Justice (band)
Justice |
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Justice is a French electro duo consisting of Gaspard Augé (b. 21 May 1979) and Xavier de Rosnay (b. 2 July 1982).[1] They are the most successful group on Ed Banger Records,[2] and are managed by the label's head, Pedro Winter. Their main trademark is a large light-up cross that shines throughout their shows. A controversial group among dance music fans,[3] they are known for incorporating a strong rock influence into their music and image.[4][2]
History
Justice first came to prominence through their 2003 remix of Simian's track "Never Be Alone," created for a Paris college radio station's remix contest.[4] The remix resulted in the group being signed to Ed Banger (which released it) and became a hit in clubs and on the internet.[4] The song was re-released in 2004 on DJ Hell's International DeeJay Gigolo Records[5] and eventually given a commercial release in the UK in the summer of 2006, under the title "We Are Your Friends," on Ten Records, a sub-label of Virgin Records.
After the original release of "Never Be Alone", Justice worked on remixes[5] for a number of French groups (Vicarious Bliss, Scenario Rock, Gambit) as well as for larger mainstream acts such as Britney Spears,[5] N*E*R*D,[5] Fatboy Slim[5] and Daft Punk.[5] Justice's first solo single, "Waters of Nazareth", was released on Ed Banger Records in September 2005 and was championed by DJs such as Erol Alkan, Tiga, 2 Many DJ's and Ivan Smagghe. The track was re-released in 2006 with additional remixes. The duo's prolific remix work continued, as they turned in mixes for Franz Ferdinand, Mystery Jets, Soulwax and, most recently, Mr. Oizo.
Justice won the award for Best Video at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006, for Justice vs. Simian - "We Are Your Friends". Augé and de Rosnay were not present at the ceremony, and the award was accepted by label art director So_Me and video director Jérémie Rozan. So_Me was famously interrupted mid-speech by American rapper Kanye West, who went onto the stage arguing that he should have won the award instead.[6]
Justice have been confirmed to do a mix for the Fabriclive series in 2007, and their debut album, titled †, was released on Ed Banger Records on June 11, 2007. The album was preceded by the D.A.N.C.E. EP, released on May 28 2007, which featured the tracks "Phantom" and their own remix of "D.A.N.C.E." titled "B.E.A.T". "D.A.N.C.E." was nominated for "Video of the Year at the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards.
Justice performed at the 2007 Coachella festival, the Fuji Rock Festival in Niigata, Japan, the Hultsfred Festival in Hultsfred, Sweden, the Oxegen festival in Kildare, Ireland, the Vieilles Charrues Festival in Carhaix, France, the Roskilde Festival in Roskilde, Denmark, Pukkelpop, a Belgian festival in Hasselt and the Lowlands festival in The Netherlands. Justice's performance at Coachella in 2007 was their first ever live music performance per se. The band's performances before Coachella had seen them DJ using either turntables or CD mixers.
Discography
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Albums
| Title | Release date | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| † | June 11, 2007 | UK #49, Australia #61 |
EPs
| Year | Title | B-sides | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Never Be Alone" (Vs Simian) / "Steamulation" (Vs Gambit) | Espion - "Anything Is Possible" (Château Flight Remix), "Anything Is Possible" (Château Flight Bonus Beats) | 12" | Ed Banger Records |
| 2004 | "Never Be Alone" | remix by DJ Hell | 12" | International DeeJay Gigolo Records |
| 2005 | "Waters of Nazareth" | "Let There Be Light", "Carpates" | 12" | Ed Banger Records |
| 2006 | "Waters of Nazareth" (Part 2) | remixes by Erol Alkan, DJ Funk and Justice feat. Feadz | 12", CD | Ed Banger Records / Because Music / Vice Recordings |
| 2006 | "We Are Your Friends"
UK #20 |
remixes by Lee Cabrera, Radio Slave & Spencer Parker, Milke and Edison | 12", CD | Ten Records |
| 2007 | "Phantom" | limited edition promo, backed with 27-second preview of "D.A.N.C.E." | 12" | Ed Banger Records |
| 2007 | "D.A.N.C.E."
UK #48 -ITA #41 |
"B.E.A.T, D.A.N.C.E." (Extended), "Phantom" | 12" | Ed Banger Records / Because Music |
Remixes
| Year | Artist | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Vicarious Bliss | "Theme from Vicarious Bliss" |
| 2003 | Gambit | "Steamulation" |
| 2004 | N*E*R*D | "She Wants to Move" |
| 2004 | Scenario Rock | "Skitzo Dancer" |
| 2005 | Britney Spears | "Me Against the Music" |
| 2005 | Death from Above 1979 | "Blood On Our Hands" |
| 2005 | Fatboy Slim | "Don't Let the Man Get You Down" |
| 2005 | Daft Punk | "Human After All" |
| 2005 | Soulwax | "NY Excuse" |
| 2005 | Mystery Jets | "You Can't Fool Me Dennis" |
| 2006 | Franz Ferdinand | "The Fallen" |
| 2006 | Mr. Oizo | "Nazis" |
| 2006 | Justice | "Waters of Nazareth" |
| 2007 | Justin Timberlake | "LoveStoned" |
| 2007 | Justice | "D.A.N.C.E." |
| 2007 | ZZT | "Lower State of Consciousness" |
| 2007 | Klaxons | "As Above So Below" |
| 2007 | Metallica | "Master of Puppets" |
Other work
The Justice track "One Minute to Midnight" was featured on the 2005 French compilation Toxic.
Xavier de Rosnay worked with label-mate SebastiAn on the Ed Banger's All Stars Remix of "La La Land" by Play Paul, which was released in July 2006 and has also produced for friends/label connectees Poney Poney.
Music videos
- Justice vs. Simian - "We are Your Friends" (dir. Rozan & Schmeltz)
- Justice - "D.A.N.C.E"
References
- ^ Eric Dahan: Que justice soit fête. In: Libération, 7 June 2007, online
- ^ a b http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature-read.aspx?id=821
- ^ http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/43488
- ^ a b c http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/01/arts/music/01herm.html?pagewanted=print
- ^ a b c d e f http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj-profile.aspx?id=865
- ^ http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/mtvuk/news/02112006/emas_shocker_kanye_stage_invasion