Home Read Classic Album Review: Cassius | 1999

Classic Album Review: Cassius | 1999

The French dance show off some fancy footwork — but they’re still lightweights.

This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):

 


Somehow, I doubt this French dance duo (is there any other sort of dance group these days?) named itself after Muhammad Ali’s original given handle. Even so, it’s a perfect fit.

Like Ali, these playful house grooves float like a butterfly. And with their hypnotizing disco thump, repetitive samples and vocals that consist of chanted words like, “Dance,” or “Oh, baby,” they can definitely rope-a-dope you into submission. Trouble is, they don’t have any punch — no verses, choruses or even a jab of horns now and then. Sure, they have some fancy footwork — but they’re still strictly lightweight.