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Browse by Label: BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Artist:
VA
Title:
Toxic
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
3LP
Price:
$27.00
Catalog #:
BEC 39576LP
"New York two in the morning? No, the Toxic party in Paris...20 tracks, 78'52 of bangin beats. Olivier Carré aka Uncle O, originator of the massive
Shaolin Soul
compilations, and Solo (former member of French hip-hop combo Assassins) have selected very hard-to-find tracks from the '80s 'til today. Includes ESG, The Juan Mc Lean, Tuff Crew, Anti Pop Consortium + exclusive new tracks from Reanimators, Jackos, Revl9n, Justice, Mike Ladd...and the Jam is now packed." Additional artists include Jel, Beans, The Fearless Four, Masta Killa, Royal Family & The Poor, Esplendor Geometrico, The Octogon Man, Maggotron, Funkaho, Maurice Starr, Dabrye. Last copies of this deleted item.
Artist:
KLAXONS
Title:
As Above, So Below
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772165
Features a Justice remix. "Klaxons' new French exclusive release. Too good to be true? Probably, but it has happened: UK indie rockers Klaxons have been remixed by cruising Parisian electro producers Justice and the result is this swoon-worthy track which adds a definitive club appeal to the song. Think Michael McDonald and the old sound, proof that we still have much to learn from decades past. On the B-side, you'll find the original track, but sung in French, yes, by Klaxons themselves, which makes this 12" a genuine French exclusive EP. Vive la France!" Pressed on clear vinyl. Last copies of this now deleted item.
Artist:
ALKAN & BOYS NOIZE, EROL
Title:
Avalanche (Terminal Velocity)
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161029
Once again,
Erol Alkan
and
Boys Noize
have teamed up -- this time, for a stunning re-imagining of their smash single "Avalanche." The pair originally intended to commission a spoken-word interpretation -- the natural choice was the mellifluous
Jarvis Cocker
. On the remix tip, the duo enlisted
Ewan Pearson
, who re-routes proceedings to dubbed-out Berlin basement afterhours. Not to be outdone,
Canblaster
interprets the original as a low-slung, bleeptastic, old-school electro workout that rounds the package off in glorious style. On white vinyl.
Artist:
CONNAN MOCKASIN
Title:
Faking Jazz Together
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161038
On
Connan Mockasin
's album
Forever Dolphin Love
(BEC 5772802), he dissects, inverts, and dissembles the very structures of the pop song itself. "Faking Jazz Together" is a gorgeous, leisurely amble through an enchanted forest of lush psychedelia, liquefied salsa rhythms and Mockasin's trademark alien vocals.
Tom Furse
from
The Horrors
, meanwhile, extrapolates the beats from the original and relocates them in a sprawling dub epic akin to
Screamadelica
-era
Primal Scream
, and Kompakt lynchpin
Michael Mayer
builds a propulsive, unpredictable, tropical-flavored anthem around Mockasin's unusual vocals.
Artist:
JUSTICE
Title:
Audio, Video, Disco
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161059
"Audio, Video, Disco" means "I hear, I see, I learn" in Latin. It's the second single from the full-length album (BEC 5161064). Maybe not the easiest one, but due to its peculiarity, the band felt it was a natural choice. Its runs at 152 bpm, which is quite fast, but still delicate. It's also the longest track on the album. An ideal conclusion for the album and for their future live shows. Includes a download card for mp3 version.
Artist:
BAMBINO, KAP
Title:
Resistance Alpha
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
7"
Price:
$10.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5161061
Kap Bambino
is a stampeding punk-rock juggernaut. Unlike most assaults of lawless rock'n'roll ideals, it's not powered by guitars, or rather any live instruments whatsoever. The empowering eruption of frenzied discordance, space invader sucker-punch beats and caterwauling incantations conjured by the Bordeaux duo of
Caroline Martial
and
Orion Bouvier
, is the result of harnessing the unruly spirit of bands like
Suicide
and
Nirvana
, then feeding it through a tangled web of samplers, synthesizers and software modules.
Artist:
JUSTICE
Title:
Audio, Video, Disco
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2LP+CD
Price:
$26.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161064
Because Music presents a brand-new album from
Justice
, the French duo formed by
Gaspard Augé
and
Xavier de Rosnay
-- the band of a whole generation. When the two friends were still bright students in graphic design, in 2003 they made Justice a place to experiment a hybrid genre between music and image, which blends pop and electronic borders, and showcases the talents of two fascinating, passionate pop culture craftsmen, bored with hierarchy. They met
Pedro Winter
, who had just founded his label Ed Banger Records -- he immediately signs them after listening to "We Are Your Friends," which, with its joyful and vitamin-enriched electro beats combined with exhilarating voices, became the hymn of a whole generation and one of the most important tracks of the year 2000, celebrating a reconciliation of pop music and the dancefloor. It was awarded an MTV Video Award in 2007, bringing about the famous live TV appearance with
Kanye West
outraged that his million-dollar clip was outclassed by a home-made bomb. (Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Justice, Ed Banger and
So_Me
became a constant source of inspiration for Kanye and his superstar rapper colleagues. Kanye even employed So-Me as director for the video for his hit song "Good Life"),
Jay Z
will use "D.A.N.C.E" for his next album. From now on, the duo's ascent was constant and then lightning struck: remixes for
N.E.R.D.
