A touch of class
If you believe what you read in the style press, the '90s revival is in full swing. But while we can do without some of the trends that typified that decade, if this gives us a legitimate reason to start playing our favourite French touch records again, we're fully onboard.
One man with an intimate knowledge of the French touch scene is DJ Sven Hansen-Løve, whose experiences in '90s Paris are being brought to the big screen in Eden, a new film that's being released in the UK on Friday 24 July.
We asked Sven to nominate his top 10 French touch tracks, and he's given us a playlist to be proud of. Click through the gallery to discover the house that Paris built...
1. Cheek - Venus (Sunshine People) (DJ Gregory remix)
“The quintessential French touch track, which came - surprisingly - from a deep house DJ/producer (DJ Gregory).”
2. Cassius - 1999
“If there was any band that could measure up to, at least for a while, Daft Punk, it was Cassius. This song is the proof.”
3. Alan Braxe & Fred Falke - Intro (official)
“This track was a huge success and stayed in many DJs' record bags for years, due to its infectious bassline and wicked use of samples.”
4. i:cube - Disco Cubizm (Daft Punk remix)
“I could have chosen so many of their remixes... but this one is the perfect dancefloor hit”
5. Daft Punk - Around The World
“Basic stuff - 'nuff said.”
6. Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
“Friends told me I was really the first DJ to play that track (Thomas gave me an acetate at the Queen Club). I don't remember it unfortunately because my memory is tricking me...”
7. The Trouble Men - Do it
“This is the way we used to do it, back in the day. The Trouble Men were close friends.”
8. Thomas Bangalter - Club Soda
“When the master goes soft - a cocktail party anthem.”
9. DJ Falcon - Together
“Massive tune (a collaboration with Thomas again) but it's also, from my point of view, representative of the decline of French touch.”
10. Demon vs Heartbreaker - You Are My High
“This is when French touch became mainstream. But I confess I have a soft spot for this one, probably due to Stevie's sample”
“Michael Stipe said it was his favourite dance album – he used to put it on and then write his lyrics for REM to it”: Rave icons Utah Saints on their legacy, sampling Kate Bush, and the challenges of making their debut album
“They're French. I would say it's a kind of techno prog band”: Elvis Costello reckons that the Brooklyn warehouse gig he saw Justice play was “one of the great shows I've ever been to”
“Michael Stipe said it was his favourite dance album – he used to put it on and then write his lyrics for REM to it”: Rave icons Utah Saints on their legacy, sampling Kate Bush, and the challenges of making their debut album
“They're French. I would say it's a kind of techno prog band”: Elvis Costello reckons that the Brooklyn warehouse gig he saw Justice play was “one of the great shows I've ever been to”
