This months must listen to album is a time capsule
of French electronica from 1998. Super Discount from Étienne Bernard Marie de Crécy is renowned for
being one of the best dance albums ever.
If you aren’t familiar with French house: imagine all the bouncing bass lines and acid hooks of your ordinary dance music…from the comfort of an armchair on a Sunday afternoon. It’s a relaxing symphony and dance anthem woven together in perfect unison.
Parisian DJ, producer and co-owner of Solid Records
used this album to feature Air and Alex Gopher; ultimately, rocket launching
their careers.
The album opens with le patron est devenu
fou (the boss has gone mad) : crescendoing layers of beats
climaxing in a deep bubbly disco. Prix choc (price shock) then
brings the reverb of bass, echoing with the lyrics ‘sinsemilla,
marijuana’ throughout.
Super disco brings
new luscious thrills to the body of work as if you are transcending in
suspended animation. This is by far by favourite track on the album simply due
to its infectious grooves that are somehow tranquil.
Affaires à faire (business
to do) and Tout doit disparaître (everything must disappear)
pour open the albums laissez faire philosophy, bringing listeners into a
euphoric trance.
Liquidation totale speeds up as if it were your more traditional dance
track. Its undulating beats can later be found influenced in the work of the
Basement Jaxx. The floating sample ‘I’m gonna leave you’ emulates the
traditional catchy lyrics you will find stuck in your head for weeks on end.
Les 10 jours fous (the
10 crazy days) demonstrates how de Crécy took influences from across musical genres:
including jazz pianos and flamenco castanets.
The album is closed by feremature
définitive ( final maturity) which is a very fitting final title. It
is a solely French vocal conversation with no musical content. This is almost
the opposite of tout à 10 balles which is 10 seconds of noise
resembling a jamming CD. Both of these tiny snippets add a mystery and
personality to the body of work.
Super discount did eventually get a sequel in 2014:
Super Discount 2, showcasing more of the upbeat electronica sound-reflecting
more of the contemporary styles. However, it cannot replace the idiosyncratic
style of the initial album. Super discount is an electro lover’s dream; an
authentic melt in your mouth masterpiece. Enjoy !
- Mollie German
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