,
Britney Spears
,
Franz Ferdinand
,
U2
,
Daft Punk
,
Lenny Kravitz
and an EP in 2006 (
Waters Of Nazareth
) defining the "Justice sound," this famous ultra-powerful compression of pop and baroque melodies, both dark and threatening; lightning and animative; and above all, the famous Justice image, the cross from which an earlier version figures on the first EP. 2007 was the explosion that would turn the duo into the emblem of a whole generation: their first album, anticipated like the Messiah, swept everything away as an epic soundtrack and was more than a magnificent synthesis of our time. 800,000 sales worldwide and 4 years later, the album is considered a mainstay of the 2000s -- one of the few who bridged the gap from the Pitchfork world to MTV without losing its credibility. Housed in a mindfuckingly deluxe gatefold sleeve.
Artist:
MICKEY MOONLIGHT
Title:
Close To Everything (feat. George Lewis Jnr)
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161078
Mickey Moonlight
's first single (
Interplanetary Music
) was described by
The Guardian
(UK) as "the thinking fan's pop moment of 2008." The second (
Love Pattern
) was described by
Les Inrockuptibles
as "tropical chic... on this strange Cockney accent, Caribbean rhythms, disco beats and melodies tan on white sand." Featuring
Fimber Bravo
and
George Lewis Jnr
with remixes by
The Martin Brothers
and
Playgroup
.
Artist:
MR. OIZO
Title:
Stade 2
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
LP+CD
Price:
$25.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5161086
French electronic musician and film director
Quentin Dupieux
, best known by his pseudonym
Mr. Oizo
(pronounced "wah-zoh") releases
Stade 2
. Marking his fourth album, Oizo takes his eccentricity to a new level with one of the most intriguing upcoming releases to date. Performed, recorded and mixed at the Edgecliff-Gym Studio while in L.A., it combines an eclectic mix of sounds from the digital flute on the track "Ska" to the erratic electro-beats on "Douche Beat," creating a fantastical blend of the unexpected. Previous credits also include the single "Flat Beat," made wildly popular in Europe when used in a series of Levi's commercials, and selling over 3 million copies of the EP. Listen to the song "France7" off the new album and check out the Levi's video, as well as the album art and tracklist. Housed in a 12" sleeve + spot varnish + 60x60 cm poster + CD album.
Artist:
SURKIN
Title:
USA
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2LP+CD
Price:
$26.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161100
Limited edition double LP with a free CD version. This is the debut full-length by
Surkin
, called
USA
. Originally designed to be out on Institubes, they immediately thought of Marble (in conjunction with Because Music) as the perfect platform to release it after the demise of their former label. It features 16 tracks, with guest vocals by Detroit's
Ann Saunderson
, Chicago's
Kevin Irving
, and two collaborations with long-time friend and label mate
Bobmo
, with whom Surkin works as
High Powered Boys
. It's a joyous, juvenile, body-moving record, based on the idea of a radio station called Fireworks FM, set up in Silver Springs. The whole vibe exhales a fantasized '80s soundscape, infused with dance subgenres from that era but dramatically edited by Surkin's own imaginary memories. Club tracks galore, but also expect more melodic, emotional mid-tempo cuts, but definitely not in a filler way.
Artist:
DJANGO DJANGO
Title:
Default
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161107
Django Django
present the first single from their self-titled debut album. The band's story looks set to be a long and compelling one, going by early response to their debut record. By banging together their thirst for adventure and their exacting, high standards, they have produced an album that seems to have everything, but on which everything never seems too much. Remixes from
Dan Carey
,
Tom Furse
(
The Horrors
) and
JD Twitch
.
Artist:
JUSTICE
Title:
On'n'On/Canon EP
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161123
The NSFW 12" single from
Justice
's
Audio, Video, Disco
full-length.
Brodinski
remixes "On'n'On," while
Erol Alkan
and
Tiga
remix "Canon." Also includes the original version of "On'N'On."
Artist:
JUSTICE
Title:
On'n'On
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
10"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161129
This track is taken from
Justice
's
Audio, Video, Disco
(BEC 5161059/5161064), featuring
Morgan Phalen
from
Diamond Nights
. "We wrote the lyrics with him and tried, as always, not to sound too stupid, avoiding clichés like "come to the dancefoor,' but without pretending to be
Bob Dylan
, either. Our lyrics are always a bit quirky. If they sound good and there's a little edge or something fun to them, we're happy." Two tracks ruined by
Rick Rubin
, plus the "Video Village" remix. Includes download card.
