, Nicolas Makelberge, DJ Falcon, and John Carpenter.

[8] The same year, the song "A Real Hero," which College collaborated on with Canadian synth-pop group Electric Youth, was used in the soundtrack of the film Drive[9][10] becoming a charting hit in France reaching #26.

Various acts in Valerie include The Outrunners, Minitel Rose, Anoraak, Maethelvin, all from Nantes[3] as well as Russ Chimes from London and DVAS from Toronto.

The label Endless Summer Recordings also prepared a compilation album in 2009 entitled Valerie and Friends joining a great number of artists in the project.

[20] Under the pseudonym stage name Mitch Silver, David Grellier is a member of Sexy Sushi, a French electroclash band he formed with vocalist Rebeka Warrior (real name Julia Lanoë).