The Electro Round-up 2005

Paris 

27/12/2005 - 

Daft Punk didn't exactly revolutionise the electro scene with their latest album Human After All, but luckily there's a whole new battalion of electro acts bringing up the rear. Electro is now increasingly being mixed with melodies and guitars as new hybrids of electro-rock (Soulwax, M83), electro-pop (Sébastien Schuller) and electro-dub (Le Peuple de l’Herbe) emerge.

Daft Punk's new album had been awaited on the electro scene like the Second Coming. But the duo's third offering disappointed critics and fans alike, both complaining that Human After All (Labels/EMI) was stuck in the same musical groove as Discovery (the duo's nostalgic tribute to 80s FM rock). Daft Punk still managed to sell half a million copies of their third album – abroad! Perhaps it is too much to expect a complete revolution on each new album. After all, the French double act have been instrumental in pushing back stylistic boundaries, pioneering the use of vocals and melodies from their second album on. Over the past three or four years, the phenomenon has filtered through the rest of the techno scene, vocals and melodies creeping into the work of German acts such as Ellen Alien and DJ Hell and North American outfits such as Fischerspooner and Tiga. Now, Thomas Bangalter and Guy de Homem Christo confirm the trend on Human After All, abandoning their computers and machines and reverting to the rock guitars of their youth, when they were not the electro Messiahs but simply an unknown duo called Darlin.’

Melodies have also surfaced in the work of Vitalic, who recently released a number of cutting-edge electro tracks on the ultra-fashionable International Deejay Gigolos label (based in Munich). Vitalic's debut album, OK Cowboy (Different/Pias), took the electro scene by storm, surprising everyone with its moody ambiences and upbeat party numbers and its instrumental virtuosity (although everything on the album is actually electronic). This self-taught computer wizard has put his hometown of Dijon, - previously renowned only for its mustard - firmly at the forefront of the French techno map. And his vibrant live sets, appreciated by audiences worldwide, have confirmed him as one of the fastest rising hopefuls on the new electro scene.

All Around the World

M83, another happening example of electro-guitar crossover, has also been kicking up a storm abroad, playing a series of sell-out concerts across the U.S. in 2005. Before the Dawn Heals Us (Labels/EMI), the third album by the double act gone solo  - M83 is now just Anthony Gonzales – has sold an impressive 50,000 copies abroad. Meanwhile, Télépopmusik (Catalogue/EMI) have also cemented their reputation overseas. The group, best known abroad for supplying catchy soundtracks to TV ads, made a major impact with their debut album Genetic World. Their follow-up, Angel Milk, finds the group experimenting with a new edge to their sound, working with an extra female guest vocalist - and a full orchestra!

Meanwhile, Sébastien Schuller has evolved in a parallel universe to Télépopmusik, playing with more clearly acknowledged pop influences. His debut album Happiness (Catalogue/Wagram), emerged like a bolt out of the blue, provoking comparisons with Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Air. Praise indeed - and given the strength of Schuller's moody atmospheric melodies not entirely unjustified either!

Another Parisian who has been making a name for herself in recent months is Émilie Simon, the young woman who composed the soundtrack to La Marche de l’Empereur. The French documentary about emperor penguins proved to be an unexpected box-office hit, boosting sales of Émilie's second album (released on Barclay/Universal) up to 60,000. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the French documentary has smashed box-office records in the U.S., Émilie will not be cashing in on the film's success in the States. La Marche de l'Empereur has been re-edited for American audiences with a new soundtrack.

In France, 2005 was the 'Year of Brazil' and the nation discovered all kinds of Brazilian sounds. Salomé de Bahia, loyal backing singer to French electro star Bob Sinclar, profited from the craze to release her debut album (covers of Brazilian classics, simply entitled Brasil, released on Yellow/Warner). Meanwhile, Laurent Garnier's cutting-edge electro label F Communications launched a new outfit, São Paris, who made their name with an impressive mix of electro beats and sultry Portuguese vocals.

Le Peuple de l’Herbe, a veteran outfit from Lyons, look to Jamaica for their dub influence and to London for their jungle groove. The group spent most of 2005 on the road, touring songs from their third album, Cube (Pias) and their live shows proved to be more vibrant and energetic than ever. Le Peuple de l'Herbe have also built an international reputation for themselves, touring extensively abroad and their catchy fusion of vocals, samples and live instruments has proved a big hit with audiences along the way.

DJs on the move

Meanwhile, DJs from French-speaking countries maintain their cult status abroad. Hip Belgian outfit 2 Many DJs hit the big time in 2002 with their mindblowing mixes As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2. Now Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele have stepped out from behind the turntables, picked up their guitars and formed their own group, Soulwax. Keeping their eye on the club scene, they have just remixed their Soulwax tracks as dancefloor anthems on the album Nite Versions (Pias).

International clubbers have also been grooving to other happening French acts this year such as the inimitable Miss Kittin, Jennifer Cardini, Chloé, Ivan Smagghe, DJ Zebra and Tiga from Montreal. Laurent Garnier, that legendary ambassador of "electro made in France", also found time to return to the studio to work on his fourth album, The Cloud Making Machine (F Communications). Think moody post-techno visions with an ecumenical edge!

Meanwhile, Mr Oizo, notorious for launching Flat Beat and the infamous yellow glove puppet Flat Eric on the world, failed to whip up much enthusiasm with his highly experimental second album, Moustache (released on Garnier's F Com). The award for electro sensation of 2005 went instead to a young newcomer by the name of Jackson. His debut album Smash (Barclay/Universal), a groundbreaking cut'n'paste collage of musical styles that smashes down musical boundaries, has just been picked up by the cutting-edge British label Warp.

Bob Sinclar may adopt a radically less experimental approach to electro, but he has confirmed himself as a one-man hit machine, rolling out a whole string of chart-toppers. Bob's latest single, Love Generation (Barclay/Universal), has proved no exception to the rule. Adopted as the theme tune to France's reality TV talent show Star Academy, Love Generation has sold over 230,000 copies in France. And it has also proved a big hit across the Channel on dancefloors in the UK! Tapping into more of a laidback lounge groove, Stéphane Pompougnac has proved to be another major ambassador for French electro over the years. The cult French DJ has just put the finishing touches to the eighth (!) Hôtel Costes compilation (Pschent/Wagram), which has been rocketing up charts around the world. Indeed, two thirds of the compilation sales are accounted for abroad.

Meanwhile, a number of acts are currently bubbling under on the electro scene, about to break out from the underground elite and reach a wider public. Amongst the best-kept secrets of the moment are Musique pour 3 femmes enceintes (Mutek/La Baleine), recorded by Montreal-based artist Marc Leclair - aka Akufen. Then there's Principles of Geometry (Tigersushi/Discograph), an electro outfit from the North of France reminiscent of Boards of Canada. Meanwhile, the electro trio Smooth (Mini Strong/Wagram) have been forging an excellent reputation on the line circuit. And, last but not least, don't forget to check out Wax Tailor's Tales of the Forgotten Melodies (Undercover/Naïve), a brilliant fusion of cinematic ambiences and downtempo. While the much-vaunted "French Touch" movement may be dead and buried, there's a promising new generation of electro talent just waiting to explode.

Nicolas  Dambre