Founded over 20 years ago by Gilbert Cohen aka the almighty Gilb’R, half of Château Flight and defining figure of what came to be praised on an international as French house or French touch, Versatile is unmistakably the stuff of legend.
Having garnered some of the most memorable records from a wealth of key underground players – I:Cube, Pépé Bradock, Basic Soul Unit, Joakim, Etienne Jaumet, The Maghreban, Zombie Zombie, Acid Arab… in addition to a flurry of Cohen’s personal side projects, the seminal Parisian imprint sits as one of the rare endeavours from this golden era to have survived the ’00s internet boom and, not quite content of having gone down in history, keeps efficiently pushing forth for future-ready sonics as it were on day one, as evidenced by this new outing courtesy of Banlieue Records boss Benoit B.
Opening festivities on this ‘Pelican Love‘ EP, the slow-churning ‘Dwarf Revival‘ kicks things off on a damp and sticky note. Unsynced, broken-winded train like bass mechanics and clanky hats slowly restart, numb and greasy, as Benoit B slowly but surely corrals the pieces to a hell of a druggy, off-kilter steamroller – from exploded-view to full-scale assemblage. Belching poisonous clouds of toxic smokes, this chiselled cut of broken techno will leave you dazed and confused, but straight up begging for more. H to the E to the A to the T.
Pelican Love is released via Versatile on 21st April, pre-order a vinyl copy from Juno.
TRACKLIST
A1. Dwarf Revival
A2. Maxi Photokopy
A3. Peer, Fig & Rhubarb
B1. Body & Energize
B2. Palais D’Hiver
B3. Deluxe Hippies
Discover more about Benoit B and Versatile on Inverted Audio.