[Versatile Records]

Sounds go in and out of fashion, and many producers try to closely follow these waves. I:Cube doesn’t. He’s been making house music with that special French touch since the late 90’s, either by himself or as Château Flight with Gilb’R, and his playfulness with house music is matched by countrymen such as Pépé Bradock and dOP. Most see the juvenile dance music of France’s mainstream and get turned off, but I:Cube brings a lightness and raucousness to his productions that searches for the sublime rather than the popular. As house gets deeper and deeper, it’s nice to have I:Cube issuing 12″s like Mérovingienne that bring grins to the sometimes dour faces of modern house music.

“Mérovingienne” bleeps along with plenty of metallic tones and whirring noises in tow; its relatively straight groove forms a base for the mischievous sounds layered on top. “Bionic Ears” is a bit more toned down, with unstable, frayed melodies and unintelligible vocal snippets while “Grandes Orgues” lets a subtle acid flavor give it a spacey vibe. All three cuts push a lush form of house music, but refuse to be too solemn, capturing numerous moods in a subtle manner. I:Cube’s deftness and versatility make his style a hard one to sum up in a zippy catch phrase, but that’s just the point: he simply makes music to dance to, and very fine music at that.