Good morning.

It’s Friday so we’re listening to something more upbeat. We’re playing records from Cassius, the French electronic duo whose member Philippe Zdar passed away this week at 52. Cassius’s sample-driven house tracks in the ‘90s and early ‘00s helped usher in the current era of electronic dance music. Zdar and his partner Boom Bass started out as French DJs working alongside peers like Daft Punk and Justice. Since Zdar passed on Wednesday, musicians from Phoenix to Calvin Harris have shared heartfelt remembrances. The Black Madonna called Zdar “a visionary and tectonic force who shaped the geography of modern dance music.” Cassius’s first release, 1999, came out that year but sounds like it could have come out in 2019. 2002’s Au Rêve extended the band’s international reach with hit singles “The Sounds of Violence” and “I’m a Woman.” With strange timing, Cassius’s newest and final album, Dreems, comes out today.

1999 by Cassius (100m, 🗣 vocal samples) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Tidal

Au Rêve by Cassius (90m, 🗣 vocal samples) Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube Music / Tidal

Dreems by Cassius (50m, 🗣 vocal samples) Spotify / Apple Music

Enjoy life today and this weekend.

💓 💓 💓