You know when you like something so much that you want to draw it? But not because you’re a fan only, but because of the way it makes you feel (a characteristic of a fan anyway, but here we go)? It’s a reminder for you to salute the alien in you, have a drink or two and toast to you simply doing you. It’s a moment of Justice.
Liberating.
A bit of rock, a bit of pop, a bit of disco, a bit of unlike anything you’ve seen before. I mean, you have seen jeans, leather jackets, prints, cool hair, black, colors and you have heard techno before. It all seems so simple. You know it seems simple on the outside when, in fact, it’s complex, priorly studied and honest on the inside.
Clean and fun.
When the inside meets the outside in every way (attitude, music, clothes, soul, values, mind, eyes, art, smile, body language), style is born and starts to dance to the beat of its own drums. This is Justice, the French duo that’s been around for fifteen years. The key, I believe, is to like the stuff you make.
Back in the day, at the parties I used to dance like there was no tomorrow to their music, with friends I hung out with especially when off again with my then boyfriend, little did I know that I would be here, ten years later, writing about them. I’ve just danced like there was no tomorrow, obviously, at their concert, this weekend, and the aforementioned friends were there, also. When We Are Your Friends began, it felt like everything connected in the great circle of life. It was the song that made them find their place into the musical landscape (Xavier’s words).
Once cool, always cool and dreams do come true.
They have this thing. This curious thing. It comes from deep within them this sparkle they release into the crowd. I danced and danced and danced. All of a sudden, however, I stopped and just watched the show, listened to their thing. It’s a thing! It almost felt like enough to just watch and listen. Almost. Because, all of a sudden, I found myself with my hands in the air, yet again, dancing like there was no tomorrow, smiling, winking at the friends I was with. We were all dancing. New friends, old friends.
The energy they create! So simple, so nice. You stop again and watch. Lose yourself. This is the thing.
Bliss.
Mouloud Achour, below, put it like this: When we listen to the album [Woman], we feel like we’re following a man, alone, on his way to a party, but then he leaves alone. But the guy experiences a lot of emotions. Getting enthusiastic… And there’s this song called Alakazam… It’s like this moment when you’re alone and your head is spinning, you’re wondering if you should stay or leave, if you should stay or leave, you finally choose to stay, but nothing really happens. Xavier then added: And everything turns into a nightmare, you’ve drunk too much alcohol, but in the end, you’re feeling better. You see a girl and think maybe it’s gonna work out and in your last attempt, you fail and you go back home alone. That’s the idea.
Xavier and Gaspard both studied graphic design due to the fact that, at the time, they had no idea what they wanted to do with their lives and there had not been a lot of very exciting things offered during the school years. You don’t need to know how to draw to do graphics, but if you have a little taste and you know where you’re going, you can get your own way, you can make illusion, as Gaspard puts it.
With Justice, sometimes do you feel that you are making illusion?
Gaspard: In fact, we did this without any other ambition than just to do something with friends.
When you make electronic music, you don’t have to, necessarily, have electronic background or exclusive electronic inspiration at all times. Inspiration may come from whatever, whoever, wherever and whenever. Rock and pop, dreams and ideas, pleasure and satisfaction, magic and boom, something really original comes out. Outside the box. Electronic music here is an unexpected metaphor for anything in life, really.
Passion.
It’s the intimate lifestyle that creates the style. A style so simple it seems that anyone could copy, yet no one can. It’s their thing. The style becomes unique. The good news is that everyone is. Unique. Hence the 7 billion styles? Imagine.
We make simple music that delivers simple emotions.
Light.
Justice is a French electronic dance music duo consisting of Xavier de Rosnay and Gaspard Augé. When Gaspard was asked to describe his music, in one word, he said romantic (with a French accent, of course). When Gaspard was asked who his hero was, he said Xavier. When Xavier was asked who his hero was, he said Gaspard.
Their chemistry is just as romantic. In every interview, they have this thing that feels like it’s enough for them to just be next to each other, like they have everything. It’s love. It’s like an honest game kids play.
Romantic af.
And that hair!
Might the red bomber jacket I just got be a romantic coincidence? Only God knows.
