Étienne de Crécy Picks 12 Defining French Touch Tracks

“Prix Choc” is the first track I made for the Super Discount album. It was right after I finished the Motorbass album with Philippe Zdar. That’s where I started making music on my own.

For me, it is the epitome of French Touch. It’s an incredibly funky sample, and the sound is completely iconic of that era. It’s both rough and very warm, and the structure just stretches on endlessly. It’s truly a loop with a beat, and it’s this hypnotic quality that gives the track all its charm.

In the early days of French Touch, we sampled a lot from jazz records as well, and that was a major influence on the movement, which gradually shifted toward more disco, more effective samples. But I:Cube was very important at the time because he really helped define an aesthetic that was the aesthetic of French Touch.

Philippe Zdar and Hubert BoomBass’s first collaboration was the group La Funk Mob. After that, they formed Cassius, which was much more house music. Hubert BoomBass’s influence, when he started making house music with his very funky sound, it was truly a revelation. This track in particular has always fascinated me.

Alex Gopher was my partner in crime. We set up the label Solid together, On his first album, he made this track, “The Child,” which was extremely influential on the French Touch scene because it was different from a typical dance floor track, and it brought something else, adding all the richness to that movement.

Thomas Bangalter collaborated with Bob Sinclar on this iconic French Touch track, and it was really the moment we realized that our movement could become very effective in clubs. Before, we were still in the experimental phase, but suddenly, it became a precise science.

This track has always been very impressive to me, as it is effective with great economy of means. It’s not very showy; there are very few elements, but each element is absolutely unstoppable. It’s truly a masterclass!

In the early days of French Touch, we were just a small group of Parisians tinkering with samplers and Ataris. Then, suddenly, Daft Punk arrived, and they elevated this music to a professional level. They brought this sound into the music industry and the whole world.

I met Demon when he was just beginning to make music. I explained to him what compression was, and he was really inspired. He went home and made this track, which is completely mind-blowing, and I still use it today as a reference for setting compression.

For me, this is the track that best defines French Touch. It’s truly the sound that, from the very first listen, had instant authority over everyone on a dance floor. It’s at once very, very simple, and I think that’s a strength. It’s extremely effective with very few elements, and for me, that’s really the hardest thing to achieve, and what I appreciate most.

Air’s very first song, and I mixed & produced it myself! I think Air is not represented enough in French Touch, even though they were a hugely important element in showcasing the full diversity of influences within that movement.

At the time, it was released on our label, Solid, which we set up with Alex Gopher and Pierre-Michel Levalois.

*This track is not available in North American territories, check it out on YouTube.

When DJ Mehdi, who was a hip-hop producer, started making house, that’s when I realized that our music was going to have a long and glorious lineage.