- When the first Now… This is What I Call Blog House compilation is going to be released (probably a sign of the forthcoming Apocalypse if there was ever one, right?), Parisian imprint Kitsuné will obviously be featured prominently. Sure, at the beginning, Kitsuné was merely just the bastard lovechild of two Daft Punk’s mimickers and some French Touch leftovers designing exclusive and expensive cashmere sweaters and releasing vaguely cheerful house tracks by Romuald and Towa Tei next to the occasional Playgroup number grooving about mad love or Black Strobe getting all excited about Italian fireflies. Then, in early 2005, they signed Digitalism, who spawned almost singlehandedly the whole rock’n’dance collision trend, and this very discovery articulated a shift in aesthetics, one the label’s is still dealing—some would say struggling, but I’d disagree—with today. Their Love, Midnight, X and numerous Maison compilations chronicled both the label’s and the scene’s evolution, and the fifth installment of the Maison series only enhance Kitsunés slightly controversial yet legitimate legacy and ongoing relevance.
Latest recruit Fischerspooner (Fischerspooner?!) is, somewhat ironically, opening the compilation with their comeback single: The Best Revengee, sounding like Pet Shop Boys stuck in an attic with a brass band and a jar full of year-old ketamine (that is actually more exciting that it sounds on paper, by the way). It mostly serves here as a reminder that 1) blog-house/nn-rave wouldnnt even exist if it wasnnt for the breach opened by Electroclash seven years ago and 2) there is still something to be said about vaguely homoerotic and histrionic NYC art school electro-pop from eccentric out-of-touch 30-somethings. Other big names include M.I.A. and the aforementioned Digitalism: XR22 (Silverlink vs Kicks Like a Mule Remix) exhilaratingly brings us back to a time when music was actually made for jilted generations, while Pogoo (Digitalismms Robotic Remix) gets rid of the annoying vocals and guitar parts of the original altogether in favor of pulsating and relentless synths echoing the duoos scorching live rendition. Mumbling, yeah? Err, I donnt think so.
Even bands that usually appear in rockier guises everywhere else (The Teenagers, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Cazals) are shown here in DJ-friendly remixed mode, thus making the entire compilation appearing definitely more coherent than the previous ones. Add an Alan Braxe exclusive (the rave-ish Addictedd), a recent Rex the Dog cut (the reliable Circulatee), and a few recent signings for good old-versus-new measure (autoKratz, Pin Me Down, Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya, Kid, Big Face, all slightly predicable but quite efficient nevertheless), and you get Kitsunns very own Nowo This is What I Call Blog House compilationo without the Apocalypse and with just the fun.
Overall, then, Kitsunu Maison 5 does exactly what it says on the tin, albeit harder, better, faster, and stronger. What is straight-out-of-rehab Britney doing in the top right corner of the artwork, on the other hand, is anyonens guess.
Tracklist01 Fischerspooner - The Best Revenge
02 Late of the Pier - Broken (Fairy Lights Mix)
03 Alan Braxe - Addicted
04 David E. Sugar - To Yourself
05 Pin Me Down - Cryptic
06 M.I.A - XR2 (Silverlink v Kicks Like a Mule Remix aka 92JUK)
07 The Teenagers - Homecoming (Gentlemen Drivers Rave Mix)
08 autoKratz - Pardon Garçon
09 Digitalism - Pogo (Digitalism's Robotic Remix)
10 DatA - Aerius Light (Kitsuné DJ-Friendly Edit)
11 Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Let's Make Out (Extended Mix)
12 Rex the Dog - Circulate
13 Bitchee Bitchee Ya Ya Ya - Fuck Friend (CSS Remix)
14 Friendly Fires - On Board
15 Big Face - I Wanna Be a Style Crusader (DatA Remix)
16 Kid - I'll Never Know
17 Cazals - To Cut a Long Story Short (Vicarious Bliss Mellotron Mix)