Dimitri From Paris will be your DJ for tonight. His specialty,
bedroom culture a la mode! Monsieur D. serves up a fizzy
cocktail of '60s spy-movie music and Franco-pop, drizzled with
samples of giggling French girls; zesty, cheesy stylophone;
and virtually every Gallic cliche imaginable. Voila! Tres
fun!
Imagine De La Soul prowling through the alleys and record bins
of Paris, or Stereolab on snails and silly pills. The range
and texture here is ingenious -- the segues are smooth and
satisfying, the samples are deft and witty. Dimitri has
discovered that the atmosphere in the house was getting boring,
and that you don't have to be boring to be smart.
Sacrebleu is not just a DJ or dance album. It can be
listened
to carefully, or put on as background music for your next
affair ... assuming the bubbles don't go to your head!
The album kicks off with a prologue that welcomes us to the
"exciting world of hip." Some of the hipper highlights: "Sacre-
Francais," a knee-wobbling samba; a goofy version of Burt
Bacharach's "Nothing To Lose," complete with baby-cakes vocal
and flugelhorn; the thrift-shop collage of "Une Very Stylish
Fille"; the cheeseball swoon of "Le Moogy Reggae"; and the
Pulpesque/This Is Hardcore backing track sound-alike,
"Un World Mysteriouse."
The longer dance tracks, like the bogus TV theme song, "Dirty
Larry," and "Love Love Mode" wear thin off the dance floor
and in the living room, but even these have their surprising
moments if endured.
At the end of the party, there's a long, loving instrumental
reprise of "Nothing To Lose," which sends you off into the
night with a smile on your face, cigarette smoke in your
clothes and the kind of throbbing head that tells you a
good time was had: you think you did the mambo, there was
that special mademoiselle, and you'll always remember Paris ...
Viva la France! Merci! Beaucoup!