French Fries At Juno Download

Review: Although ClekClekBoom's first label compilation is imminent, the Parisian imprint has still found time to put out this fine EP from label mainstay French Fries, with three tracks of the kind of dark, rhythmic heads-down club gear the imprint have become increasingly good at unearthing. It's an EP of contrasting dark and light elements; "Everything" is an atmospheric piece of precision bass techno, with forceful kicks interspersed with laser-cut synths, while "White Screen" is a more rolling number whose fierce toms are joined by cascading sheets of neon. "D'Angelo" on the other hand is a stylistic about turn, dropping the tempo for a murky, late-night house track filled will shimmering dub chords and a particularly funky bassline.

Review: A producer who's been slowly toiling away for a few years now and steadily impressing with every new release or mix, 2011 should hopefully be the year French Fries collects some well-earned props. It all comes together on the excellent Laquisha EP, with the title tune leading from the front with singer/MC Taiwan's auto-tuned vocals nestling among hyped soca beats and a chorus akin to L-Vis 1990's recent "Forever You". However if vocals aren't your thing, Youngunz have thrown in a very useful dub into the release. By contrast, "Charlotte" is a fruity Latin/tropical banger that relies on smart arrangements, tight and addictive piano loops and some hybrid mainroom/funky beats to really make its point, but on a more aggy tip, the pounding bass punch of "Merel" is pure Joy O meets Bok Bok - a dreamy set of pads mixed with a distorted punch and some riotous hats and snares. A perfect choice of remixers underlines the quality of this EP. Buraka Som Sistema's J-Wow makes "Laquisha" his own by adding blurry, tear-stained organs and a crisp carnival beat to the tune, before expertly dropping the tempo down to around 100bpm for a rowdy, head-nodding moment of genius. Just as incredible is man-of-the-moment Canblaster's electrifying version of "Charlotte" - almost a complete overhaul that truly needs to be heard to be believed. Lil Silva is just the right man to tackle the funky beast that is "Merel" and he takes it on with aplomb - adding some freaked-out organ stabs and some liquid distortion to the already chaotic kicks.

Review: Parisian producer French Fries returns to Dirtybird with a pair of tracks even heavier than the ballroom referencing "Yo Vogue", once again showcasing his growing talent for bass-heavy techno fusions; "Space Alarm" is characterised by tunnelling laser bass, snappy percussion and weighty kick drums, while "Smoke Wine" sounds like slowed down footwork played through a haze of dry ice, complete with smacked out organ and detuned vocals. Dirtybird regular Justin Martin provides "Space and Smoke", what we can only assume is his own combination of both tracks, flipping from muggy synth heavy house to light diva led garage in an instant, while hot Belgian producers GoldFFinch provide a typically bouncy piece of bass-house with soupy low end and hi-impact percussion.

Review: The story behind this release is a smile-inducing one; Parisian producer French Fries rushed the decks during a Claude Von Stroke set in Paris. "They were playing a new sound, some nasty bits sitting somewhere between juke and bass music and I knew we had to get this vibe on Dirtybird no matter what," recalls the American. And here it is, with "Yo Vogue" arriving at a time when interest in the resurgent NY ballroom/voguing scene is at a high. The pitched-down vocal intoning the words "I wanna see you vogue b*tch" is backed by splashing, reverbed hats, frankly mental rave stabs and a killer bass line. CVS turns in his own remix, a heads-down affair the chops the vocal with effortless ease, while the Leroy Peppers version goes deep on the atmospherics and plunges deep into the murkiest depths of sub bass.