I say French, you say electro. These days you could be forgiven for thinking the entire population of France was born with trendy angular haircuts, dressed in ironic day-glo T-shirts and was breastfed milky MDMA from the word dot. But there’s a reason for this electro proliferation; a seemingly inbuilt shit filter and a demand for quality music in their clubs which forms a solid base for forward momentum in their dance music.

At it for a decade, one man music maker Vitalic’s latest release follows the path cut by the jagged basslines and caustic beats of recent Anglo-electro but throws a clear disco element in the mix. This creates a heady, euphoric, but ever-driving album that’s got as much heart as it has balls. There are a few diversions along the way as Vitalic dips into melodic minimal techno (‘Still’) before U-turning back to disco and deep dub in a swirling mass of sound.

Energy sears through the record and hides just how well the tracks are constructed with explosive surges that cut out thinking and don’t let up until the listener’s running on adrenaline and is caught up at base level in the relentless pulses of these 12 prime reasons why France is at the forefront of dance music.

- TC

Tags: electro, electronic, flashmob, France, techno, vitalic
Posted in Reviews