To get you in the mood for our debut Glitterbox party in Paris on 19th January, we asked the artists joining us (Nathalie Duchene, Breakbot & Irfane and Young Pulse) to select their favourite French house and disco records for our official playlist available on streaming services now.
The origins of French house can be traced back to over 40 years ago, as electronic musicians were greatly inspired by Euro disco and space disco from the 70s and early 80s. First referred to as ‘French touch’, French house surrounding the 90s was originally an underground movement, allowing for sample-led experimentation and a deep club feel.
French house as we know it today really had its heyday approaching the millennium, resulting in a legacy of international chart-topping hits by duos and trios alike. Throughout the genre’s evolution, French house musicians have always understood the importance of collaboration as a way of capturing the energy of live performance in their electronic compositions.
Together – 'So Much Love To Give'
Together was a French house duo consisting of DJ Falcon and one half of Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter. The duo only released two singles together in the early noughties on Bangalter’s hugely influential record label Roulé: ‘Together’ and ‘So Much Love To Give’. On the latter, the Daft Punk composer’s influence is extremely apparent, an uplifting, incessant sample is side chained masterfully whilst a bright synth keeps things sugary sweet.
Cerrone – 'Love in C minor'
Bob Sinclar – 'Gym Tonic'
A track surrounded by legal controversy, Bob Sinclar’s ‘Gym Tonic’ is a campy house number made by combining a 12 minute funk improvisation with an excerpt from a Jane Fonda workout video. Originally produced in collaboration with Thomas Bangalter in 1998, Sinclar included the track on his debut studio album Paradise without Bangalter’s permission leading to a fumbled single release. To make matters worse, Fona took legal action against Sinclar for the uncredited vocal sample, which ended up costing the producer $75,000.
Pépé Bradock – 'Deep Burnt'
Laurent Garnier – 'Man With The Red Face'
Laurent Garnier began his electronic music career in the late 80s, releasing a slew of albums that charted in the UK, France, and Belgium over a span of two decades. ‘Man With The Red Face’ is a 9 minute sonic journey, blending jazz and techno together to create an unforgettable track, originally part of a live performance at Jazz Festival Montreux in 1998. Garnier is also the founder of the Parisian nightclub ‘Rex’, the venue for our Glitterbox party this January.
Superfunk featuring Ron Carroll – 'Lucky Star'
Cassius – '1999'
Another French duo birthed approaching the millennium, ‘1999’ features on Cassius’s debut album and was originally released to mixed reception. Nevertheless, the Donna Summer sample (‘If It Hurts Just a Little’) epitomises the raison d'etre of house producers in the 90s - blending bold disco and funk influences with modern electronic techniques.
Breakbot – 'Translight'
Stardust – 'Music Sounds Better With You'
Our European readers will be very familiar with this international smash hit. The group Stardust once again included Thomas Bangalter, this time with DJ Falcon’s cousin Alan Braxe and vocalist Benjamin Diamond. Like many iconic house tracks of this era, ‘Music Sounds Better With You was released on Bangalter’s label Roulé and features yet another sample from the late 70s/early 80s; Chaka Khan’s ‘Fate’. The trio made one hit and disappeared suddenly, highlighting Bangalter’s flair for the dramatic that would later appear in Daft Punk’s epic breakup video over 20 years later.
Daft Punk – 'Burnin''
Tickets for our Glitterbox party in Paris on the 19th January 2023 are available now.
Listen to these tracks and many more on our 'French House + Disco' playlist, available on Spotify and other streaming services.