Artist:
REVL9N
Title:
Walking Machine Remixes
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772066
2006 release. Remixes by
Hot Chip
,
SebastiAn
and
Simian Mobile Disco
. While Hot Chip's is certainly the more experimental and darker interpretation and Simian Mobile Disco (unsurprisingly) go for the cowbell-wielding, foot stomping approach, the most down n' dirty cut comes from future glitch king, SebstiAn.
Artist:
LES RITA MITSOUKO
Title:
Variety Remixes
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772136
2008 release.
Les Rita Mitsouko
get remixed by
Kap Bambino
on the catchy pop song "Ding Dang Dong." Incisive rhythms, defying classification. On the flip,
Daniel Wang
on the remix duty for the song "So Called Friend," focusing on melody and texture rather than trendy production techniques or uninspired samples. His remix strongly echoes disco from the 1970s and '80s, with modern touches added. An instrumental version of his remix is included, too, for those who think French lyrics cannot fit dancefloors.
Artist:
VIOLA, FREDO
Title:
The Sad Song
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
10"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772159
2007 release.
Fredo Viola
has collaborated with
Massive Attack
and this debut EP is the perfect introduction to his own work. The choral majesty of Fredo's voice and the utterly refreshing production sound sets this EP apart as something very exciting indeed. Three different tracks open the account; the sweet electronic waves of the title track, the playful sounds of "Hogwash" and the dark demented abrasive "Ether." It's quite the debut.
Artist:
SYD MATTERS
Title:
Ghost Days
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
LP
Price:
$23.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772279
2008 release. The Parisian
Jonathan Morali
, alias
Syd Matters
, came from nowhere to make a big impression with his first two spellbinding albums. Syd has since won over both critics and the general public. This is his third album.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
My Heart Rate Rapid
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772280
2008 release. The first single to be lifted from the album
Nights Out
LP is a flawless representation of some of the freakishly danceable tracks contained therein. A wholly original mashup of electronics, "My Heart Rate Rapid" is sheer falsetto-laden, drum-battering brilliance. Although
Metronomy
's elliptical, insidious, multi-colored art-pop sounds nothing like Cologne's legendary purveyors of prog-disco,
Can
do offer clues to the lineage the band belong to. Add early
Brian Eno
,
Sparks
,
Devo
,
Talking Heads
,
Soft Cell
, and then scratch your head for more recent examples of abstract music, full of experiment, risk, and individuality that somehow resolves itself into pop... that makes you sing and dance and feel like a big kid... and you realize that you can't think of any, because Metronomy are, in the current pop milieu, an utterly unique proposition.
Artist:
SEBASTIAN
Title:
Motor Momy Army
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772299
2008 release. Three tracker, all killer dancefloor burners. Amazing follow-up to the acclaimed and sooo sought-after
Walkman2/Killing In The Name
.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
Heartbreaker
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772344
2008 release. Killer remix package of "Heartbreaker" (from the album
Nights Out
) including remixes and reworks from
Faze Action
,
Diskjokke
and
Kris Menace
. Plus an amazing
Discodeine
(D.I.R.T.Y.) remix.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
Radio Ladio
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772480
2009 release. A perfect slice of pop pleasure taken from
Metronomy
's fantastically received second album
Nights Out
. Featuring remixes by
Radioclit
and
Micachu
.
"A multi-layered party playlist that gurgles out anthems without pause...a sleeping giant of a dancefloor creeper that will be everyone's favourite in approximately six months' time."
-- NME (9/10)
Artist:
MOBY
Title:
Pale Horses
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772537
2009 single, featuring remixes by
Gui Boratto
,
Apparat
, and
Empyrean
. "On 'Pale Horses' my friend
Amelia
is singing; she's holding a $20 microphone, no headphones, just singing it with me holding the lyrics in front of her pointing to the words. She didn't know the song before she sang it, so her performance has a vulnerable and almost naïve quality. After, I put her vocals on an old 1/8" tape machine and re-recorded them back into the song. I wanted them to sound as if they were recorded 50 years ago."
Artist:
VA
Title:
Edges: A New French Electronic Generation
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$26.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772538
2008 release. This is the soundtrack of the new French electronic generation. In 1997,
Daft Punk
released their debut album,
Homework
, and revolutionized electronic music globally. With the French Touch, a whole generation of rockers and others discovered the joys of dance music, free of barriers and prejudice. Ten years later, two Parisians offered us a "dance-for-all" ticket. In 2007,
Justice
released
Cross
, a crossover, unifying record that reconciled electro clubbers and young rockers in slim jeans on the dancefloor -- a hybrid music, symbol of a generation, aptly-named French Touch 2.0, and gravitating around the label Ed Banger. But they are not alone. Since then, other young producers eager to transcend the genres have been working in the shadows, preparing a new electronic revolution. Who are they, and what does today's music sound like? That's what the
Dum Edges
project is attempting to uncover, with a compilation featuring the most promising artists of that scene. Among these hopefuls, the Jesus look-alike
Breakbot
, who produced some excellent remixes for
Metronomy
and
Sebastien Tellier
; the clubby Parisian duo
Gentlemen Drivers
who inevitably set the dancefloors on fire; and
Nils Hartman
from Lyon, whose unusual electro flirts with the experimental. This trio is an awesome representation of the current ultra-inventive, bubbling electronic music scene. In this era of blogs and easy access to the entire history of music, they are among the few French producers who still explore new paths and lay bridges between the genres. These 16 exclusive or rare tracks offer a panorama of this extremely free, vital, eclectic scene. Be it
Anoraak
's romantic '80s electro-pop or
Discodeine
's quirky mental house, they all took their cue from the first French Touch: musical open-mindedness, hedonism and innovation. This is a snapshot of a "family" of producers who decided not to choose between darkness and fluorescent hymns, dancefloor power and home listening, underground and mainstream. In short, here is the soundtrack of an era -- our era. Other artists include:
Donovan
,
Mondkopf
,
Rove Dogs
,
Digikid 84
,
Djedjotronic
,
Stereoheroes
,
Spoek & Cerebral Vortex
and
Spa
.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
Not Made For Love
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772573
2009 release. Remixes by
Leo Zero
and
Wild Geese
.
