Because Music France Vinilo y CD

Review: Following a three-year hiatus, German trio Daniel Brandt, Jan Brauer and Paul Frick return with their fourth full-length. Unlike some of their earlier sets, which mined minimal techno for inspiration, Joy is a much more eccentric affair, variously drawing influence from krautrock, experimental electronica, lo-fi rock, moody synth-pop, and grisly, post-punk shapes. It's highly stylish, as you'd expect - their vocal delivery is somewhere between David Byrne and Bauhaus - with the looseness and energy of their compositions ensuring an attractive immediacy. It takes a few listens to soak it all up, but undoubtedly grows on your with each successive play.

Review: Following a three-year hiatus, German trio Daniel Brandt, Jan Brauer and Paul Frick return with their fourth full-length. Unlike some of their earlier sets, which mined minimal techno for inspiration, Joy is a much more eccentric affair, variously drawing influence from krautrock, experimental electronica, lo-fi rock, moody synth-pop, and grisly, post-punk shapes. It's highly stylish, as you'd expect - their vocal delivery is somewhere between David Byrne and Bauhaus - with the looseness and energy of their compositions ensuring an attractive immediacy. It takes a few listens to soak it all up, but undoubtedly grows on your with each successive play.

Review: Now comes the fifth album by German electronic trio Brandt Brauer Frick, known for their electroacoustic collisions of house and techno with live-played instrumentation. Multi Faith Prayer Room is their most ambitious album to date, including collaborations with Mykki Blanco, Azekel, Marina Herlop, Kom_I, Sophie Hunger and Duane Harden. It flaunts a mastery over a certain modern, hybrid approach to making electronic music, combining drumming, bass, piano and vocals with drum machines and synths. A diverse, sprawling, border-melting, widescreen take on many dance genres out there.

Review: Originally released in 1980, Because Music presents the first reissue of Pascal Comelade's Paralelo LP. Originally released on his Parasite imprint, the album has now been expanded to a double LP including previously unreleased tracks. The French-Catalan electronic musician composed the LP on an EMS/AKS synth and is most representative of his output from between 1974 - 1981. His mechanical form of composition utilises arpeggio: repetitive music and the concept of sequences/continuous sound laced with evocative melodies. Also taking cues from the minimal facets of French prog/space rock band Heldon's electronic fortitude. Vocals come courtesy of English composer Gavin Bryars on a few of the tracks on the album. "15 Minutes de Sonoto-Luddisme" is one of the bonus tracks featuring a collaborative engagement with David Cunningham of the Flying Lizards and This Heat. Also features the original black and white sleeve, with its painting by Don Jacques Ciccolini.

Review: Sweet psychedelic pop vibes abound as Django Django unleash another fine ditty from their eponymous album. Quite whether they've just misspelt a comet name, or they just love dancing in hard, icy rain we don't know... But we love all versions on this release. The very much in-demand Daniel Avery gets all slo-mo acid on our jackseys while Jealov takes us into some very strange, warped electronica pastures with a Radioheadalicious rub. The band themselves get involved with their own cheeky, not to mention stomping, alternative "Bail Hop" while Bullion completes the package with his own beautiful take that will please all cosmic fans.

Review: When a Versatile artist is involved in something, somewhere, we hone in on it like a missile. Thankfully, Tigersushi boss Joakim has provided us with the usual dosage of gasoline for our listening engines and once again, the Frenchman has not disappointed us. Making his debut for his native Because Music, "On The Beach" sees the man in a slightly contemplative mood, delivering a pensive, vocoder-driven percussion workout - a true listening pleasure. CFCF inject a heftier dose of organic drumming to the equation, whilst Joakim's own Cray76 re-wiring opts for the all-out house flair, making this one a sure winner on the floor! But don't worry, Principles Of Geometry are there to rapidly re-form the track into a broken, totally wacked-out fusion of samples and eerie atmospherics. Dig in!

Review: Hyperdrama is the fourth full length album from the French Duo Justice. Two songs have preceded the album's May release. 'One Night/All Night (featuring Tame Impala)' is destined to be a club hit with its catchy EDM pop appeal. The bombastic electro pulser 'Generator' will also have a strong club appeal to it and you can expect the rest of the album to be just as strong with a production job that's clean and the tracks are powerful. This version comes in a beautifully designed gatefold 2xLP that also includes a sticker.

Review: French dystopi-dance duo Justice gear up for their fourth full-length album, Hyperdrama. Owing to their towering status as producers and artists, it marks their first album in seven years since 2016's Woman. Unlike the neater fusions of disco and funk that the band have achieved in the past, Auge and Rosnay describe their latest as an embittered battle between the two stereotypes, elaborating that the album 'oscillates between pure electronic and pure disco but you never really get the two at the same time'."

Review: Belgian singer and producer Bolis Pupul releases his first solo debut album 'Letter to Yu' following his smash success with fellow DEEWEE artist Charlotte Adigery 'Topical Dancer', a satirical, yet hard-hitting, exploration of spirituality, racism and identity that the two experienced in Ghent as children of immigrant families. If you're a fan of the production of songs like 'Mantra', then this project is for you. Still keeping the witty elements from 'Topical Dancer' the LP, a reference to a great emperor of Chinese history, 'Completely Half' opens up with Pupuls hallmark 80s synthpop style, partnered with the typically Belgian cerebral approach to music and allusions to his mixed-race heritage. Pupul's beats feel pensive, yet danceable and the more deep-in-thought cuts like 'Goodnight Mr Yi' benefit from they dynamic contrast with more in-your-face cuts like the blaring 'Kowloon' and its siren-like supersaws.

Review: Compiled by Uncle O, the title of this compilation is pretty clear and representative of the sounds contained within: A Voyage Across French Electronic Cosmic and Avantgarde 70s-80s; there you have it, a look into a relatively neat and much coveted moment in musical history, and Because Music have spared you the trouble of looking for these records in old charity shops and car boot sales. In reality, the best part of these songs are going for a lot of dollar on the second-hand market, so you probably wouldn't find them anyway. In any case, we have a wide spectrum of disco-not-disco sounds from names who you might not recognise, but who have had a lasting effect on disco, dance and electronic music as a whole. You're not restricted to one genre either, with tunes from Rosebud bringing the funk, Queen Samantha's gorgeous disco, electronic improv by Nicolas Peyrec, and much more. Highly recommended. Uff - check that proto-techno on Heldon's "Les Soucoupes Volantes Vertes"!