Vitalic

For a little while, I had this weird anti-French-music thing going on. Although I did love Daft Punk, I generally avoided everyone else from the country. Then, for some reason, I was introduced to the nation's music, bit-by-bit. Now, thanks to Pitchforkmedia, I have discovered Vitalic, one of the greatest electronica artists I have ever heard. He had several hits with the release of his 2001 Poney EP, but this is his first album under the Vitalic name. And boy is it fantastic. Equal parts dance and quirky, unusual funkiness, the Frenchman is the king of mish-mashing genres and styles. His album is called OK Cowboy, and can be sampled here.

On further investigation, I discovered that Vitalic is not from France originally. He is from, surprisingly, the Ukraine, and was able to break into the music scene after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. Now, I am not sure if this story is true, but if it is, I have a new respect for the Ukraine, and I still like France more than I used to.