About

"Each record is a revolution", says Hubert Boombass and the late Phillipe Zdar who make up France’s edgiest, most ambitious duo in house music. After dropping the monsterously huuuge 1999, Cassius, named after Mohammed Ali before he got all holy, took a hiatus and let the rest of the 4/4 fraternity try and catch up in their three year absence. Together they have recorded as Boombass and La Funk Mob, releasing singles on the ultra-hip French label, Source. If your less cool friends haven't heard of 'em yet, you could name-drop these lot: Neneh Cherry, Björk, Daft Punk, Air and Depeche Mode; as they've done remixes for all of them. So the French invasion continues.

The music they both started with was, of course, hip hop. Hip hop was both the catalyst that turned the teenage Hubert and Philippe away from elder brother stuff like The Police and the musical bond that brought them together. "We were into music before," they say, "but it wasn't our music. Hip hop was ours, it wasn't our parents' records." In between producing three hugely successful French albums for MC Solaar, including the minor UK hit "Bouge De La", they developed the abstract, proto trip-hop grooves of La Funk Mob. By 1994 they were busy breaking boundaries and messing up heads with La Funk Mob's seminal hip hop/funk/electro/weirdo-freak-out EP "Ravers Suck Our Sound". Meanwhile Philippe had discovered a new obsession, House music, and the last piece of the Cassius puzzle was falling into place. "In 1992 I went to a rave" he enthuses, "from then on I loved techno."

"What we really like," say Cassius, "is heavy bass. We listen to Daft Punk, DJ Sneak, Tuff Jam, Masters At Work, 2-step speed garage, DJ Premier, Timbaland, Drum 'n' Bass. You might not hear it on the record, but it's all there." Cassius are both French dance music's missing link and it's old skool originators. The sound that combines the pop appeal, the heavyweight underground groove and the sheer brilliance of Air, Daft Punk and Dimitri. Their album 1999 is well-named - because that year will belong to Cassius. Believe it. — (via Resident Advisor)


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Label: Because Music
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: France
Reissued: 2016 / Original Release: 1998
Genre: Electronic
Style: House, Electro

File under: House / Electro / Techno
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