French house music is alive and kicking

French house music is alive and kicking

29 April, 2009 | 4.29AM

• Written by: Zack Rico
• Filed under: Music News: alex finkin, france, franck roger, phil weeks, reverend p., sebastien leger

This week saw a decent amount of quality house music come out of France, with both underground and established artists from the country providing all manner of different house grooves.

None of the music is French house in the traditional Daft Punk electro-rock sense, but the beats do have a certain French sophistication and Parisian elegance to them.

We decided to cherry pick five of the best French releases out this week in order to highlight five producers who are really doing their country proud. Vive la France!

Rone ‘La Dame Blanche’

Harry Potter lookalike Rone garnered quite a lot of attention after one his tracks was included on Sasha’s ‘Invol2ver’ mix compilation last year. Agoria too, did him a service by including Rone’s ‘Bora’ on his 2007 ‘At The Controls’ mix CD.

And Rone more than managed to live up to the hype when his debut album ‘Spanish Breakfast’ dropped in March to critical acclaim. Three of the LP’s best tracks appeared this week as singles under Rone’s ‘La Dame Blanche’ EP, with new mixes that will leave any progressive house fan feeling rather gobsmacked.

With the beautiful Extended Version of ‘La Dame Blanche’ sounding like Laurent Garnier’s sax-led techno treat ‘Man With The Red Face’, the track is likely to become one of the most sought-after progressive house boots of the year.

There are also excellent reinterpretations of ‘Bora’ and ‘Belleville’ from Rocco, and Tyler Pope & Clara Moto respectively, but the real genius here is Rone aka Erwan Castex whose rich and evolving melodies are capturing hearts and minds far beyond Paris’ cobbled streets.

Phil Weeks ‘Coming Back Strong’ EP

Phil Weeks is 100% dedicated to pure house music as the Paris-based producer’s new EP ‘Coming Back Strong’ proves. Chicago still very much rules his heart.

If you’re into stripped back loop-based tech house, or funky pop friendly deep house, you’ll find much to be pleased about on this EP.

There aren’t many producers out there who are able to craft house music in so many different moods, so competently.

How many producers can create radio-friendly funk and soul like ‘Back In Effect’, and on the same record produce amazing heads down, bass heavy tech house like ‘Lovin’ My Latin’? Very few. In fact you can probably count them on one hand.

The music of Phil Weeks is rather magnifique!

Sébastien Léger ‘Seaweed/Sunset/Snapshot’

As one of the most popular artists on Beatport, Sebastien Leger needs little introduction. The Paris-based producer and DJ’s latest EP ‘Seaweed/Sunset/Snapshot’ shows exactly the kind of versatile house he’s capable of producing.

From synth-laden progressive electro (’Seaweed’), to sexy Caribbean-flavoured summery house (’Sunset’), and forward-thinking, after hours friendly tech house (’Snapshot’), Léger has seemingly got it all covered.

His record label Mistakes Music too has become a bastion for quality house and as such Mr. Léger deserves his place at the top of the French house music tree.

Franck Roger ‘Don’t Look Behind’

Ever since his 2005 track ‘Dub Life’, Franck Roger has been a French producer to watch.

His music covers everything from sax-heavy deep house (‘Tribute’) to old skool-sounding beats (‘Blind Way’), and as his new EP ‘Don’t Look Behind’ shows, he’s more than capable of flirting with tribal techno too.

The old skool instinct in Franck Roger is strong, with 303s and soulful vocals appearing on ‘Don’t Look Behind’. The deep techy house of ‘It’s Gonna Be Tight’ will appeal to fans of Milton Jackson, whilst the more organic instruments in ‘La Baraka’ might prick up the ears of Defected aficionados looking for Balearic bliss.

The real story here though is consistency. There are few artists in France, or elsewhere indeed, that have produced the kind of quality Franck Roger has, time after time.

Alex Finkin, Reverend P. ‘Those Days Are Gone’

French newcomers Alex Finkin and his studio partner Reverend P. caused waves in house last year with their sexy soulful vocal track ‘Lions In Cage’, and their follow up ‘Those Days Are Gone’ once again features the lush vocals of Jocelyn Mathieu.

Destined to be an Ibiza anthem this summer, ‘Those Days Are Gone’ is undiluted soulful house with singalong moments and a can’t-get-you-out-of-my-head chorus. With a cocktail in hand and a long sunset on the horizon, Finkin and Reverend P.’s music is perfectly suited.

The plethora of remixes for ‘Those Days Are Gone’ by the duo themselves also shows that they’re accomplished musicians able to deliver piano-led interludes or guitar-filled r&b. That makes them a rare breed.

• (6) Comments
• (2871) Views