Justice: Cross

Label: Ed Banger/VICE

A true hit record, with more joyous, upbeat songs than any record we can think of this year. With their long-awaited debut album †, the French duo Justice have successfully mixed a varied range of synthetic sounds and influences: “Phantom” samples the band Goblin’s vocoded vocal line from the song “Tenebrae”, while the disco-pop anthem “D.A.N.C.E.” will be this summer’s hit song, with a catchy chorus sung by a school children choir, disco strings and infectious feel-good vibe. Mixing some early Daft Punk-ish squelchy sound textures alongside John Carpenter-inspired slabs of 80s keyboards, † is an eclectic mix of dance and horror film soundtracks. Alternately harsh and accessible, the album sometimes veers towards darker drum ‘n’ bass territories on the tracks “Stress” and “Waters of Nazareth.” With its irreverent and playful take on electronic music, † is never less than entertaining and energizing. Justice have put the fun back in dance music and produced a groundbreaking first album: a must have! (Morgane)