Category: C2C

C2C – Tetra (2012)

posted by record facts

C2C (also known as Coups2Cross) is a French musical group formed in 1998 in the city of Nantes.
The collaboration group consists of 4 French DJs: Atom and pFeL from Beat Torrent and 20Syl and Greem from Hocus Pocus. Each member of the group uses his turntable as an instrument, recreating in turn drums, bass guitars, scratching a guitar riff, or simulating a brass instrument.
They met during their high school years and as teens they were fascinated by the work of DJ Qbert and DJ Shadow, innovators in the art of turntablism. They set off to make a name for themselves at the turn of the millennium and soon started developing their own unique performing style.

Tetra (stylised as Tetr4) is the first album from the French electronic music group C2C.
It was released on September 3, 2012 off the On And On label. The album reached the top of the French chart and “Down the Road” peaked at 27 on Hot Modern Rock Tracks.

The first track leads in with an a heavy bass line accompanied by some synth pop, which comes across more as an electro-pop sequence then a DMC camp album. In saying that, ‘Because of You’ is the most commercial track on the EP, with polished lyrics and shiny production giving it a anthemic sound, but the EP evens things out by introducing their track ‘The Beat’ which brings back some of their most classic turntablist routes.

All in all, this album takes you on a journey that travels back to the classics. It reminds me of the early Kid Koala but drops in some heavily polished lyrics pushing the sound closer to that of a club anthem than would be expected from a french hip hop turntablist group. It is still, definitely, worth a listen.

Opener “The Cell” strides into familiar territory, a huge drop furnished by bassy synths, flute, and samples of a choir.
The strident beat and swaggery double-speed vocals embody the opulent, goofy, triumph of a party featured on the album’s cover.
And, being long-traveled veterans in the scene, they know the importance of both a flowing experience and a short attention span. As such, the camera seamlessly swivels over to the smash cut commercial of “Down the Road”, where blues meets Daft Punk.

Splicing pieces of other genres into your own film is one thing, but projecting yourself into another genre is a messy arrangement.
The up-tempo pop slam of “Because of You” casts Pigeon John in a pale Gorillaz facsimile. As a counterpoint, “King’s Season” strives for a seductive, epic hip-hop groove, but often clutters up Rita J.’s rhymes, as if each of the four DJs all need to prove that they’re contributing something. The airy “Give Up the Ghost” builds an ambience only to distance itself under an abundance of flourishes.
This sort of work proves an extreme degree of skill, though without the impactful emotionalism of fellow Frenchmen Air.

 

  1. The Cell - 4:59
  2. Down the Road - 3:27
  3. Kings Season (feat. Rita J. & Moongaï) - 3:51
  4. Because of You (feat. Pigeon John) - 3:42
  5. Delta - 3:44
  6. Who Are You (feat. Olivier Daysoul) - 4:51
  7. Happy (feat. Derek Martin) - 3:55
  8. Give Up the Ghost (feat. Jay-Jay Johanson) - 5:24
  9. The Beat - 3:32
  10. Genius (feat. Gush) - 4:10
  11. Together (feat. Ledeunff and Blitz the Ambassador) - 4:51
  12. Arcades - 4:24
  13. Le Banquet (feat. Tigerstyle, Netik, Rafik, Vajra & KENTARO) - 4:56
  14. F-U-Y-A - 5:05

 

C2C

  • DJ Pfel
  • 20Syl
  • DJ Atom
  • DJ Greem

Companies, etc.

Credits

Notes
Released: 3 September 2012
Genre: Trip hop, electronica
Length: 60:45
Producer: Damien Bolo

Label – On and On