Good news never comes alone: the Chemical Brothers, 30 years of career this year, are back in shape with a new album and have even embarked Beck for a song just unveiled.
Before the release on September 8 of For That Beautiful Feeling, tenth studio album, the duo formed in Manchester by Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons will put its machines in the headliner Saturday at Rock en Seine, festival at the gates of Paris (150,000 spectators in 2022 over four days).
See alsoRock en Seine: triumph for Billie Eilish at the opening of the 20th edition
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We had already brought them in 2004 for the second edition, they have a real rock energy in their electro, I who am a rock fade I had hooked immediately from their first records, with this bridge that they managed to create between genres, "presents for AFP Matthieu Ducos, director of the event.
Following the momentum of the first song in their history, Song To The Siren (1993, a title borrowed from American musician Tim Buckley), the two graduates in medieval history had released their original album Exit Planet Dust (1995). And pushed techno and pop/rock vibes to flirtation. Winning recipe with 13 million albums sold throughout their career. "It's a band that has a long history, which could be enough, but in addition there is a new album in sight and so there are chances that even the fans will be a little surprised," continues the manager of Rock en Seine.
"Preference for exploration"
The surprise has already come from the single released this week, Skipping Like A Stone with Beck. "The Chemical Brothers have a predilection for exploration," commented in a statement the American, head researcher of pop who does not like to repeat himself either. "They have this way of sitting in an unusual place, between different eras of electronic music and DJ culture. It's like they have one foot in several decades at a time, it's unique compared to their peers, "says the interpreter of the hit Loser.
Skipping Like A Stone first embraces the current canons of pop before Chem Bros, their diminutive, inject a small virus from the dancefloor. "They do it fluidly, despite their age (they are in their fifties, Editor's note) they remain relevant at a time when all the chapels have exploded, like the playlists of the younger generations between rap, techno, pop," said Antoine Dabrowski, editor-in-chief of Tsugi Radio, the web radio station of the eponymous French magazine.
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And they still do it very well live, this mix of techno that hits hard and very melodic sounds, "dissects this specialist of current music. Not to mention the visual side of their shows.
"This taste for voices"
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Today, it's classic to see that, but they were among the first to project videos during their sets, at one time we had the impression of a competition between Radiohead and Chemical for the most beautiful videos on stage, "says Antoine Dabrowski. And they are able to open up to a new audience, as the editor-in-chief of Tsugi Radio explains. "Music is always a cycle story, and today there is this tendency in techno to go fast, to hit hard - we are no longer at all in the minimal - by adding dance ingredients, and this merger, the Chemical Brothers were precursors, still do it very well and a younger audience can be found in it".
In addition to Beck, the Dust Brothers, the first name considered for the group, also invited a French artist, Halo Maud, to put her voice on Live Again. "They have this taste for voices, when I think of Chemical, I think of voices, melodies, gimmicks, the muffled texture of Halo Maud's voice, Beck's with this characteristic velvet, that's what they're going to look for," concludes Antoine Dabrowski.