CD: Justice, †

(Ed Banger)

Are Daft Punk the secret rulers of dance music? Following MSTRKRFT and Digitalism, here's another of-the-moment debut in hock to their disco-metal crunch and scuzzy, overdriven synthesisers. The difference is that Daft Punk are junkies for repetition, whereas Justice's Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are thrilling fidgets - the candy-coated single DANCE has one addictive hook after another. Fundamentally, their approach is more rock than house. The grooves are gnarly and congested, the synth riffs are distorted howls and the samples are torn from Devo and horror-soundtracking prog-rockers Goblin. Waters of Nazareth has enough berserk twists to give listeners whiplash, while Stress's shrill, malfunctioning techno might be a backdrop for dancefloor-prowling serial killers. Crucifix is an electrifying ride, perpetually on the verge of breaking apart in a mess of charred circuitry and twisted metal.

Contributor

Dorian Lynskey

The GuardianTramp

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