Artist:
MOBY
Title:
Mistake
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772579
2009 single. Remixes by
Lifelike
,
Funkagenda
,
Yuksek
and
Dabruck And Klein
.
Artist:
PRINCE
Title:
Lotusflow3r/MPLSound
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$26.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772589
2009 release.
Prince
has, for more than thirty years, indefatigably attacked the bulwarks which separate funk, rock, pop and hip-hop. This is a deluxe gatefold release composed of two slabs of vinyl (
Lotusflow3r
and
MPLSound
) as well as a poster.
Artist:
PRINCE
Title:
MPLsound
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
LP
Price:
$23.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772590
2009 release. On
MPLSound
, Prince takes his retro mission to offer up such tight, funky electro grooves as "(There'll Never B) Another Like Me" and "Ol' Skool Company." Part of what was originally released as a triple album, also released as a 2LP with
Lotusflow3r
(BEC 5772589).
Artist:
PLASTISCINES
Title:
Barcelona Remixes
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772605
2007 release.
The Plastiscines
' first single is a pertinent pop-rock mix, as if
Karen O
(
Yeah Yeah Yeah
) met
Bananarama
. An efficient and sexy hit, produced by
Butch Walker
, covered with an electro approach by remixers
Lifelike
,
Chew Lips
,
Eat Electric
and
Headman
.
Artist:
GENTLEMEN DRIVERS
Title:
L'Arche
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772633
Gentlemen Drivers
are two childhood buddies
Bénoich
and
Mica
, who decided to embark on a beautiful adventure based on flying synthesizers, lucid melodies and electronic surges."L'Arche" is a kind of electronic saga, tinged with vintage synths and Slavic tones."Perpetual" offers a hypnotic pattern where a new-wave spectre makes its appearance. "2042 L.A Dreams" conjures palm trees devastated by pollution, and the L.A. sky perpetually darkened by gas. To the omnipresence of synths, some voices overlap and dress this track elegantly.
Artist:
BUTLER TRIO, JOHN
Title:
April Uprising
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$26.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772644
2010 release. Limited French edition, includes two bonus tracks not available elsewhere.
John Butler
began his career as a musician in the streets of his country, Australia. Independent since his beginnings, his career was built from his own label Jarrah Records. With
April Uprising
, a brand-new chapter opens for the group: "The preparation for the recording and the repetitions were a true pleasure. I would say that the sounds, the general spirit and the energy of this album are summarized in these words: free, melodic, funky, powerful and rock. There is unquestionably more aggressiveness in this album than in the precedents. It is probably because of our superior engagement and conviction in term of writing and production. With
Nicky
and
Byron
, I found a degree of complicity which really serves the songs in all their aspects."
Artist:
PATRICE
Title:
One
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
LP
Price:
$23.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772728
2010 release.
One
synthesizes a career spanning 12 years, of a debut in Jamaican reggae passing on to soul, rock, and even English folk.
Patrice
has tamed many styles in the course of four albums, rich in their colors and facets. The 13 tracks on
One
contribute to his discography of electric and homogeneous sounds. For this album, Patrice has incorporated spices from the four corners of the world: in London, he summoned a dozen violinists from the female orchestra
Demon Strings
, directed by
Izzi Dunn
(
Gorillaz
,
Blur
), with whom he had already worked on his album
Nile
. In New Jersey, he had worked with Grammy award-winning producer
Commissioner Gordon
who had already worked on his previous album. In Jamaica, he solicited old friends, like the legendary saxophonist
Cedric IM Brooks
and
The Skatalites
. He also included his new experiences with
Sly And Robbie
on the track "Nobody Else's." The entire album was mixed by
Tom Elmhirst
(
Amy Winehouse
,
The Kills
) and by Patrice himself in his studio in Cologne, Supow Studio. As the artist himself explains: "I would like to avoid digital; I prefer analog. I treated the sound of this album the same way rappers used to treat samples, to give it a warm but modern aspect."
