Often people on the list counterpoint US techno and European trance and all hell breaks loose.
But it's surprising that French music doesn't come up too often, if at all. But there is some fabulous stuff emanating from France right now that wears its love of Chicago and Detroit on its sleeves, and I find that those artists will openly discuss that influence in interviews. What's more these acts are doing interesting things with the music and not merely reproducing it. For one, I cannot recommend Laurent Garnier's recent album enough. But even some of the quirkier stuff like LeTone and Rinocerose is cool and has a certain je ne said quois that you just don't hear anywhere else. I really like the eccentricity in the new wave of French house/techno and I guess you hear that in Carl Craig too, who is often cited an an influence. Anyway, one album that has proved to be a revelation to me is Mirwais'! It's called Production and is quite avant garde. I know I may get some flack for this given his connection with a 'pop' artist (he has been working with Madonna, who lest us not forget came from Michigan) but his album is fantastic! It's got a strong electro/Moroder disco/80s current through it and some of the songs are very emotional, string-layered symphonies that almost have a Detroit flavour. The song he's done with Madonna is magic - it's among the best things she has ever done. It's called Paradise (Not For Me). She is in her tragic diva mode (which I love!) and sounds like Marlene Dietrich. They have cyber-fied the vocals in parts, which is eerie. She sings partly in a (rather spurious) French accent but it is still amazing. It's a little like Visage's Fade To Grey, but then again..... Never Young Again is very majestic, a beautiful song; electro sheathed in strings. These two give me the same feeling that the Red Planet classics do, not that it necessarily sounds like that but it conveys the same feeling; it swells with emotion. Mirwais, who is Afghan-French, is not a newcomer; he's been in the underground for a while and was a member of the French group Taxi Girl. I'm gratified that after producing Madonna he intends to step back and "only do special projects, projects that stretch me and my potential," (Mixmag, May) and not do as William Orbit has done and seemingly give his sound out to any pop act. He also says: "In techno, they're always talking about subversion, well this is my subversion!" I'm really looking forward to Madonna's album on the basis of this.
