- High-octane nostalgia with a strong sense of humour.
- It's possible that the title of J-Zbel's debut album, Dog's Fart Is So Bad The Cat Throws Up, comes from a viral video where, well, that happens. Even by the French trio's standards, it's a tough title to swallow. But it's all part of their playful MO. They embody the spirit of their label, Brothers From Different Mothers, which is sometimes offensive, often juvenile and undeniably entertaining. Certain aspects of their debut album, from the title to the Mortal Kombat and The Matrix samples, seem silly. But the music, which gleefully touches on jungle, trap, hardcore, trance, techno and house, is deadly serious.
If you're familiar with J-Zbel, you might already know how gratuitous and addictive their style of retro-leaning dance music can be. Dog's Fart Is So Bad The Cat Throws Up, which lasts an hour, is thrilling from start to finish. Each new track is different and more exciting than the last. Take "Tunnel Vision," an eight-minute journey through mid-'90s trance punctuated by Morpheus's grandiose speech from The Matrix: Reloaded. Then there's the unexpected aquacrunk revival of "Rustie Le Clown," the earth-shaking dancehall of "Riddim De Bardouin" and the rough-and-ready jungle of "Pardon Mouloud," which even finds room for that beloved loon sample. J-Zbel are a walking encyclopedia of dance music without being academic.
The album is so packed with references to different genres and pop culture touchstones—in addition to a song simply called "Mortal Kombat," there are samples from Metal Gear Solid—that it can feel like musical whiplash. By the time you get to the Simo Cell-assisted trap banger "Sebulba," the opening breakbeat blast of "Hardcore Jusqu'au PEF" is a world away. But if J-Zbel have a teenager's sense of humour and attention span, they also have a teenager's indefatigable energy, which keeps the LP enthralling.
It also helps that J-Zbel have improved as producers. One of the strongest tunes on the album is "Diablo Verde II," a sequel of sorts to a rough-and-tumble acid track from an earlier EP. Here it sounds clearer, brighter and, most importantly, totally unhinged: the drums lunge forward so fast it sounds like they're cycling through multiple songs. It feels like almost anything could happen in a J-Zbel track.
It's not hard to copy the sounds of electronic music's past, but it takes imagination to reinterpret them in new and interesting ways. J-Zbel's rare combination of humour and technical prowess puts them up there with acts like Special Request and Shed, who have fashioned personal and original takes on some of dance music's oldest sounds. Imagine calling an album Dog's Fart Is So Bad The Cat Throws Up and it sounding this good.
Tracklist01. Check - In
02. Hardcore Jusqu'au PEF
03. Riddim Du Bardouin
04. Mortal Kombat
05. Tunnel Vision
06. Rustie Le Clown
07. Bertrand Du Mont D'or
08. Sebulba feat. Simo Cell
09. Pardon Mouloud
10. Excremangue
11. Diablo Verde II
12. The Jzbel Anthem