Artist:
SYD MATTERS
Title:
Brotherocean
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
LP
Price:
$23.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772785
2010 release.
Syd Matters
, whose real name is
Jonathan Morali
, combined the names of two members of
Pink Floyd
,
Syd Barrett
and
Roger Waters
, to create his stage name. For songwriter Jonathan Morali and his band Syd Matters, song-writing can best be described as an adventure. Listen to the gentle persistence of "Wolfmother" or "River Sister" as they instill their entrancing melodies, reaching deep into the soul, while "Hi Life" and "Lost," thanks to their arrangements, both sound like instant classics without forsaking any of their unquestioned originality. The use of a simple change in harmony coupled with a burst of chorus song in "Halalcsillag" shakes up the listener's internal compass, sending him spinning into unknown territory. The songs "We Are Invisible," "A Robbery" and "Hadrian's Wall" drift out in such a pure and simple way, but are anything but ordinary. This is song-writing that breaks with the mundane whilst managing to avoid falling into the trap of trying too hard to be different or obtuse. Song-writing that, in the words of Jonathan Morali, moves between the familiar and the unknown as easily as one drifts from reality into dreams. All the artistry of Syd Matters is summed up here: the extraordinary accomplished with ease, genuine originality free of any artifice, a voice of confidence that is healthily indifferent to known musical genres and fashionable gimmicks. The five travelers in Syd Matters chose not to weigh themselves down with any unnecessary baggage and their album only goes to prove how right they were. Includes a download card for the mp3 version of the complete album.
Artist:
GENTLEMEN DRIVERS
Title:
Asphalt
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772818
This French duo with a pop heart and electronic drive is back on the dance route with
Asphalt
. "Asphalt" veers towards a techno autobahn and "Valdor" is modern synthetic pop. Its magnificent remix by
Populette
is closer to a disco odyssey in the vein of
Prins Thomas
or
Jacques Renault
.
Mika
and
Benoit
keep driving straight to the next French electronic pop explosion. Also includes an appearance by
Lisa Li-Lund
.
Artist:
RINGER, CATHERINE
Title:
Ring N 'Roll
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2LP+CD
Price:
$26.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772833
Catherine Ringer
is the former singer from the famous French band
Les Rita Mitsouko
, formed by
Fred Chichin
(her late husband) and herself. From the hit "Marcia Baila" in 1985 to their last album
Variety
in 2007, they have worked with the likes of
Tony Visconti
,
Iggy Pop
,
Sparks
,
Jesse Johnson
,
William Orbit
and
Serj Tankian
. In 2009, Catherine decided that it was time to compose and produce her first solo album on her own. In collaboration with
Mark Kerr
,
Azzedine Djelil
and
Jean-Baptiste Brunhes
in her own studio, she recorded different instruments, from piano to drums. She also reworked "Rendez-Vous," a track recorded in 1998 with
Coba
, the Japanese accordion-player and adapted the "Adagietto" from "Mahler." Housed in a gatefold sleeve, this collector's edition includes a vinyl-etching on side D and a CD of the entire album.
Artist:
KUTI & EGYPT 80, SEUN ANIKULAPO
Title:
From Africa With Fury: RISE
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2LP
Price:
$26.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772835
With the mighty
From Africa With Fury: Rise
,
Seun Anikulapo Kuti
picks up the mantle as undisputed champion and true prince of the Afrobeat movement, heading up
Egypt 80
, the extraordinary combo first fronted by his renowned father,
Fela Kuti
. The album follows Kuti's critically praised debut, 2008's
Many Things
, which was unanimously hailed for continuing Fela's musical legacy.
From Africa With Fury: Rise
sees Kuti finding his own idiosyncratic voice as songwriter, singer, and band leader, its songs and sonic approach marked by provocative edge and mature self-assurance. Produced by
Brian Eno
,
John Reynolds
, and Kuti, with additional production by
Godwin Logie
and mixed by John Reynolds and
Tim Oliver
, the album captures Seun and Egypt 80's extraordinary power, fraught with the scorching rhythms and kinetic funk energy that has earned the band -- as ever, under the leadership of alto saxophonist
Lekan Animashaun
-- worldwide acclaim as one of today's most incendiary live acts. With Kuti's booming vocal stylings at the forefront, songs like "African Soldiers" and "Mr. Big Thief" are fueled by call-and-response hooks, breakneck tempos, and combative, topical lyricism which firmly sets the classic Egypt 80 sound in the modern era. Eno, Reynolds, and Kuti sought tension and release in the Rio recordings, incorporating breathing room and sonic space into the intricate rhythms and melodies. Further tracks -- performed by Eno, Reynolds, guitarist
Justin Adams
(
Robert Plant
,
Tinariwen
), keyboardist
Julian Wilson
(
Grand Drive
,
Belinda Carlisle
), and guitarist
Leo Abrahams
(
Florence + The Machine
,
Brett Anderson
,
Bryan Ferry
) -- were cut to lend further musical flavors to Egypt 80's archetypal Afrobeat.
