Cassius' first album sure isn't the most polished work in the French house scene (seeing as they had three weeks to finish it, according to Phillipe Zdar in 2017) but the ensuing results - a stylish, fun mix of filter house, funky grooves, dusty breaks and tributes to pop stars make this album a hell of a ride, and boy do I love it.
The brainchild of former trip hop producers, 1999 sees Cassius (formerly known as Le Funk Mob) go in a completely new direction - linking their past work in hip hop with the sounds of sample based house music which had exploded in popularity the year before, with Daft Punk's debut album still destroying dancefloors along with various other producers aiding in their domination of the dance music world (Stardust, Paul Johnson, Bob Sinclair, DJ Sneak etc,)
Most people know the album for the first few tracks - the aptly titled Cassius 1999 (along with its groovy, radio edit counterpart) and Feeling For You - while these tracks are amazing in their own right with groovy hooks and tight production, they barely offer the experimentation and enjoyment which is present through the rest of the album.
Those that listen to the album front to back will notice that there is a heavy funk influence throughout, with many tracks such as Somebody, Mister Eveready, Supa Crush and Chase straying away from the traditional rhythms and production of house music entirely, instead opting for tracks that you can rap to, beat juggle on the turntables or break dance to (looking at you, Crazy Legs!)
To me, this makes the album a lot more versatile and a more fun listening experience. Although I love house music, hearing all of the funky breaks and dusty vinyl samples made it so much cooler for me, especially looking into their backstory as hip hop producers. I vividly remember headbanging very hard to Planetz when I first heard it!
The other half of the album echoes the traditional filter house sound (with added instruments and groovy beats of course) - it is also fairly obvious that these tracks have influences from techno and disco, but they're wrapped up neatly in brilliant sampling techniques and odd things littered throughout. Side note to DJs and producers - these tracks in particular are masterclasses in how to construct great house music. Go and study them!
Overall, this album is bloody great - it has a perfect mix of everything I like in music - catchy hooks, sleek, stylish moments which persist often, small moments to breathe before being launched back into gig ready tracks and above all, it is FUN.
Rating - 9/10
This is my first review on at the discotheque. I plan to do a few more of these soon!
Remember - everything in this review is my opinion (everyone has their own!)
I hope you enjoyed reading this, and keep on enjoying your stay at the discotheque.
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