The debut album from this Marseille trio (a.k.a. DJ Oil, Fred Berthet and Arnaud Taillefer) finally ghets a UK release.
It plays like a soundtrack to a film that was never made, perhaps a darkly romantic script set in a smoky 1960's Paris cafe.
It represents the kind of understated, stylish, downtempo electronica that the French do so well. This peculiar fusion of jazz and hip-hop is sometimes influenced by funk, at other times by French film noir, and even dub.
Hip-hop beats are imposed on a score of spatial future jazz then given the French polish treatment. The jazzy, double bass led 'Street Preacher' blends percussion with interludes of Spanish guitar and freestyle trumpet resulting in a very chic collage.
Crisp rolling percussion and chunky breaks act as an anchor to the lounge-style keyboards on 'Groove Is Back'.
'Too Old To Die' is pure jiving retro funk that leans on a hypnotic bassline, rhodes vibes and smoky sweeps of strings that sound smooth as silk.
The darkness that permeates much of the album can become quite intense at times. 'Noces Africaines' is brooding and melancholic, with sparse, almost skittering, beats leading to ominous orchestral sweeps.
A mournful acoustic guitar accompanies strings that almost seem to weep. There is a strange sense of pleasure that accompanies this sorrow. It is almost a kind of muted celebration of sadness. This is echoed in the bluesy, soulful vocal that aches of love and loss on 'Get Misunderstood'.
It is a heart-rending pyjama drama, a dramatic script written as the fire of passion is extinguished.
A sweep of what sounds like abstract piano and harp introduces 'Fatigue Universelle'. A sultry female spoken vocal, French of course, is paired with funky drum breaks and jazzy keyboards.
A whirl of strings adds warmth, atmosphere and sensuality.
The music is best shaken loose and laid out for horizontal lounging. Dubbed out echoes usher in 'Chez Roger Boite Funk'. They reverberate and evolve into a groove of lazy funk drums buoyed by waves of sci-fi analogue synth.
The rootsy vibe of 'Electrorloge' really lifts the proceedings with its' dubby vocal hook, slinky bassline and luscious layers of synth that build a hypnotic groove. This rather epic slice of organic funk is truly the crowning glory of the album.
Like a soundtrack, the music evokes strong images through highs, lows and frequent changes of pace that reflect a whole spectrum of emotions. It creates an atmosphere and defines a mood, subtly shaping the background, never being too intrusive.
There is a tendency to delve deeply into this head-nodding kind of music, but it is really best to just stretch out, relax and let it flow.