Artist:
SUE, SELAH
Title:
Selah Sue
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
LP
Price:
$25.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772838
Selah Sue
is a young Belgian musician and songwriter who ignores her fate, and pours her anxieties into her songs and her guitar. She turns her doubts into soul, funk and reggae melodies, trying hard to be worthy of her idols,
Lauryn Hill
,
Erykah Badu
and
Bob Marley
. After posting home recordings of her tracks on Myspace, thousands of fans responded and she attracted the attention of Because Music. This debut album features guest appearances from
Meshell Ndegeocello
and
Cee-Lo Green
. This ambitious debut is a smart melting pot of electric rock, organic hip-hop and soul-funk, shifting from poignant ballads to wilder styles. Like
Janelle Monae
,
M.I.A.
or
Aloe Blacc
, Selah Sue belongs to a new generation for whom music has no boundaries. Produced by
Farhot
(
Nneka
) and
Patrice
. Housed in a gatefold sleeve.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
The English Riviera
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
LP
Price:
$23.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772894
Metronomy
present their third album
The English Riviera
. The follow up to 2008's critically-acclaimed
Nights Out
,
The English Riviera
is a sonic progression of epic proportions and affirms Metronomy front man and producer,
Joseph Mount
, as a rare British talent. Since
Nights Out
, the band have swollen to a four-piece with new members
Anna Prior
on drums,
Gbenga Adelekan
on bass, original member
Oscar Cash
on keys/sax, and Joe himself on vocals, keys and guitar. This expansion of personnel is reflective of a new record that is mapped by vast soundscapes, incredible depth and warmth, and big pop hooks. Part love letter to the area of Devon coast Mount grew up in and part concept album about his own semi-fictionalized vision of The English Riviera, the tone for the album is set by the opening sounds of seagulls, distant waves and a Music Hall string quartet. However, any notion of whimsy is swiftly dispelled, as the seismic bass line of "We Broke Free" shudders and ushers in waves of layered guitars and synths. Having produced and remixed everyone from
Roots Manuva
to
Kate Nash
an album from
Nicola Roberts
, this is the first Metronomy album that Mount has taken out of his bedroom and recorded in a proper studio. The results are telling. Characterized throughout with a sense of warmth and richness,
The English Riviera
is in parts reminiscent of seminal 1970s West Coast studio albums from the likes of
Fleetwood Mac
and
The Eagles
, but due to Mount's studio wizardry, the record sounds vibrant and entirely of its time. Few other albums will so successfully transcend such a plethora of influences and ideas and form such a coherent body of work.
Artist:
POMPOUGNAC, STEPHANE
Title:
Take Her By The Hand (Featuring Lady Linn)
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772895
Stéphane Pompougnac
encapsulates a certain idea of French luxury that is represented by such brands as Chanel and Dom Pérignon. With 5 platinum and 14 gold discs, along with 5 million album sales worldwide, he made his mark on people's minds and ears with a collection recorded exclusively for the Hôtel Costes almost 14 years ago. "Take Her By The Hand," featuring
Lady Linn
, is at once catchy and clubby. Remixes by
Jojo Flores & Rom Jamesteady
,
Jeremy Hills
and
Pi Zito
.
Artist:
DJANGO DJANGO
Title:
Waveforms
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772938
Django Django
's 2009 double A-side single
Storm/Love's Dart
laid the blueprint for a confident, adventurous and psychedelically-bruised strain of art-rock that melds intangible electronic flourishes to the visceral rub of live instrumentation. "Waveforms" sounds like
The Glitter Band
's "Rock And Roll Part 2" disappearing from sight like a particularly successful Kongming Lantern. Remixes by
Wild Geese
and
Mickey Moonlight
. Housed in a shiny metallic/reflective sleeve.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
The Bay
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
12"
Price:
$12.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772943
This is the electro quartet's third single from their album
The English Riviera
(BEC 5772894). The album has received a mass of critical acclaim from all corners of the industry.
NME
and Drowned In Sound gave the album a rating of 9/10. "The Bay" is one of the highlights from this fantastic album, well-placed as a future dancefloor classic. Includes a rework by
Erol Alkan
.
Artist:
MR. OIZO
Title:
Stade 2
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
CD
Price:
$15.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161058
This is the highly-anticipated fourth album by French film director and musician
Quentin Dupieux
aka
Mr. Oizo
. Includes the copiously blogged-about track "Douche Beat," which you won't be able to escape in the clubs for the foreseeable future. Squelchy, squirrely, bright and LOUD dance tracks for the MOST hyper children. Chock-full of absurdist samples and relentless, bouncing beats. Performed, recorded and mixed at Edgecliff-Gym Studio in L.A., aside from the digital flute on "Ska," which was performed by the artist
Tetanos
.
