Various - Paris Club Music Vol. 2

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  • You don't have to live in Paris to see how house and techno have exploded there in the past few years. But one of the French capital's most notable exports, ClekClekBoom, trade in a street-tough, UK-influenced style, which was showcased on last year's Paris Club Music compilation. The second volume arrives just over a year later, and it looks like things have started to change in the CCB camp. First there were a few new signings, and then the label's boy-wonder, French Fries, released his debut full-length, Kepler, which was a major departure. Now, judging from the new tracks on the collection's first disc, ClekClekBoom have taken a step back, settling into a more straightforward style of house. It suits them just fine. The change comes with a much bigger roster: of the eight new tracks here, three of them are from artists who didn't appear on the first Paris Club Music. French duo NSDOS contribute a slice of brittle but jovial deep house that could have come from Kassem Mosse. Aethority's "Ostinato 6.52" is a daydreaming stoner jam whose relaxed demeanour is miles away from the harder, early CCB highlights. Even French Fries turns in something relatively sedate: "Got It" has the spacey synths and Jamie XX-style mallets that were all over Kepler. Manare steals the spotlight with the dulcet tones of "Automat," which borrows from Shackleton's tribal squirm, while Coni pumps out a billowing prog house jam that basically walks on air. Aside from Bambounou, whose percussion-only "Idem" is as spare and funky as ever, no one does quite what you expect them to. The second disc, made up of highlights from the past year, offers a glimpse into ClekClekBoom's evolution. Aethority's "Niceness" felt more reserved than usual, even with its swooping breakbeats and dive-bombing bass. Coni's "Flip," with its stark and heavily flanged percussion, points towards the minimal-leaning aesthetics of the label's latest tunes. And the whopping three tracks from French Fries illustrate that artist's personal development as de facto leader of the pack, transitioning from the buoyant float of "Everything" to the harder, technoid repetition of "Change The Past" and "Bug Noticed." Though it feels more mature (and even more Parisian) than ever before, the sound outlined on Paris Club Music Vol. 2 is still coloured with the ideas and influences that have defined the label since day one. The aesthetic might be different this time around, but the spirit of cross-pollination and experimentation certainly hasn't changed.
  • Tracklist
      CD 1: 01. NSDOS - Standalone Sunset 02. Manaré - Automat 03. Aleqs Notal - Near Mint 04. French Fries - Got It 05. Jean Nipon - Untitled Girl 06. Coni - Basic Circle 07. Bambounou - Idem 08. Aethority - Ostinato 6.52 CD 2: 01. French Fries - Everything 02. Coni - Flip 03. Aethority - Niceness 04. NSDOS - Meridiensdos 05. French Fries - Bug Noticed 06. Aleqs Notal - Ancient Theory 07. French Fries - Change The Past 08. Coni - The Opposite
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