CASSIUS - 15 Again

Four long years have passed since "Au Reve" (2002), the second studio effort from Philippe Zdar and Boombass, four years in which Cassius have practically existed only as Zdar's DJ sets, four years that have made us feel the absence of the duo all too keenly, the duo who gave the dance world an unparalleled jolt at the turn of the millennium with "1999".

Four years to put their ideas in order and fly off to Ibiza for three weeks to create the third, hugely anticipated instalment of the Cassius saga. Four years to bring about a small revolution and project their sound into the future.

It's precisely this renewed sound that defines this new "15 Again": the ability to fuse electro, house, breakbeat and hip-hop into a single, cutting style, far removed from their early work yet more in step with the times, and more alive, than ever.

"Toop Toop" has been bouncing around radio stations the world over since the very first weeks of this summer, tight, wildly electro, cheeky: another winning entry on the list of singles that have in the past made the Cassius name great.

"Rock Number One" is the second bomb to be dropped on dancefloors the world over, with that female voice crowning a composition halfway between funk and breaks, in a constant rhythmic frenzy of synthesizers ready to shoot skyward, just like "15 Again", which sits on the same wavelength, winking at the trendiest rap while never forgetting the Frenchmen's electronic roots.

Taking us back to the territory of their older productions, more geared towards lounge tones, are the splendid "La Notte", "A Mile From Here" and "Cria Cuervos", which make relaxed sonorities their strong point, thus renewing a style that seemed to have run its course after the release of "Au Reve". Also wonderfully fresh are "All I Want", "This Song" and "See Me Now", which scratch with the attitude of vintage tracks and come-hither vocals, underpinned by a writing style built on electronic swerves and extremely catchy sonorities that have proven so successful on charts the world over in recent years.

A chapter apart for "Jack Rock" and "Cactus", in which the purely dance-oriented side of Boombass and Philippe Zdar comes to the fore: the lesson of the great Chicago masters revisited today with an essential, extremely deep sound: a flashback into the future. Special mention goes to the collaboration with American hip-hop prodigy Pharrell Williams, who on "Eye Water" shows us how rap, electronics, house and rock solos can coexist perfectly and even give rise to something explosive.

In this 2006, Cassius are more alive than ever, once again proving themselves a duo capable of breaking the mould, ranging across genres while remaining accessible and fabulously pop; "1999" and "Au Reve" (but particularly singles like "1991", "Feeling For You" and "The Sound Of Violence") are by now enshrined in the pantheon of dance electronica, making them hard to discuss lightly, but this "15 Again" is, on the whole, the best work released under the Cassius name.

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03/09/2006