Monday, February 26, 2018

A Short Treatise on French Electronic

Playlist time!  A colleague at work asked for recommendations on French electronic, a genre I was quite into in the early 2000s.  So here are my top pics and recommendations if you want to get into the French electronic scene :)
YouTube

1. Air's seminal 1998 album "Moon Safari" is a classic.  The whole album is a great example of the downtempo and lounge genres.  The rest of their discography is pretty great too.
"La Femme d'Argent" from "Moon Safari"
"Sexy Boyfrom "Moon Safari"

2. You, of course, know Daft Punk, but DP's manager Busy P is an electronic legend.
"Genie" a 2017 single
"Rainbow Man" from the 2014 album "Reworking is Not a Crime"

3. Justice, takes DP's "Aerodynamic" style and mixes it with rock, Kraftpop, and French house.  Also managed by Busy P.  Their 2007 debut album "Cross" was a revelation.
"Genesis" - from "Cross"

4. Étienne de Crécy has been a longtime electronic producer, and "Super Discount" was fantastic for 1998; I mean Daft Punk's "Homework" and Air's "Moon Safari" had just released!
"Super Disco" from "Super Discount"

5. M83 I'm sure you've heard of or heard somewhere.  "Midnight City" was a staple for while on ads and such.  Their 2011 album "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming" and the follow-up 2016 album "Junk" were pretty solid.
"Midnight City" from "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"
"Reunion" from "Hurry Up, We're Dreaming"

6. I will admit I haven't heard a lot of Kavinsky, but loved "Nightcall" after watching the film "Drive".  "Nightcall" also features vocals from Lovefoxxx of the Brazlian band CSS (check out their song "Alala" for a taste)
"Nightcall" from the 2013 album "Outrun"

7. Finally, Danger.  Not exactly my scene, but curious to hear what others think; it's a little too dubstep-y for me.  He's very weird, his songs are titled with the time he finished recording them.
Playlist for his 2017 album "Taiko" (he does use taiko drums)

On a different vein, but if you like Sigur Ros, Ulan Bator is a solid listen in the French post-rock scene.
"Let Go Ego" from the 2003 album "Ok: Ko"
"Hemisphere" from the 2000 album "Ego: Echo"