Kitsuné Maison - The Sweet Sixteen Issue

Various Artists

"The Sweet Sixteen Issue"

Release date: 24 November 2014

7/10

17 November 2014, 13:30 | Written by Kate Travers

(Albums)

(Various Artists)

Back in 2005, Franco-Japanese design collective and record label Kitsuné Maison burst onto the scene with their first compilation, bringing us the likes of Au Revoir Simone, Digitalism, Tom Vek, Hot Chip and Metronomy. That first release was the template of indie-pop for the following three years. The label practically inaugurated the pseudo-genre of ‘nu-rave’ by championing the Klaxons, brought us the infectious, jagged guitar riffs of Foals and the screaming synth of Crystal Castles. They even gave nu-disco impresario Todd Terje a bit of exposure back in 2006. This is all very commendable, but - I hear you ask - what have they done for me lately?

The Kitsuné “sound” might be associated with an era of glow-sticks and neon body paint that seemed long gone - until recently. Almost ten years down the line, the world at large has fallen in love (again) with four-to-the-floor and this might signal good things for the foxy little label ('Kitsuné'... it means fox in Japanese, get it?).

Over the last few years, the good people at Kitsuné have been quietly working away, putting out Toro y Moi and Theophilus London on their Kitsuné America releases. But, in the eyes of most, big-name U.S. artists are not really what Kitsuné is about. The resurgence of commercial house means that the signature sound of the label is once again primed to appeal to a whole new bunch of house-hungry teens – and maybe even some twenty-somethings who still remember them from way back when.

This Sweet Sixteen compilation really does embody what Kitsuné is about: Citizens! sound so very Hot Chip in this Tobtok remix, while Parisens LOGO remind you why French house, in its seductive simplicity, is a thing of beauty. We Are Shining's “Hot love” is a fearsome mix of soulful vocals, horn sections, gospel choirs and relentless groove. These guys have already been making waves this year and iIf there is one band on this album to keep a beady eye on in future, it's them.

While house-infused pop is a huge part of what Kitsuné do, this compilation hasn't entirely left behind the distinctly 'indie' part of the label's identity. And, true to form, Kitsuné has kept pace with trends in the general landscape, to the extent that this compilation is almost a paraphrase of the sound of British Indie in 2014. JAWS, another British based band, add to the indie-pop flavour, injecting some Bombay Bicycle Club vibes with their loping guitar riffs and synth lines that sound like a foggy journey on London commuter train. Nimmo and the Gauntlets, a London Grammar/The XX cross-breed, meld vocals that recall Hannah Reid's impassioned belting with a stark, resolute bleakness.

This latest issue proves that Kitsuné has longevity - and makes you think that, maybe, they still have more to give. In the words of the ever-creepy Neil Sedaka, “Happy (Birthday) Sweet Sixteen”!