Anne Catherine Hartley-Poole, also known as Uffie, released her first song, “Pop The Glock,” under the French label Ed Banger Records. The track, which featured a pop sound laced with electronic influences, quickly became a hit on the music platform MySpace. The young American artist released an album, Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans four years later, but never reached the same level of success.
Clark Magazine, a monthly publication about street culture and the latest trends in France, paid tribute to the new French electronic scene in a 2006 issue. The magazine’s cover featured all the genre’s up and coming talent, including Justice, SebastiAn and Surkin.
The year 2006 was a pivotal time for Daft Punk. Whether on stage, in a new album, or on screen, the French group was literally everywhere. Nearly ten years after their last tour, the masked duo announced their return to the stage with a show at the Californian music fest Coachella. Perched atop a glowing pyramid, the musicians’ performance redefined what it meant to give an electronic concert, especially in the US. The Coachella show included a condensed version of the songs from their first three albums accompanied by an impressive light show and video projections. The performance was memorable, and the duo played at festivals throughout the world for several months, including France’s rock music festival, Eurockéennes de Belfort. Daft Punk also stopped by the Cannes Film Festival to present their new project, Daft Punk’s Electroma, a feature film the duo wrote and filmed in the US. In a nod to their album Human After All, the movie tells the story of two robots who want to become human as they drive a Ferrari 412 around a desert planet. It was shown in just one theatre in France, the Cinéma du Panthéon, every Saturday at midnight. Daft Punk finally released its first greatest hits album, Musique Vol. 1: 1995-2005, which included the group’s best tracks since its earliest days.
After the dismal sales of the album Au Rêve, Cassius got back on track with a new hit. “Toop Toop,” the first single of the duo’s new album, 15 Again, marked a turn into pop-rock territory that suited them well—critics unanimously praised the record.
The French DJ David Guetta, who was already an influential figure in Ibiza, broke into the international market for the first time with “Love Don’t Let Me Go (Walking Away).” The track, which mixed one of Guetta’s songs with one from the English group The Egg, first swept through the UK before spreading to the rest of the world.
Alexandre Cazac, Yannick Matray, and the DJ Agoria founded the label InFiné in Lyon. Their goal was to blend several musical genres while still retaining a strong electro identity. It released recordings from the pianist Francesco Tristano playing techno classics as well as Parisian artist Rone’s dreamy melodies, such as “Bye Bye Macadam.”
The duo Justice won an award even before their first album release. “We Are Your Friends,” directed by French videographer Jérémie Rozan, received an MTV European Music Award for Best Music Video. Besides the trophy, the ceremony was memorable because of Kanye West’s reaction. The rapper came on stage when the winner was announced to explain that he should have won instead. West’s angry, childish stunt ended up introducing the American public to Justice.
