MixMag
Carl Young

6 22 2000
With the summer season coming to a close, no one was left in any doubt as to who wrote the club anthem of the year. There wasn't one dance floor in Europe that didn't have a million bodies moving and twisting to the funky Kalle Ryan cut "Big Titty" (co-written by collaborator David Bagnall). The one-hit wonder rumblings were quickly dismissed when "Brigitte Bardot" soared up the charts, and filled the dance floors once again on both sides of the Atlantic. It was almost inevitable that the obligatory long player would make an appearance.

And make an appearance it has. French Aphrodisiaque turns out to be a cracker from start to finish. It opens with the familiar jazzy bassline of 'Big Titty' and never lets up until its big explosive finale (literally). It's hard to dislike an album like this that is so unapologetically fun and big hearted. It's also tremendous to see a dance album that for once is not over reliant on samples, but rather builds itself around original hooks and basslines. This really is turntable friendly music.

If I was pushed to make a comparison, I would say that it plays like early Chemical Brothers or the most recent Fatboy Slim. If you like either of those artists even marginally, then you're going to absolutely love this. The music teases and seduces in a fresh and energetic way that doesn't get boring, even after repeated listens.

We can only hope that Kalle Ryan decides to set aside some studio time for further dance projects in this vein. Until he does, do yourself a favour and pick this album up.