Search - Cassius :: Cassius 1999

Surprisingly Consistent, with a Couple Dynamite Tracks

KRossHoff@aol.com | swarthmore pa | 03/31/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The French have a thing for getting together in pairs and creating fun and innovative techno albums. And for having funny names. There was Daft Punk (Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo), who broke in 1997 with their ubiquitous "Da Funk." Then in 1998 we had Air (Nicolas Godin and Jean-Benoit Dunckel; not quite so funny) who were acclaimed as electronica wunderkind even though their debut album Moon Safari prominently featured strings, acoustic guitars, tubas, and nary a dancy club beat. Among the latest batch to emerge from the thriving Paris dance scene are Phillipe Zdar and Hubert "Boom Bass" Blanc-Francart, collectively known as Cassius. A pure-pop house album very much in the vein of Basement Jaxx's synchronous Remedy, Cassius' 1999 gets things cooking right from the start with the title tune, which has a prominent, bouncy bassline, a complex, quasi-Latin percussion track and repeated (and undeniable) declarations that this is "funky music." Feeling for You, which was released as a single, has a more conventional underlying groove - the four-on-the-floor bass drum rhythm that's straight out of the seventies. Cassius is not about to let us forget that house is the nineties' version of disco. That same basic groove reoccurs numerous times throughout the album, but it never gets overly tiresome. Thus we have "La Mouche", in which it becomes the constant element while they have some fun playing bait-and-switch volume games with a piano figure; "Nulife", in which it's augmented by handclaps, some James Brown-esque guitar, and a bit of conga drumming; and the down-tempo "Club Soixante Quinze", which has a kind of shuffly, new-jack thing going on. Probably the album's best cut, however, is the radio remix of "Cassius 1999," which has almost nothing to do with the original version except for the periodic proclamation (in a cute little Gallic accent): "Cassius in the House." The problem with electronica records, in particular those which are specifically geared towards dance, is that producers often get caught up in experimenting and decline (for understandable reasons) to fill the album with nothing but head-bobbing basslines, butt-shaking grooves and catchy hooks - which results in two or three killer dance tracks and a hefty load of interesting but ultimately useless doodling. By the same token, it's difficult to listen straight through to an album that was designed primarily for dancing. Thankfully, the first problem is pretty much avoided here. While not every song is prime dance-floor fodder, there is relatively little bum material, and at least it all sounds different. As for the second, that's easily solved: don't just sit there; get up and dance. With Cassius behind the decks, you hardly need an invitation."

Disco House Dance Duo

Mrs. Ana R Santos | London, Ontario Canada | 07/16/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Disco Filter seems to have made a big splash at nightclubs and the dance floors in the past while with such hits like "One More Time", "Music Sounds Better With You", "Astounded" and "Lady". 1999 was one of the albums that started the Disco dance craze all over again. Coming all the way from Paris France emerges a Fresh and original dance music duo known as Cassius. They belong to the "French Touch" style of dance music that all began with St.Germain, and was made popular by the likes of other French electronic artists such as Daft Punk, Dimitri Of Paris, and Air. Cassius happens to be one of the new additions to to this musical family. Cassius owes a lot of their sound to their good friends Daft Punk. The music of Cassius is quite comparable to that of Daft Punk's earlier album "Homework". The music is very beat driven and heavly bass-laden. The one main difference that makes Cassius different is that it relies a lot on disco samplings which gives the music a retro flavour. Disco filter tracks like "Feeling For You" and "Planetz" seem to stretch towards the past and future of dance music. However, Cassius also makes sure to have fun with what they do, which is evident in songs like the whimsical "La Mouche". Full-length dance CD's are always hard to make in that the music tends to lose it's energy when outside of a club or party setting, but this is not totally true with the 1999 album from Cassius. A must have for any serious European cluber-the world over!"

A 16 track party waiting for you

Mrs. Ana R Santos | 06/22/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Cassius can definitely bring the funk. This one of the more positive feeling albums in recent memory. Even with a slight lack of focus towards the middle of the disc, it is tough to beat "1999"'s party atmosphere. Along with Air, Daft Punk, and Dmitri From Paris, Cassius has contiunued the tremedous output from what seems to be a slamming French scene. Feel these grooves and totally let yourself go."