Tags: French House

Review: After his debut release with remixes from Arpanet and Mr Oizo, Kavinsky is back! Killed in a car crash back in 1986, Kavinsky is now a zombie in need of revenge. This record, released on Record Makers, is the story of his first steps in the world of the living dead. Three powerful and original tracks and a Sebastian remix. A bloody good one too.

Review: Lazare Hoche doesn't release that much music, but what he does put out is invariably excellent. Following a smattering of singles and an acclaimed collaborative album alongside Malin Genie - 2013's I Don't Sync So Volume II - he's decided to put together a compilation featuring his own productions and those by music industry mates. Access, then, is a lesson in warm and luscious deep house, with significant contributions coming from Luke Solomon (donning the Jean Caffeine guise on the dreamy and rolling "Jean Afterthought"), DJ Gregory's Point G project (the ultra-deep pulse of "La Lampe Du Vizir Adjane"), and pals Skymaster and Mandal. Hoche's own contributions rank amongst the compilation's highlights, with the title track delivering a pitch-perfect lesson in the seductive powers of dreamy, dust-encrusted deep house.

Review: Spanish imprint Suara are a force to reckoned with at the moment and continue to bring the heat with his fine collection of remixes by US electronica icon Moby. Brazilian Victor Ruiz kicks off proceedings with his rendition of "Go" and he sure had his work cut our for him, trying his deft hand at such a defining rave classic: it's pretty good and gives a fresh perspective while staying true to the original. Also on the A side we've got French hero Oxia who stays on the same vibe as the original with his deep and emotive rendition of "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad". On the flip, the m_nus affiliated Julian Juweil delivers an absolutely stomping peak time weapon with his version of "Porcelain" which blows the bloody doors off as always. Reinier Zonneveld's homage to "Natural Blues" goes for some sunny uplifting deep house: Kater Blau style.

Review: Back in 2011, Frankie Knuckles and Eric Kupper debuted their Director's Cut project by teaming up with old pal Jamie Principle on "I'll Take You There". Here it gets the reissue treatment, with a trio of classic mixes being joined by a fresh revision from scalpel maestro Moplen. His version is delicious, with Principle's loved-up vocal rising above bubbly synth-bass, evocative organ lines, swirling synthesizer motifs and sunrise chords. There's another chance to enjoy Director's Cut's own warm and glassy-eyed "Signature Remix", a second spin for Dimitri From Paris's slightly breezier (but no less loved-up) re-edit and a boisterous funky house rework from the Shapeshifters that some may have missed first time around.

Review: The album that everybody is talking about. 'Sexuality' is produced by Sebastien Tellier, alongside Daft Punk's half Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo.

Review: It's easy to forget that Justice were once one of dance music's most hyped acts, gracing magazine covers and gate-crashing the pop charts with a succession of crunchy, electro-house bombs. Times may have moved on, but the Parisian duo remain big news. Woman is their first studio album for five long years, and smartly moves between quirky, radio-friendly pop and thrusting club workouts. In the latter category you'll find the spiraling, low-slung, Italo-disco-with-balls of "Alakazam", the classic Ed Banger growl of "Chorus", and the vintage Daft Punk madness of "Heavy Metal". While these are impressive, it's actually the more downtempo songs - "Love S.O.S" and the dreamy "Close Call" included - that arguably stand out.

Review: Judging by the overcrowded sweaty scenes in Dalston for the launch party of Justice's second album, the iconic French duo still retain a core number of fans - who will no doubt be eager to snap up this deluxe version of said album. Audio Video Disco comes in gatefold, silver embossed sleeve, holding both the double vinyl and CD versions of the eleven track album. Musically, this is an album that delves deeper into Gaspard and Xavier's passion for prog, marrying the jagged harshness of the 07 era when they ruled the roost with stadium sized ambition. It's probably one of this year's most divisive albums, but then Justice have always liked making a noise.

Review: Parisian producer Leo Pol is back after a great release on Velvet back in 2014 that showed his potential to create some deep, dusty and totally tripped out house for the afterhours, particularly on the Le Chat Qui Danse EP. He now inaugurates local label IILE (a sublabel of Uniile) with some more hypnotic subtlety; even if it is tougher and faster than his previous effort. There's the opener "2 La Deep De Bretagne" which really rolls deep. "Korben Dallas" gets its swing on in infectious fashion, much like local homeboy Varhat can. On the flip, he teams up with Marc on "21" for a bumpy and minimal jam while closing out the EP is the absolutely sublime "Parking" which is sexy and summery and has a certain DJ Gregory flavour about it.

Review: French producer Anaxander follows up great releases by legends Reggie Dokes and Kai Alce on new imprint People Of Earth. He's had a steady output in the last few years releasing on the likes of Local Talk, Dame Music and Tasteful Nudes to name but a few. "Chords & Theories" is delightfully dusty deep house with a swing fuelled rhythm, emotive chords and epic piano stabs. On the flip "Stay Another Day" is the kind of classic early 90's Chicago deep house that's so sincere you could have sworn it was a lost tape from the Prescription or Alleviated catalogue from way back when. Finally "Naked Truth" gets a bit more uptempo on this soulful deep techno jam with rich synth tapestries and syncopated rhythms. Tip!

Review: So the legend goes like this: Jeremy Herpe (aka From Karaoke To Stardom) saw Alex Under playing in Paris. From that moment he knew what he wanted to do - make music. A few months later he had his first release! This young French producer is one of the most talented newcomers in the techno world.

Review: There's a strong argument to say that those artists who make an effort to develop their sound make the very best albums. The fabulously named Guillaume & The Coutu Dumonts is clearly one of those artists. Since first causing waves back in the mid 2000s, he's moved from a maker of crunchy minimalism to someone whose sound is much harder to pin down. Twice Around the Sun, his third full length, shows further signs of development. While it remains rooted in his trademark atmospheric sound - a mix of loose, organic drums, tactile synths and pleasing melodies - it stylistically moves in a myriad of directions, touching on quirky lo-fi pop, strobe light techno, curious deepness and touchy-feely downtempo bliss.