1999
The sample-driven first statement, with a very recognisable rhythmic personality.
Artist
Cassius
Why we feature this artist French house with the seams left moving Cassius records are full of details that seem to be enjoying their own movement: a vocal chopped into rhythm, a bass line leaning against the beat or a guitar part suddenly changing the track’s…
- From
- France
- Sound
- French house, electronic
- Active
- 1996–2019, 2024–present
Start with the music
Tracks to explore
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The artist, in context
The story of Cassius
Why we feature this artist
French house with the seams left moving
Cassius records are full of details that seem to be enjoying their own movement: a vocal chopped into rhythm, a bass line leaning against the beat or a guitar part suddenly changing the track’s scale. Philippe Zdar and Boombass made dance music with a producer’s precision and a band’s appetite for surprise.
The first loop becomes a world
The duo’s 1999 album introduced “Cassius 1999”, “Feeling for You” and “La Mouche”, putting sample-driven house inside a distinct, playful studio identity. The grooves were strong enough to carry repetition, but small changes in texture kept the music from settling into a simple formula.
Au Rêve in 2002 opened the arrangements further, with more room for vocal collaborations and a harder physical attack. The album was less interested in repeating the first breakthrough than in finding out what else the same production partnership could hold.
The band inside the studio
15 Again in 2006 brought “Toop Toop” and a more obvious collision of live instruments, singing and electronic rhythm. Later work continued widening that palette, with Ibifornia and Dreems making the duo’s musical curiosity clearer still.
Zdar died in 2019, leaving the original partnership’s recordings with a particular sense of finality. The early albums remain rewarding because they do not sound finished in a lifeless way. The pieces are tightly made but still seem capable of changing direction, with the groove acting as a place where different musical ideas can meet.
Essential releases
Au Rêve
A wider, harder and more collaborative album.
15 Again
Live instrumental energy moves closer to the centre of the production.