French electronica has remained one of the more constantly excellent exports from an otherwise silent Europe, starting way back with Solex, continuing with Air or Daft Punk, and now the remarkable Sex in Dallas, courtesy of Kitty-Yo International. Here, finally, is the next step in electroclash, or electroshock, or electroslack, or whatever. It is an unforgiving mixture of several sounds, instead of the ad-hoc slapping together of electronica with hardcore, or something like that.
Not content to merely rehash house music, as seen in the French discotheques, but also not intent on modeling their music and style on some other dance genre, Sex in Dallas' three members have surgically melded so many things together, that the Frankenstein monster they created can't help but get up and dance. It has more character and humanity than almost all the other house records combined, and yet has more scary electronics in it than most John Carpenter soundtracks. Tying it all together is their almost vigilant attention to space and detail. Nothing becomes too hectic or uncontrolled, but the music never feels stale or contrived. On one hand, their dance hit "Everybody Deserves to Be Fucked" is an instant homerun, and should be on every mixtape this year. On the other hand, their songs can really score mentally, not just rhythmically or sexually. By juxtaposing Mohini Geisweiller's outstanding voice next to the cold but deep sounds of "Songs of the Beach", with its synthetic string pads and almost glitch-like drum pattern, Sex in Dallas has created a piece of music on par with the best of Dntel or Fourtet.
Universally hailed by the radio and club deejays across the pond, this band's day in States has come… and it is now.
- Grant Capes | 2004-09-23
