Switch to the mobile version of this page.

City Slang

        
Tweet

Email

Print
Share

Wednesday, May 12, 1999

City Slang

French Space Pop

Posted By A.J. Duric on Wed, May 12, 1999 at 12:00 AM

France’s answer to seminal UK dance labels Mo’Wax and Metalheadz is grooving to a different drum these days. That Parisian label, Source – which brought us Air’s terrific Moon Safari LP and the acclaimed Source Lab series that unleashed the irresistible French flair of DJ Cam and Daft Punk – has traded in the beat, beat, beat for more grooving bass line-influenced "Moogedelica." Left Bank Soul Train, anyone? Just leave your flares and platforms at home, slip into a bit of white Prada and a pair of those sleek modern moon boots – all the better to move to these sleek electro-pop-rock grooves. The sound is clean and the aesthetic is freshly elegant.

In this collection of 13 original, unpublished numbers, quite a few of Source Material’s composers sound like they were heavily influenced by Air’s synthesizer pop: Synth swoops, mischievous melodies, comical asides and looping, popping beats. Either Mellow’s "Interlude" or Rob’s "Musique pour un Enfant-Jouet" could easily provide the sound track to "Dr. Who," while Oomiaq’s "L’Ultime Atome" delivers a theme for the yet-unreleased, spaghetti western version of The Fifth Element.

It’s not all pop and games, though. Sebastian Tellier’s "Fantino" is a cinematically beautiful ballad with bittersweet progressions reminiscent of early Slowdive. And Bertrand Burgalat’s "Kim" is a heady, hypnotizing, minimalist down-tempo meandering that demonstrates how far behind we’ve left the drum ’n’ bass scene.

As retro-futuristic and elegantly frolicky as the new Beetle, Source Material is a time capsule of sounds and ideas that will feel just as modern 10 years from now.

Tags: Music