Scratch Massive - Nuit de Reve

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  • Together as Scratch Massive, French couple Maud Geffray and Sébastien Chenut have been making electro-tinged slo-motion house since 1999. Yet despite a few underground hits such as "Seeing Is Believing" and "Make It High" in the mid-00s, their biggest claim to fame at this point may just be a spot on an Ivan Smagghe mix CD. Nuit de Rêve is their third album, and even though it won't do much to attract new fans, it is tuneful and committed enough to satisfy their current fans. From the get-go, the album benefits from noticeable, high-profile collaborators. "Take Me There" features vintage '80s synthetic pop maestro Jimmy Summerville himself: It's the poppiest Scratch Massive has ever gotten, and it suits their techno noir background perfectly. Then there's Gus Gus's Daniel August, who shows up on "Paris": even though his lyrics verge on the cringe-y side ("Once you turn me on, it is on forever"), his voice is as warm and heartfelt as it has been on recent material from the Icelandic collective. Both songs make for the album's two definite highlights, making you wish that Scratch Massive would make more use of their celebrity friends. "Break Away," "Golden Dreams" and "Follow Me" are all gorgeous instrumentals, for example, that masterfully combine slow-strung Italo pads, ethereal arrangements, floating synthetic melodies, and breathy murmurs. But you can't help but wonder what might have happened had a vocal been added. That said, the darker Scratch Massive get, the more alluring they become. Chloé appears on dirge-like "Closer," the track's funeral timbre perfectly fitting her too-fucked-to-even-leave-the-couch-to-sing tones. You'd be hard pressed to actually dance to it, but it makes for a riveting headphone experience. It is immediately followed by "Nuit de mes rêves'," on which Chenut and Geffray share vocal duties in their native tongue. It's impossible to decipher if they're cooing at one another, breaking up or just not giving a damn whatsoever. In other words: very French. The same feeling is reproduced on album closer "Secrets," with added cinematic grandeur. On the basis of this new album, it'd be surprising to see Scratch Massive going, err, massive. But it'd also be impossible for anyone to pretend this new material doesn't have an aura of mystery and panache. Suddenly, an introductory spot in Smagghe's next set sounds like high praise indeed.
  • Tracklist
      01. Pleine Lune 02. Waiting For A Sign feat. Koudlam 03. Take Me There feat. Jimmy Somerville 04. Break Away 05. Paris feat. Daniel August 06. Golden Dreams 07. Closer feat. Chloé 08. Nuit De Mes Rêves 09. Follow Me 10. Secrets
RA