Finally, electronic music that will actually make you want to dance

Cassius's new album Ibifornia is out today. Warning: it induces dance-mania

The problem with electronic music these days, is that it's incredibly boring, and depressing. Plus, it's impossible to dance to unless you're off your face on some sort of pill. Which is why French duo Cassius, consisting of producers Philippe Cerboneschi and Hubert Blanc-Francard, better known as Philippe Zdar and Boom Bass, have decided to do something about it. How? With their brand new album out today. All hail: Ibifornia.

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Cassius on how the album came about

We were in Ibiza in the mountains looking at the stars and listening to Bob Marley, Exodus, and we had this epiphany. We thought, our album needs to be strong like this. Because there’s a tendency for music to be very light. People don’t say anything, they're very easy lyrics. We felt like there was something deep within us. We wanted to make something thoughtful. We started to think about a place that would be great for everyone: a place you can go back to when you're sad. A utopia, a fantasy world: Ibifornia. So that's what we called the album. We wanted to bring a spiritual tone to our music. We wanted to fight against the accepted cynicism that is in music now. People are just making lots of money and they don’t care how they're doing it. But we want to show kids that there are other ways to do things. You don’t only have to look at the bills.

Cassius on how the genre of the album

It’s funk and house and soul together. Theres a strong club culture pulsing within it. We wanted to change the electronic world and make it fun. We don’t know why other guys are making electronic music that is so boring and depressing. There is this theory about the tonality of songs – that it's easiest to make a sad song, because working with minor chord is easier. That’s why techno is so depressing. So our challenge was to make fun electronic music without making it cheesy.

Cassius on how the state of French electro music

In France it’s a nightmare for electronic music, unless you're into voguing. They used to have hip-hop and soul parties which were incredible but now the violence in hip-hop has killed everything. The girls would never want to go these days, it's only guys who want to fight. People in French hip-hop are much more violent than they are in the UK, and in general, Paris is far more violent than London. So we stay on techno and house because its not violent, because everyones high on ecstasy.

Cassius on their musical influences

Prince was the biggest influence, because he was doing this whole thing first. Everything was colliding in Prince's music. He mixed electro and pop. Influences also range to Andre 3000 and Frank Ocean.

Cassius on who they'd like to collaborate with

Before it was Prince but now it would be d’Angelo. In fact, the trio of d’Angelo, Andre 3000 and Frank Ocean would be amazing. On the same track. They would each have one verse, and then Chan from Cat Power would do the chorus. And they would all join in on the chorus, like old school Oasis.

Cassius on working with Pharrell

One day he phoned us up and said he wanted to work with us, and we hung up the phone because we thought it was a joke. But then the phone rang again and it was his manager and he said its really Pharrell please talk to him. So we did the song Eye Water with him fifteen years ago. Then this year he sent us a text saying lets do one more: Go Up. He is so incredibly fast as a producer.

Cassius on working with Kanye West

When we met in Paris to work together on I Love you So, we met at a restaurant. He arrived in silence with a girl and a stylist. We didn't know what to say to each other at the table. He was shy and we were shy. We thought ok its going to be very awkward. But then the second we were in the studio we felt at home. After a while I (Philippe) took him in my arms and said, "you're just a big music kid!" He is a crazy maniac about music. Kanye just lit up. I remember a long time ago, before he was a star, he was just a producer making beats for Jay Z, I remember Hubert saying theres this really good producer called Kanye west. Some people say that Pharrell and Kanye West don't really produce their own songs. But we've seen them, they're amazing, they can do everything.

Cassius on where to party in Paris

The Ballroom is very cool, if you like gay house music, which is amazing. La Manon too, a Mexican bar, is where everyone goes now. But right now the best thing in Paris is "voguing", whether you're gay or not.

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