Customer Reviews

You My Baby & I

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Every year the french disco house movement that came to prominence with Motorbass and Daft Punk comes up with at least one masterpiece. Alex Gopher's debut definitely is that masterpiece for 1999. Loaded with everything that makes current french music so appealing (filter effects, fuzzy electronics, fun disco rhythms, sweet melodies) it puts most emphasis on the FUNK. This is most apparent in the wonderful "Party People" and the equally great "The Child", but it runs through the whole album, along with a wicked sense of humor. Yes, this music is fun. Do yourself some good and buy it.

It seems the shock waves from Daft Punk's scene-changing sound, and their "Homework" release in 1997, continue to spread to these shores. To the long list of quality imports like Cassius, I:cube, Stardust, and so on now add Alex Gopher. Perhaps put him at the top of the list, because by adding a good dose of P-funk to the Parisian disco sound (courtesy of Bootsy Collins and others) , he's released the strongest album of the bunch through 1999.

The combination of sounds is immediately apparent on the opening track "Time," announcing their broadcast to listeners from "WEFUNK" radio. With a smooth flow and catchy little keyboard blip, it's the tone setter for the album. "Tryin" is another hit, working a simmering disco beat before a subdued, filtered hook bursts free. "The Child" features a Billie Holiday sample at the forefront and gives it proper respect, while leading to the excellent, "Ralph & Kathy." His friends from Air lend a hand (and vocodered vocals) to compose an electronic ballad between a spaceship and his female computer. Treated poignantly enough to outweigh the possible corn factor, this is the oddest yet most compelling track on the album.

After that brief hiatus, it's back to the funk, on "With U," adding electro voices for a Tron-meets-George Clinton sound. Following the mellow, "06 10 98," comes the track released as a video here in the States, "Party People." Frankly, this is too obvious and generic a party song to be listenable (much less memorable). The disc finishes out with two respectable tracks.

Everything old is new again; take the sound of the `70's, give it a modern rub and a sprinkle of Daft Punk, and you end up with a diverse collection of singles and one of the better albums of the year. If you don't support artists like this, don't complain about the increased manufactured club drivel you'll get in the future.

The laid back BPM of Acid Jazz is usually a big snoozer for me - and much the current French house tends to wear with attitude. However this I certainly did not mind. Any composer that can borrow Billie Holiday's vocals to create a haunting musical soundscape amid an urban hip-hop beat is taking risks that such genre DJ's simply won't. If you buy this, you certainly won't be disappointed.

I would have given this album another star if the album as a whole had a faster pace, with more songs like "Party People" and "Tryin'". I found that this was more of a relaxing revival of the late 70' French house scene, more of a smooth listening album than a dance album, but still very good. I'd compare the style of this DJ as a cross between Daft Punk and Dj Dimtri.

Once again Black American music spans the globe, this time landing in France. What Alex Gopher has done has re-packaged the beats and grooves we all heard growing up in the 70's and 80's into a more modern, original, yet nostalgic form. The first tune puts you in pace for the rest of the album--a resurrection of Black urban funk, created in thick layers of sonic texture by Mr. Gopher. A wonderful salute to funk music, causing all who listen to it to be taught that it's a form of music that just won't die. By this CD!

Great album from start to finish. Check out "The Child", which does not contain a sample (as amazon's review says) of Bessie Smith, but of glorious Billie Holliday. Also check out "Ralph & Kathy", with its Air-ish keyboards and the two Macintosh stellar voices: Ralph & Kathy. I think I'd have used Fred, instead.

my girlfriend got this after i introduced her to 'new french house' via the super discount compilation. every time we get together this just soundtracks it perfectly. it's a seductive album that is both funky and chilled in equal measures. now who said the french can't produce good music? oh, and the air albums and super discount compilation come highly recommended too.

Alex Gopher's debut You, My Baby and I is an album that you don't realize how good it is until repeated listens have passed. And once that has happened, it'll become an indispensable part of your collection. "Time" is a great example of nu-skool funk that sounds old. "Tryin'" constructs a beautiful house out of a short vocal sample and some urgent strings, while the achingly beautiful "The Child" puts Billie Holiday in a modern context. There's all sorts of funk explorations here: "With U" is all electro-funk; "You, My Baby & I" is moody spy funk; "Party People" is good-time party funk. "Quiet Storm" is just that: a slow rumble of funk, threatening to rain groove at any moment. You could describe the album as a whole that way: a quiet storm.

This is one of the best electronic/sample funk CDs put out. Very laid back grooves, lots of rolling basslines, and superb vocal samples make this a must have. Anytime I have a long car drive, this disc always makes it into the folder. I see it cheap everywhere, including here, so it's well worth the reduced price you see it for!

If you plan on having a party or are going to a party, it ain't a party if you don't have this CD. Alex Gopher is a genius and these grooves will put any party into high gear. The tracks flow into each other perfectly and the sounds they create are simply "ear candy", it's so, so good to listen to. Every track is excellent and the import also contains a 2nd CD of remixes of some select tracks, which is a MUST have as well. Even chilling out a home with your SO, this CD and others in the same genre, are the unobtrusive backdrop to any activity. I highly recommend Alex Gopher "Youmybaby&I" to enhance your life in general. Buy it.