Rinocerose: installation sonore

O.K. so I just discovered Rinocerose this past week and I can’t stop listening to it. On the opening cut “la guitaristic house organization” Rinocerose fuses the power punch ofan INXS guitar riff with silky smooth French housebefore degenerating into an ambient pool of heady gravy. Then, just as quickly as it dissipated, it revs up bold, crisp progressive beats and off you go.

What makes Rinocerose an overly enjoyable experience is the addition of all of the guitar sounds and pedals; from wah wah to fuzz to talk box to tremolo to bottleneck. Did I mention that real people playing real guitars make these sounds? Add in anactual bassistand a real live percussionist and you have, dare I say, a real band. But make no mistake, Rinocerose is a tightly wound collective heavy on programming but isthe freshest smack in yearshaving actually been around for several (since ’99).

By the time you hit the fat whack of track three; you’ll be ready to put your torso in motion. It’s called“Sublimior”and there’s nothing subliminal about it’s pounding cascade of bass, enough to inspire you to turn up the volume a notch. Then along comes“le mobilier”and you begin to understand whyMadonna(queen of dipping into the latest in hip) sought out the French house maestro Mirwais to produce her latest club friendly opus Music . If you liked the production of Music, then cozy up to a HUGE Rinocerose for a double dose that’s instrumentally verbose.

More often than not, nay Sayers of electronica and its genetic splices cry the return of disco but I fend them off each and every time. Groups like Rinocerose freely discharge the full weight of their studio mastery and crush that notion every time. This record is not just one continuous dance beat...well, it is, but it’s a deep sonic treat. One worth affixing the headphones for.

Like all things French, their house isrich and creamy. And I’m not talking about dressing and if you still think French house is nothing more than a tiny chateau off of a narrow street then seek out “Installation Sonore” and replace your ears with some French door handles and open up to the rich groove river running through.