Ahead of Kitsuné’s annual summer soirée on June 10 at The Brewhouse in London Fields, Kitsune’s in-house crate digger Jerry Bouthier has selected ten of the most iconic tracks from the Parisian imprint and fashion house from the last decade.
You’ve got forgotten gems from the likes of Man With Guitar (Stuart Price’s lessen know moniker), Black Strobe, Cazals, Housse de Racket and more.
Playing the party will be Just Kiddin’, Salute, Oliver Nelson, Kartell and Jerry Bouthier who will be throwing down a classics set, tickets for the party can be bought here.
2003 / Man With Guitar – Man With Guitar
“The mysterious producer behind this pretty unique 12” was none other than Stuart Price AKA Jacques Lu Cont who couldn’t contractually release it under any of his name(s); the secret was well guarded but eventually filtered through… Ready to explode, this ever-building bomb can really blow the roof off in the right place at the right time.”
2004 – Blackstrobe – Italian Fireflies
“Originally the backing track for a rejected remix Blackstrobe were commissioned by Goldfrapp (too out of key moaned the band, although they had a point the mesmerising vocals of ‘Strict Machine’ over this whirlwind of a track operated some kind of magic), undefeated Ivan and Arnaud played the instrumental to Gildas who loved it. It became one of Kitsuné’s biggest club tracks.”
2005 / Digitalism – Zdarlight
“Jence and Isi turned up from nowhere, well Hamburg actually, and laid out the foundations of German electrock by using synths as guitars. ‘Zdarlight’ their first breakthrough managed to appeal to DJs beyond the electro scene, always a difficult task. It still gives people spasms when they hear the intro. Digitalism gave Kitsuné its first proper push in the music arena.”
2006 / Bloc Party – Banquet (Boys Noize Remix)
“I heard Gildas play this remix for the first time at La Johnson in Paris and fell in love with it instantly. A true electo-rock classic that still works today. Alex ‘Boys Noize’ Ridha is an underrated musician and his best remixes majestically nail it by fusing energy and character with second to none musicality (Chemical Brothers, Feist…). I remember playing it in London and Kele, Bloc Party’s singer, coming to me to ask what it was, it was still on white label and he’d never heard it before!”
2007 / S’Express – Stupid Little Girls (JBAG Remix)
“This is a remix produced by my long-time side-kick Andrea Gorgerino and I, we’ve put JBAG on hold and are working on a different kind of project, more soon… It was included in my Kitsuné BoomBox DJ mix, which gave me the opportunity to DJ around the world and make friends with some fabulous creative people all over. Twenty years on after acid house Mark Moore AKA S’Express, one of my good friends, continuously on the pulse, what a DJ.”
2008 / Cazals – Somebody Somewhere (Lifelike Remix)
“Unfortunately Cazals didn’t grab audiences as much as Digitalism did, but this remix sure has stood the test of time in peculiar, elegant manner. The mighty Lifelike at the remix controls here – a proven French Touch heavyweight – applied to ‘Somebody Somewhere’ an energising yet melancholic euro-disco gloss that gave a whole deeper dimension to the original.”
2009 / Two Door Cinema Club – I Can Talk (French Horn Rebellion Remix)
“TDCC’s first album ‘Tourist History’ remains a minefield of catchy, classy songs that still resonate to this day. New York’s French Horn Rebellion did a particular good job on this remix of ‘I Can Talk’, which I hammered for months. The way the whole track disappears and kicks back in is exhilarating, I recall playing it in Tokyo’s Womb and the crowd literally freaking out.”
2010 / Is Tropical – South Pacific
“Wild and unpredictable Is Tropical still delivered stand-out compositions as only the most talented Brits can manage: original sounding and weirdly stylish yet hooky in a cool, modern pop way. Although not quite a dance record, it can set alight the crowd’s imagination in the right club. An anthem like you wish you’d come across more often.”
2011 / Housse de Racket – Roman (Oliver Remix)
“What happened to Housse de Racket?! These two gifted Frenchies who played in some of the best bands around deserved more than an accolade for their ace Kitsuné album ‘Alesia’. Already an amazing song ‘Roman’, in the hands of L.A.’s Oliver, became for a long while the slickiest, fattest Kitsuné tune you could drop… with your eyes closed – a winner by all means.”
2012 / Citizens – Reptile (Goldroom Remix)
“The charismatic Citizens came in with a bang and ‘Here We Are’ a personal album that presented a fresh hybrid sound, blending indie and classic pop with character and a zest of soul. There was a whole batch of reworks but the Goldroom remix remains one of those which stuck. Still sounds like a hit.”