Artist:
SURKIN
Title:
USA
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
CD
Price:
$15.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5161060
This is the debut full-length by
Surkin
, called
USA
. Originally designed to be out on Institubes, they immediately thought of Marble (in conjunction with Because Music) as the perfect platform to release it after the demise of their former label. It features 16 tracks, with guest vocals by Detroit's
Ann Saunderson
and Chicago's
Kevin Irving
(the voice of house blueprint "Move Your Body" by
Marshall Jefferson
), and two collaborations with long-time friend and label mate
Bobmo
, with whom Surkin works as
High Powered Boys
. It's a joyous, juvenile, body-moving record, based on the idea of a radio station called Fireworks FM, set up in Silver Springs. The whole vibe exhales a fantasized '80s soundscape, infused with dance subgenres from that era but dramatically edited by Surkin's own imaginary memories. Club tracks galore, but also expect more melodic, emotional mid-tempo cuts, but definitely not in a filler way. Mastery all over the place, yet infused with a tremendous feeling of exuberance and freedom. Needless to say, it's an instant classic.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
Nights Out
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
CD
Price:
$14.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772393
Re-released for the U.S. in light of
Metronomy
's 2011 Mercury Prize Nomination (for their third album
The English Riviera
). This is the CD version of Metronomy's second studio album, 2008's
Nights Out
. It is their first album to be vocal-led, with self-effacing founding member
Joseph Mount
stepping up and grabbing the mic for most of the tracks; and, crucially, the first to introduce Metronomy as a three-piece band, rather than a pseudonym for Joseph's solo work. Although Joseph has worked with
Gabriel Stebbing
(bass, keyboards) and
Oscar Cash
(sax, keyboards) since their Devon childhoods, it's the success of the trio's live shows that led to the realization that the three schoolfriends are a bonafide group.
Nights Out
resolutely ignores the current vogue for yelping in a provincial accent about mingers and kebabs, and taps into a more elegant, enduring and truthful pop mood -- that feeling of being at your most lost and alone when crushed into a room full of revellers high on drugs and desperation. Musically, Metronomy march to the beat of their own synthetic drum. But Joseph's experiences of touring the nightclubs of the world, finishing his set, and then feeling unable to join in the surrounding debauchery makes
Nights Out
the wonky love-child of
Giorgio Moroder
,
New Order
,
Pet Shop Boys
and
Unfinished Sympathy
. Indeed, "On Dancefloors" might be the saddest song about partying ever made.
Artist:
VA
Title:
Edges: A New French Electronic Generation
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
CD
Price:
$15.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772498
Because Music presents the soundtrack of the new French electronic generation. In 1997,
Daft Punk
released their debut album,
Homework
, and revolutionized electronic music globally. A new order stemmed from this seminal record, paving the way for artists such as
Cassius
,
Air
and
Mr. Oizo
, and a new electronic generation with broad ideas (with touches of funk, pop or disco) was born. In 2007,
Justice
released
Cross
, a unifying record that reconciled electro clubbers and young rockers in slim jeans on the dancefloor. A new hybrid style of music emerged, a symbol of a generation, aptly-named "French Touch 2.0," gravitating around the Ed Banger label. But they are not alone. Over the past two years, other young producers eager to transcend genres have been working in the shadows, preparing a new electronic revolution. The
Edges
project captures this birth with a compilation and a live tour featuring three of the most promising artists of this scene. Among these hopefuls, the Jesus look-alike
Breakbot
, who produced some excellent remixes for
Metronomy
and
Sebastien Tellier
; the clubby Parisian duo
Gentlemen Drivers
who inevitably set the dancefloors on fire; and
Nils Hartman
from Lyon, whose unusual electro flirts with the experimental. This trio is an awesome representation of the current ultra-inventive, bubbling electronic music scene. In this era of blogs and easy access to the entire history of music, they are among the few French producers who still explore new paths and lay bridges between genres. These 16 exclusive or rare tracks offer a panorama of this extremely free, vital, eclectic scene. Be it
Anoraak
's romantic '80s electro-pop,
Discodeine
's quirky mental house or
Chateau Marmont
's cosmic, retro-futuristic universe, they all took their cue from the first wave of French Touch: musical open-mindedness, hedonism and innovation. This is a snapshot of a "family" of producers who decided not to choose between darkness and fluorescent hymns, dancefloor power and home listening, underground and mainstream. In short, here is the soundtrack of an era. Other artists include:
Donovan
,
Dilemn
,
Mondkopf
,
Rove Dogs
,
Digikid 84
,
Djedjotronic
,
Spitzer
,
Stereoheroes
,
Spoek & Cerebral Vortex
,
Danger
, and
Spa
.
