French rap outfit TTC are somewhat of an anomaly in my musical taste, and even writing about them is, for me, a dicey prospect to a certain extent. Generally I'm not much of a hip hop fan, and when I hear the genre done in a foreign language it usually makes me either chuckle or roll my eyes. (DJ Krush's albums with Japanese rap in the late 90s just made me cringe, despite how much I think Krush is a good producer.) So why do I like this TTC album?
Whatever you might make of their vocal styles, they're nothing if not distinct, and under those punchy rapid-fire vocals are some really weird rap and R&B productions. They're not so weird as to be divorced from the genre altogether, but TTC themselves have expressed an interest in creating rap music for people who don't really like rap music. Despite that proclamation, TTC remains obviously indebted to various American production techniques ranging from the Dirty South to Anticon, even as they continually dodge direct comparisons. Production crew FuckALoop, originally tangential but now a more integral part of the project with this record, also throw in a great deal of other stuff, drawing from the dance music of the 80s and 90s in equal parts (with a healthy dose of vintage rave), as well as more straight-up R&B for a couple tracks which incorporate actual singing courtesy of backing vocalists.
And, then again, there are those voices. Alternately cartoonish and seductive, it's hard to take them too seriously, but I suspect TTC wouldn't have it any other way. Each of the three MCs has his own style, with Teki Latex having a shouty, more obnoxious quality, Tido Berman lending a smooth, almost melodic vibe and Cuizinier contributing a weirdly sexy deep voice that falls somewhere between a groan and a tease. Despite having a basic knowledge of French, I can't keep up with them to understand what they're saying; I have to read lyrics on paper and loosely translate (although at times, the meaning is pretty obvious). That said, I can't be a very good judge of this music for lyrical content, and I've read comments online that their lyrics are not so hot, but to me they don't appear to be written without a sense of humor. But for every steamy track like "Strip Pour Moi," there is the occasional embarrassment like "Frotte Ton Cul Par Terre" (set to the tune of "Hokey Pokey," loosely translated the title means "Drag your ass on the ground"). But then they treat us to the almost sublime "J'ai le son" with its decaying grime snares, or the sleek "Ambition," which is equal parts hip hop and "Chariots of Fire" (yes, it's pretty awesome). "Turbo" is another highlight, brimming with a buzzing rave synth and plodding, shouted vocals, while "Travailler" is a slinky R&B tune that is better heard in its jacked-up remix found on its single release. The album ends with a scorcher courtesy of buds Modeselektor who return the favor of TTC's guest spots on their records by providing the rousing "Une Bande de Mec Sympa," a fantastic rave anthem with a chorus shout. What TTC seem less prone to do is cutting apart and fragmenting their vocals, which Modeselektor do with reckless abandon on their own tracks; here there is a middle ground where Tido's voice is treated on the refrain as a staccato sample and there are several weird details where vocals are tweaked, stuttered, flipped or otherwise distorted around the primary lyrics.
It's an album that doesn't require that you understand the language to appreciate the music, or even some of their humor which comes through in style alone. And despite any of their leftfield tendencies, TTC are just fun and accessible enough to potentially cross over to broader audiences.
mp3s: Une Bande de Mec Sympa | Ambition
more information: Big Dada | Myspace | V2 France
buy it: Boomkat | Amazon | Emusic
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