Katerine - Robots Apres Tout

You can tell from the kitsch cover (and the Daft Punk-referencing title) what seedy old Frenchman Philipe Katerine's new album will sound like, but it still manages to exceed expectations. Usually known in his homeland as a quirky singer-songwriter, this move into electronics for a concept album about resisting the growing influence of machines is a remarkable display of versatility. Singing entirely in French means in-depth lyrical analysis is sadly unavailable, but these all-star beats, sexy synths and amorous backing cheerleaders certainly don't inspire revulsion against machines. 78.2008 is very Kraftwerk-like, whilst 100% VIP's disco grooves could easily be remixed into a funky house floor-filler. With a slightly bizarre falsetto, exercised in crowd-teasing Louxor J'adore and call-and-response class Apres Moi, Katerine presents a playfulness which, presumably, machines aren't capable of. But there's really no need for an uprising. Katerine's control of his music machines is expert. [Ally Brown]