Artist:
SMOD
Title:
SMOD
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
CD
Price:
$15.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772583
This is the third album by Malian hip-hop group,
SMOD
, produced by
Manu Chao
. More than a generic rap group, SMOD embodies the emergence of a new scene in Africa -- the embracing of new urban sounds but wary of the importance of heritage. As evidence of this, in 2008 and 2009, the trio found themselves in Europe, incorporating influences such as
Touré Kunda
and
Sporto Kantes
in their music, not to mention
Amadou
and
Mariam
-- for whom they opened at the Olympia in Paris and who Manu Chao invited on his tour in autumn 2009. It was these diverse experiences that provided them with the reassurance and confidence they needed to survive on the scene, the perfect grounding upon which to develop their new sound in line with the great Mandingue musical traditions of the past. So how does it all add up? A variety of foreign influences mixed together that one would readily call Afro-hop, a hybrid genre of rap and African folk with beatbox and simple guitar chords. Between the lines, the "African rap'n'folk" -- as they call it -- makes a link with the secular art of the griot, a pivotal character in a country dominated by oral tradition. SMOD incorporates these elements into a highly textured blend of beats, guitars, electronic effects, harmonic vocals and traditional melodies that emblemizes the new Bamako sound.
Artist:
METRONOMY
Title:
Pip Paine (Pay The £5000 You Owe)
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
CD
Price:
$14.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772599
This is the first album released by
Joseph Mount
(aka Metronomy). Initially released in 2006, this first album was a collector's edition limited to 2,500 copies. This developed the Metronomy buzz thanks to the tracks "You Could Easily Have Me" and "Tricks Or Treats." This new version includes four bonus tracks: "Are Mums Mates," "Hear To Wear," "Another Me To Mother You" and the unreleased track "In The D.O.D." Includes 4 bonus tracks. Re-released for the U.S. in light of
Metronomy
's 2011 Mercury Prize Nomination (for their third album
The English Riviera
).
Artist:
GODRECHE, JUDITH
Title:
Toutes Les Filles Pleurent
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
CD
Price:
$15.50
Catalog #:
BEC 5772646
This is the debut album by French actress/director
Judith Godrèche
featuring original songs written and composed for the film
Toutes Les Filles Pleurent
. "
Obviously, the musical story created in this movie could not finish there. The idea was to compose a complete album inspired by the movie. As an alive continuity, a musical twin, a memory that turned into a project
." This album was an opportunity to realize sophisticated and sensible collaborations. As they come, the songs sung by Judith are all original works from
Bonnie "Prince" Billy
,
Benjamin Biolay
,
Syd Matters
,
Pete Yorn
,
Piers Faccini
,
Mary Gauthier
,
Julien Doré
and
Wallis Bird
. As the artist herself explains, "
All the songs are intimately connected to the movie but create an independent album that took its freedom away. I thought about Benjamin for the title song 'Toutes Les Filles Pleurent.' I felt that with his romantic seriousness, his precise and powerful writing, he knew. I saw the film, we talked about it and he listened to the songs written for the album: for me, it was obvious that he will produce the album. With his own virtuosity, he managed to 'dream' the project and I'm very happy with it
."
Artist:
CONNAN MOCKASIN
Title:
Forever Dolphin Love
Label:
BECAUSE MUSIC (FRANCE)
Format:
2CD
Price:
$18.00
Catalog #:
BEC 5772802
Re-release of
Connan Mockasin
's debut album on Phantasy Sound
Please Turn Me Into The Snat
, including a bonus CD of live performances. Connan Mockasin has the kind of deliciously off-kilter and gloriously idiosyncratic worldview that rapidly proves addictive. Welcome, folks, to the delightful, slanted and enchanted world of Connan Mockasin. Like
David Lynch
's willfully surrealist take on American suburbia, or
Richard Prince
's paintings investigating modern cultural tropes, the New Zealand-born, current London resident Mockasin makes beautiful, off-kilter music which subverts as it compels, challenges as it mesmerizes, startles as it seduces, even drawing fans as diverse as
Johnny Marr
and
Radiohead
to Ed Banger chief and ex-
Daft Punk
manager
Pedro Winter
into its wide-eyed, childlike exploration into the final frontiers of pop music. It is all too rare, in this current climate of manufactured pop acts, grey, over-produced "alternative" guitar music and press-uelled mania for the next-big-thing, to hear something truly striking and original, but a strong case can most certainly be made for Connan to be a true pop auteur, taking his rightful place in a proud lineage which includes past mavericks such as
Joe Meek
and
Brian Wilson
, right through to current cult heroes like
Ariel Pink
,
Sufjan Stevens
and
John Maus
. Written from start to finish one hot summer, while camped outside his parent's church-like house in a tent,
Forever Dolphin Love
is an LP which brims with the beauty and solitude of summer evenings, a miasma of psychedelic tangents, jazz interludes and echoing guitars which hum with a distant, haunting resonance. For apart from being one of the most singular musicians we currently have, he is also a brilliant and unusual painter, a gift which will be glimpsed for the first time with the upcoming album, which features a collection of wonderfully surreal paintings of dolphins, all bold and beautiful interpretations of the mammal, but evolved into human forms, smiling in gaggles, sometimes wearing clothes, sometimes swathed in pools of lush colors. Connan's talents also include recording, producing and mixing the entire record. It was this brilliantly ingenious approach to invention, and his masterfully unique charm that caught the attention of
Erol Alkan
, who signed Connan to his label Phantasy and released his first output
Please Turn Me Into The Snat
. All the tracks from that album are included here in addition to a second CD of live performances.
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