In danger of quickly becoming the Pete Best of the French electronic scene,
Alex Gopher finally made a worldwide splash with his 1998 full-length debut,
You, My Baby & I (released in the U.S. one year later on V2). The former associate with Air and longtime producer for two linchpins of the Gallic dance world (the Solid and Source labels) leans toward the
Cassius and
Dimitri from Paris arm of French dance, heavy on the filtered-disco and good-time funk inspirations instead of the slightly more uptight acid squiggles of
Daft Punk and compatriots. But he does have the same
Parliament-
Funkadelic inclinations as
Daft Punk, drafting P-Funk vocalist Michael "Clip" Payne for several tracks.
Gopher proves himself just as excellent a producer as Air or
Daft Punk, emphasizing a sound based on the studio sheen of disco and late-'90s hip-hop throughout. The occasional detour through more atmospheric territory also works well, not-so-strangely reminiscent of Air (Jean-Benoit Dunckel guests) on the vocoder haze of "Ralph & Kathy." Throughout,
Gopher proves that he has no need (or desire) to ride anyone's coattails. ~ John Bush