C’est Quoi? Justice Returns to Singapore this August
PUBLISHED July 11th, 2017 07:00 am
Be it the efficacy of the Alliance Française, or the inherent attractiveness of the language itself, one cannot tell. But it appears that la française – or at least, French music – has been gaining traction in Singapore. 2017 alone has already seen close to a dozen francophone acts, from Glastonbury alum La Femme, to the dreamy singer-songwriter, Julien Doré, gracing our shores. Having said that, it’s the much-anticipated return of French house veterans, Justice, to the city this August that has affirmed the burgeoning success of the local French music scene.
For the first time in more than a decade, Justice will be setting ablaze the dance floors of Zouk with their idiosyncratic punk rock vigour and their explosive disco hits, as part of their ‘Woman’ world tour – though much has, undoubtedly, changed since their arrival to this part of the world.
The electronic music duo, comprising of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, played their first show in Singapore as relative unknowns, prior to the release of their Grammy-nominated debut album, † (pronounced “Cross”) in 2007. Following the mammoth achievements of which, they have since graced some of the biggest festivals around the world, including Rock Werchter and Coachella, earning numerous comparisons to yet another French electro-pop icon, Daft Punk.
While it has taken the release of two new studio albums and more than thousands of gigs for the pair to finally touch down again in Singapore, fans are not complaining. After all, it was during this length of time that Justice had cultivated their cult following, alongside the steady increase in French music fans locally.
If anything, the band’s rising eminence in Singapore is almost symbolic of the surging popularity of French music here, with their massive hooks and lyric-sparse bangers – a winning formula – being highly emblematic of France’s most famous music exports. Beyond a catchy refrain and a good beat, however, there appears to be something else to the rogue appeal of Justice’s music. One could call it a sort of je ne sais quoi, if one is to resort to a tired cliché, or an irreverence that is not quite uncharacteristic of the people behind the tunes. Either way, the effect is at once polished yet grungy – and of course, utterly inimitable.
Their 2016 release, Woman, after which their upcoming tour is titled, is full of such gritty disco-electro touches that brought the enfants terribles of electronic music to immediate prominence in the first place. Its opening track, “Safe and Sound”, wastes no time in reintroducing fans to Justice’s signature nostalgia-inducing synths, and instantly makes us fall in love with them once again. “Fire” and “Chorus”, tracks four and six on the album respectively, both promise to be winning dance floor-friendly hits, with their generous helpings of funky melodies and dirty slap bass. But it is the up-tempo “Heavy Metal” that stands out most of all for its intensely noisy goodness that will definitely energise local audiences come August 15th.
There is no denying that we cannot wait for Justice to make their triumphant return to Singapore. Check out their latest album, and you’ll feel the same.
Essential listening: “Safe and Sound”, “Chorus”, “Heavy Metal”
Justice will be bringing down French electropop on 15 August, 9.30pm at Zouk, 3C River Valley Road, #01-05, The Cannery, Singapore 179022. Advanced tickets are priced at $110, available via Ticket Box. For more details, see the event page here.
