‘WE'RE MAKING DIST ORTION MUSICAL WE'RE MAKING NOISE F UNKY'
I
The. Frénch revolution
More than just the latest duo to traverse the English channel to blow our minds, David Pollock reckons Justice are at the vanguard of a new musical movement
lthough .Iusticc are the natne on this litre hill
that the Mist majority of rcyellcrs will be
paying to come and .see. there will be another (iallic bloke fiddling with the decks on stage here who is arguably men more itnportant. He's billed as Busy P. but you cart call him Pedro \Vinter.
Winter is .lusticc's manager and label boss. the man who created lid Banger Records and who helped put l-‘rcnch clectro—lechno hack on the tnap in a high- prolilc manner it hasn’t enjoy ed since l)al't Pttnk were in their pritne. 'I‘alked tip eyerywherc l‘rom .iliymug to the (limit/run since the turn ol' the year. lid Ranger's artists create a typically Parisian style of dirty. hard clectro. with memorahle hooks. not-inconsiderable I'tlltk Icy eIs. ilITLI Ll hcayy dose of sharp—edged glitch— house dynamics. Their songs sound sparse and l‘uturistic. bttt utterly soull'ul.
‘I don‘t think there‘s a noise competition] said \Vinter. who also manages Daft Punk. in the (illtil'r/I'tllt. 'BUI. definitely. it‘s something IIitI Banger] plays with. \Ve‘re tnaking distortion masical. We're making noise l'unky'.‘
Winter‘s artists. including Sebasti.»\n tw ho frequently supports Dat‘t Punk on tour). Peatl/ and the lasciy'ious and mesmerising l'l‘l‘ie do indeed create sounds that follow a direct lineage from their already - recognised forebears. but each one brings something new and uniquely e\citing to the scene.
.lustice — duo (iaspard .-\uge and .\'ayier de Rosnay — are at the forefront of this moyement. and theirs is a sound which transt'ers easily to these shores. both in traditional dance tnttsic clubs and with the large
l‘raternity who hay'e embraced the rock/dance crossoyer scene. Their l‘air-si/cd chart hit and ubiquitous cltrb anthem of last year demonstrated exactly why. We‘re talking. of course. abotrt ‘\\'e are Your Iiriends‘. released under the collaboratiye banner .lustice ys Simian.
Taking the y‘ocal hook l‘rom an old and barely- remembered track by post-Britpop indie outl‘it Simian. the song was instantly. inl‘cctiously
rnetnorable. |)oubtless it helped .Illstice to the leyel oi.
inter-club l'ame they occupy in the [K today ~ as well as substantially raising the profile of Simian reinycnted as the 1).] duo Simian Mobile Disco 7 but it was merely a commercial calling card for .lustice's multiple talents. On stage. playing before their trademark neon crucilix. they're instantly engaging to an audience. yet a whole lot darker and deeper titan their most famous song suggests.
The perfectly designed inclusion ot‘ discordant glitch beats within their set goes a long way towards creating this et‘l'ect. giyen that it's a sound that works perfectly within progressiye clubs yet won't be troubling the charts any time soon. On their debut album — named. in what may be a nod to Prince. alter said crucitis symbol — they manage to mix up this dense but still strangely commercial style with a musical tribute to Michael Jackson and samples from prog goons (ioblin. It's such an exquisite. Iel'ttield sense of adyenture that keeps Jtrstice — and lid Banger »— among many people's l'ayourite noises ol' the year.
The Arches, Glasgow, Sat 8 Sep.
Damaged Goods Slea/ys are putting on some stellar club nights in the coming months. This offering from Davrd Sinclair (Killer Kitsch), Davrd Barbarossa (Optimo) and Some Young Pedro's Mark Donaldson looks like a right old knees up. Punk to reggae to NY disco. Nice N“ S/eazy's, Glasgow. Fri 7 Sep.
Utter Gutter Back after the summer hols with bad-ass. glamrap. pals ol Peaches, girl rappers Scream Club llivel. Blood-splattered outtits at the ready. Classic Grand, Glasgow, Sat 8 Sep.
Suite 69 A night Of French pop musrc from the 60s with live mUSlC from garage punk band Le Bot! (pictured) Fantastique! Henry's Cellar Bar, Edinburgh, Sat 8 Sep; Blacklriars, Glasgow. Sun 9 Sep.
Electric Freq Thursdays have a new club to force you down the dancetloor pre- weekend. Kicking off with an enviable double bill of Scratch Perverts (13 Sep) and Cagedbaby (20 Sep). Ego. Edinburgh, Thu 73 8 20 Sep.
Bass Syndicate Drum 8 bass and breaks collide for the ultimate beats test as Shimon & Nixon (Finger Lickin'), bring the noise. The Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Fri 74 Sep.
Spies in the Wires More live music (from OBE) and guest DJ sets from Mogwai and ldlewild for a tip top indie selection. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 73 Sep.
'- ' Seismic Fancy a slice of the Baltimore hip hop sound? Well the Dress to Sweat records launch is the place to hang this fortnight. Kazey showcases his mighty vinyl collection. Blackfriars, Glasgow, Fri 74 Sep.
9—2’, Set] 2717 THE LIST 29