To compose a tribute disc for his first album is the creative firm stance chosen by Jean Tonique, a French producer affiliated to Partyfine, the stable of Yuksek—the hitmaker from Reims. This first LP, which succeeds to an EP released two years ago (You and its 7 titles), starts with a lie, with Welcome to Paris which, via its very mellow groove, actually sends you directly into the Rust Belt, at the end of the 70s, for a talk boxed concert by Roger Troutman. Then, Jean Tonique tries to resuscitate Homework by covering, on Feel Better Now, the formula of the two helmeted stars of the electronic music: a vocoder voice which hoots a catchy chorus on a disco/house beat. You’ll find Parliament/Funkadelic on Something to Talk About with his lopsided keyboards on funky guitar, while No Worries perpetuates the feel good theme of this disc, by inviting us to dance on a model of filtered house, the French Touch’s trademark. It’s a title that may have been composed in 2016, at the time when we celebrated, through a myriad of movies and documentaries (from Eden to Touche française), the 20th anniversary of the genre. However, if you’ve followed the story somewhat, you’ll soon understand that the French Touch was already a repetition (a blend of funk, disco and Chicago house). It’s an album that doesn’t do any harm, and on which you could easily surprise yourself by dancing next summer at the seaside… © Smaël Bouaici / Qobuz