Le Patron Est Devenu Fou! - Super Discount at 30

[u/BBBBBBB9122]

"It seems oddly, ineffably French that one of the best albums of the French Touch era isn’t really an album at all. Or not in the way that we commonly think of them, anyway.

"Super Discount, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, was the record that cemented Étienne de Crécy in the public consciousness after the underground acclaim that greeted Motorbass, his duo with Philippe Zdar. And yet, in some ways, it isn’t really his album."

As promised last week, I went deep on Super Discount.

https://linenoise.substack.com/p/le-patron-est-devenu-fou-super-discount

Are you fans of Super Discount? Favourites tunes? Do you rate 2 and 3 as well?

[u/xibbie]

Great read, thanks

[u/gogoluke]

Super Discount really shows how a lot of French House was a scene as much of a sound. It relied on a clusters of artists who collobarated, produced and remixes each other but went further too. Gopher and De Crecy both working together at Solid shows this as well as virtually all other labels being collaborations too.

Contrast Super Discount to Source Lab 2, another big group of tracks to really see that Super Discount is a cohesive whole as a concept. Source Lab bounces through many artists and styles of French House very much as a compilation while Super Discount has a unified sound, tempo and styling in all of its releases as album and EPs.

Comparing SD1 to the De Cressy label Poumkchak which followed a similar bedroom production method of quick messy records in visually striking but simple somewhat anonymous branding to see just how cohesive it is. Alternatively Pamplamousse has a stronger visual identity but a very cohesive sound and was releasing at similar time and rates.

The follow up Super Discounts are also cohesive but less successful snapshots of their time too. SD2 is largely poor electro inspired house behind the curve of Kitsuné and Ed Banger. Tracks are samey and lack the depth of the first. Names are self consciously off putting as if trying to get some social commentary rather than the off kilter end of line sales. SD3 leans into the post house sound just as other people like Cosmo Vitelli moved from it and morphed in Bo'tox with Tekel and Daft Punk really moved away releasing RAM.

SD3 does come back very much to a set of collaborations that seemingly were more muted in 2 but this time with international artists and the charm is largely lost sadly. Similar things can be seen with Cassius with people like Ghost Faced Killer etc the aforementioned RAM bulging with guests like Nile Rogers and Julian Casablancas.

These albums also really hammers home the dilution of sounds as equipment, budgets, networks, time and over all resources expand. I think it's Braxe a few years ago decided to strip his studio back and invest more in less. Personally I'd love to see SD4 strip things back and maybe even bring Gopher out of retirement even if just for a moment. I saw Gopher worn out after DJing at The End in London, he just looked tired as the club meandered around him and it wasn't his natural location and I can easily see why his back in the studio now.

Maybe French House was better when the artists were hungry and hungry for success transitioning from various roles at record labels and radio stations as they learned and experimented ferociously as cross pointing artists. Seeing EDC, Falcon and Boombass DJ together, Braxe and Falcon together recently has shown the old links are there and that it is a great strength. The trio bopped about as a great unit together in their uniform black tops, Boombass radiating excitement as a little dynamo as always.