Hello all. This was too good not to post. Thomas Bangalter made a special appearance in LA last night for Pedro Winter’s birthday bonanza at Cinespace. Where is Guy-Man?? Hoping that someone got the audio recording for this set.

UPDATED VIDEO!!! Cheers to our friend Nicky Digital for heads up.

Congratulations to Thomas Bangalter & Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo for two well deserved GRAMMY awards.

Best Electronic/Dance Album: Alive 2007, Daft Punk
Best Dance Recording: Harder Better Faster Stronger, Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter & Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo, producers

A few classic behind the scenes videos with Cassius and friends for your viewing pleasure.

A young Pedro Winter, the boys from Cassius, and DJ Falcon in Chicago record shopping:

The epic “Together” tour from 2002 with Cassius, Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel, DJ Falcon, etc.:

Here they are chatting it up with Pharrell Williams about their influences:

Art: Gianluca Fallone

Sources: URB, In The Mix

Sounds like Bangalter and Guy-Man were eager to go back into seclusion to make some new robot rock. Fine by us! Always look forward new material from the French house dons. We are still keeping our fingers crossed that a couple of new tunes will pop up on their individual indie labels Roulé and Crydamoure. Only time will tell. Daft Punk likes to take their time. We’ll keep you posted!

There is no question that over the past couple of years there has been a resurgence in quality electro/house music coming out of France. Spearheaded by the Ed Banger Records crew lead by long time Daft Punk evangelist Pedro “Busy P” Winter. Acts like Justice, Kavinsky, Sebastian, and Surkin have defined a harder, more electro and rock inspired take on “French Touch.” But core to it all…..is house. Of course, the original house forefathers from Chicago and Detroit spawned it all but more specifically, for todays discussion, the producers who drove the first big house movement out of France back in the early to mid 90’s. It was a sound inspired by disco, funk, and hip hop. Producers and record labels such as Buffalo Bunch, Alan Braxe, Fred Falke, Modjo, Benjamin Diamond, Diamond Traxx, Play Paul, Raw Man, Sebastien Leger, Jess and Crabbe, Roulé, Crydamoure, We In Music, Fiat Lux, Cassius, and many others. And of course…Daft Punk (prior to the freak accident in their studio that morphed them into the robots we know and love today). Check this page out to see a laundry list of the amazing records I am referring to and the samples used to make them.

As a kid who grew up on rock and hip hop it was these producers and this music that really got me interested in house music. The “French Touch” sound melded together all my favorite parts of the genres that I loved into a new and exciting format. So this one goes out to them. Your music still continues to move me and others. Both newbies and long time fans. Cheers!

In the spirit of sharing (and in some cases…education) we have bundled up a few favorites for your enjoyment.

French house goodness can be downloaded here.

And as an added bonus, here is one of the masters at work at a recent gig in Australia. Fred Falke rocking the live bass in the mix!!

Photo: Danny Clinch Photography

A message from Kanye to the world regarding the upcoming “Glow In The Dark” tour:

“This is not a regular show. I tell people, hey, this show is gonna be crazy and they say, “I bet it is!”, BUT THEY HAVE NO IDEA! People expect me to come with innovative stuff… I’m sure a lot of people expect some neon, lower east side, post everybody dressing like the 80’s stuff or maybe the light up jacket from the Grammies, perhaps the robot girl and light spectacle they saw on Youtube from the European run. My friends….. NONE OF THE ABOVE!!! AN ENTIRELY NEW DESIGNED SET!!! ROBOT DESIGNED BY ACCLAIMED ARTIST CHRISTIAN COLON, CREATURE’S BY THE LEGENDARY JIM HENSON’S CREATURE SHOP, LIGHTING BY MARTIN PHILLIPS AND JOHN McGUIRE RESPONSIBLE FOR LAST YEARS FESTIVAL ANNIHILATOR, DAFT PUNK’S PYRAMID, POSSIBLY THE GREATEST LIGHT SHOW OF ALL TIME!! THANKS 2 PAUL, THOMAS AND GUYMAN FOR THE HOOK UP. SIDEBAR, MY SET DOES NOT HAVE A PYRAMID IN IT OR ANYWAY FEEL LIKE A BITE OF DAFT’S SHOW. WE’VE GOT HOLOGRAMS SHOT BY HYPE WILLIAMS!!! SAM SPIELGAL, MIKE DEAN, JEFF BAXTER AND I HAVE SPENT A MONTH AND A HALF RE-ORCHESTRATING EVERY TRACK 2 FOLLOW A NARRATIVE. WE’VE LEARNED TO SURVIVE OFF OF 1 HOUR OF SLEEP A DAY!”

For tour dates and links to purchase tickets, click here!!!

Timbo giving “Stronger” a little extra kick…..

Rakim, Kanye, Nas, and KRS-1 killin it for DJ Premier…..

So it seems someone is dropping a link to a track called “Love” in the comments section of a couple of major music blogs (clever way to get your music heard). Rumor is that it is a new production from Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk. One source says that Xavier from Justice has confirmed it is true. Probability is low that its really him but we will keep you posted. In the meantime, here it is for your listening pleasure.

EDIT - Confirmed not to be Bangalter. Track is a production by Louis La Roche. Seems that someone grabbed a rip of the track and started posting it on the net referencing Thomas Bangalter. La Roche has provided a high quality version of the track. Download link below is now updated with it.

Louis La Roche - Love