Be warned: if your knowledge of French electronic duo Justice goes no further than the ubiquitous, Simian-sampling ‘We Are Your Friends‘, then the delights on offer here will be something of a surprise (to say the least). In the live setting, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay are not so much DJs as mad sonic scientists, gleefully splicing and re-wiring their repertoire into one of the most visceral live experiences since prime-era Prodigy, with many a gibbering, sweat-soaked, adrenalised crowd standing testament to this.
My turn came at this year’s Benicassim festival in eastern Spain, and if you’ve been lucky enough to see these guys over the past year, then the live CD (recorded in San Francisco) will bring back some fond memories. ‘Phantom‘ is distorted almost to the point of sheer sonic warfare (and then returns for a second strike towards the end of the set), ‘Two Minutes To Midnight‘ is hypnotically refined over seven-odd minutes, and the aforementioned ‘We Are Your Friends‘ is only briefly recognisable in its original form before industrial-strength riffs gatecrash the party (courtesy of Ministry’s ‘Just One Fix‘). Awesome.
There’s also the rather excellent bonus of a DVD that chronicles the band’s brief (but eventful US tour) in March last year. To summarise: Gaspard, Xavier, a gun-obsessed tour manager, a philosophical bus driver, a Las Vegas wedding, loads of excited fans, alcohol, extensive partying, police…and plenty more besides. Check it out for yourself, and get your ears around ‘DVNO’ on the link above
Alex Gosman.