Justice - "†"

Justice - Valentine (Ed Banger 2007)

Justice - † / Ed Banger

What better way to celebrate my birthday than with the ultimate party people of the past year? Gaspard Augé (the bearded one) and Xavier de Rosnay (the one with all-conquering sideburns) have dominated dancefloors since their Simian remix in 2004; when Vice picked up the tab for Ed Banger releases Stateside last year, the rat-race to award them as the greatest dance phenomenon since the DFA's post-9/11 successes was well and truly on. Kids started wearing giant crucifixes again; high-tops were more in-style than they were 20 years ago; D.A.R.E. shirts were everywhere. Paris was the new Brooklyn.

Almost a year on from their debut EP Waters of Nazareth, then, where do we stand? Don't be fooled by So Me's subtle artwork that no longer screams for attention as it did on the EP. Instead of the towering mass that declares yes, here is Justice, only the outline of the mighty cross that illuminates their sets hovers menacingly, understated and outlined, in the middle of their cover. Have they taken a turn for the darker, or is their big-bang 500cc style still the same?

"Genesis" doesn't take long to answer the question. The menacing orchestra, sounding miles off, gives a glimpse of the sound the cover suggests... But it's 38 seconds in and the pumping bass arrives. The subtleties of "Genesis" are in how they don't go all out with fuzz or massive percussion; even the beat doesn't feel overdone, subtle enough to be hidden away late in a mix... or at the forefront of one of 2007's most anticipated albums. "Let There Be Light" follows, its compressed analog melodies clashing nicely with the tisking hi-hats and thundering 4/4 drums. "D.A.N.C.E." is the first single slated for release on May 28th, its choral recitation an obvious highlight of the album that you'll probably hear everywhere this summer.

After this point (and maybe even before it), you get the idea. That's both the blessing and the curse for these guys: Their City of Lights splendor only works as long as you're up for the dance. But at some point the party has to end and you have to go home (except in Berlin). Strangely, that song for this record is placed right after the "Phantoms." "Valentine" is a humble and cheesy song that couldn't have been more appropriately titled. It's the shortest tune on the album, but it's also one of the most different: Despite the ubiquitous beat, the playful synths take on a doe-eyed form and you're suckered in not by Justice's usual big-beat machismo but by their softer side instead. It rarely comes out and nowhere else on the record does it stick around for a whole song, but it is a curious addition and a welcome one.

"The Party" will be another favorite for club-hoppers the world over, but Uffie's delivery never engaged me and this is no exception. Always sexual from a distance, perhaps due to some kind of coke cloud surrounding the entire Ed Banger camp, Uffie is begging for objectification here. Or maybe that's not the point. No, I guess when your appearance is on a song with a title like "The Party," reading too much into things might be a mistake.

So we won't. We'll dance until our shoes no longer have soles and we'll drink ourselves silly and we'll snort what we can and smoke every last Gauoloises Blondes and spin until there's no song left on earth to play and the people have no choice but to stop. Maybe there will be a day when IDM really exists and people think on the floor and this bollocks about "the party" will fall by the wayside and Paris will recede from the musical spotlight... But Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are doing everything they can to ensure that day won't come anytime soon. Sounds like something worth celebrating to me.