The new single for Justice's new album just leaked. Still don't know quite what to think. I think Justice will get a lot of new fans with this new sound, and it's not like the biggest names in electro haven't completely switched their sound up from time to time (see: Daft Punk). Not as rambunctious as Cross, but maybe that's not a bad thing. Anyway, listen and let me know what you think.
Semana Santa has officially begun in Spain. A national Spring Break, Semana Santa is week of religious celebrations fueled by sun and lots of cañas (beers). People travel: from small towns to big, from big to small, from towns of all sizes to the beach, as evident by the packed bus that I am on right now. No Spring Break is complete without a soundtrack, and if the same isn't true for Semana Santa (this is my first here for this week), than I’m going to do my damn best to do a little cultural cross pollination of my own.
Justice needs no introduction. The French duo’s first album Cross brought their style of aggressive house to the world, but in the past few years, not many peeps were heard from the two. Perhaps they took a long nap after their US tour (not surprising if you’ve seen their documentary A Cross The Universe), perhaps they felt that the scene was getting too crowded. Maybe they were also tired of hearing D.A.N.C.E everywhere. Whatever their rationale for leaving, they’re back. First heard in the background of an ADIDAS commercial, the full song leaked a little while back, perfect timing to be one of the sounds for Spring Break, I mean, Semana Santa 2011.
There's not much more Euro than techno music. For some reasons, most Americans don't get it. We need guitar riffs and lyrics about hard living and our dog leaving us. On the whole, we look for that perceived realness, and love those sing-a-long ballads that everyone knows the words too. Doesn't have to be the best music, but we like those catchy tunes, songs that we can feel good singing at the top of our lungs. And you sure daggone it can't sing along to no euro techo!
Other than techno (and by techno I mean trance, electronica, house etc), what else does europe have that the US hasn't adopted in some way? Great espressos and mixed coffee drinks? I can go to the Mickey D's around the corner for a uber french McCafé any time of the day. Tight jeans and skinny shirts? Have you seen a hipster lately? Even our health care will soon (hopefully) be a couple of shades more Euro soon. But one trend that has never truly caught on is music that I will fit under the giant umbrella of "techno." Despite some artists like Tiesto, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, etc, getting some festival love and larger tours, I would say that American society as a whole just hasn't accepted this music yet, hasn't made it their own. I mean, shoot, I've been trying to convert moose for years; no luck. And he's more american than corn bread and miley cyrus.
But listening to this jam and a half, one wonders when will people start realizing the energy, the emotion, the rawness of a lot of the techno music out there. Constantly evolving, changing, and reaching higher heights, today's scene could be compared to what happened to hip hop in the late 80s and early 90s: DJs who pushed boundaries, the infusion of new sounds, the reawakening and revitalization of a style of music. Justice, the french duo, are among the leaders of this current wave, and have a distinct sound, harder than other djs, but without missing any creativity or complexity. Phantom Part 1.5 stands out because no matter whether the beat is building up or dying down, whether it's using a sample of their own song or whether they're just using a pounding bassline, it's pure, unfiltered, energy. The crowd is living for each new movement, each subtle change, and the fusing of their noise and the music of two musicians who after only one album are among the masters of their craft, combines to make a jam and a half.
