Cross

This is new to me. I fucking love it! On rare occassions a dance album just grabs me and I fall head over heels in love, this is one of those times. It sounds so BIG. I've listened in the middle of the night, on low volume. I cannot wait to put it on the big music system and go loud. There are a billion samples recognisable throughout, it's funky as hell, and impossible to not dance like a nut to. Love it.

This album is about 15 minutes too long. They could’ve trashed “The Party” and it would’ve improved the album significantly. It had a strong start but kept getting weaker with each passing song.

Is there a school in France where they teach kids how to make great electronic music, like The Jean-Michel Jarre School of Synthesis or something? Because from the late nineties into the aughts they were churning out great record after great record: Daft Punk, Air, M83, Justice…it’s almost unreal how consistently great the records coming out of France were. Justice sits squarely on the Daft Punk side of things, with their glitchy, aggressive house music. Cross is definitely stronger in the first half. The tempo gets ratcheted back a little after “Phantom, Pt. II”, but after the aggressive first half a little reprieve is welcome. As the second half goes on, things pick back up with “Stress”, “Waters of Nazareth” and “One Minute to Midnight” ending the record on a high note. Fun to revisit this record, a solid 4/5, even if you’re likely to be glitched-out by the time it’s over.

Whoa. I have never heard of Justice before and I'm mad about it. This is the type of electronica I like, a little filthy and tons of energy. I hate to reference the only other electronica band I like, but this gives great Daft Punk vibes, great sample usage, funky beats and great composition. I am having a hard time picking a few tracks, every one just hits as good as the last. It really reminds of Mystery Skulls too, which is a great thing.

still a banger if maybe a tad bloated; generally seems the fewer lyrics the better ("the party" is rough). that's great bass!

One of the first albums I have listened to in a while that made me go "Whoa". So many suburb tracks on this album. "Stress" is incredible as is the infamous "DNCE"

It’s a vibe and if I was hot and sweaty and drunk at a festival or something I would really vibe this. Instead I’m hot and sweaty and sober at home so I mostly liked it

Well having no idea at all who Justice are, I was worried this would be some kind of American Christian Rock album. Thankfully, it wasn't. What it was, however, was an impenetrable mishmash of various approaches to electronica, that manages to at once suggest the artist(s) are trying to experiment with sounds and to make pop music. The vocal tracks seemed wildly out of place. The whole thing sounds like it's recorded in a single iMac in someone's bedroom. Much of it is exactly the kind of 'doesn't quite work' composition I'd expect to hear from teenagers learning to use software. Whoever programmed the drums seems to be using presets. Then there are unexpected wild flights of self-indulgent slap bass, that are a reminder that these are actually some kind of professional act. Stress is a standout track that made me sit up and listen, and perhaps gave me a context that this is coming from a world view I have no part of, and probably don't want to explore. Which, of course, is ideal, if we assume it's from a younger generation than my own.

This is the album that got in interested in Electronic music, every song is perfect, with there was a six stars option.

Love me some Justice. Will forever listen to them.

This is new to me and much better than I expected -- electronic duo from France, with rock/metal/funk influence.

An electronic album that rocks - always found this a very solid album with some 5* tracks, in particular DVNO and Stress are great. Shame there is not much more French techno/house music in the list (Abstraxion, Romulus, Rone, Worakls etc etc)

Do you like EDM? Do you like beautiful composition? Do you like spicey bass lines? This shit is candy for your ears!!!!!!!!! First time hearing this group, but it won't be my last. Do yourself a favor and start listening to good music. You're welcome. 4.9 out of 5

Rarely does a band drop a 5 star debut album and then get BETTER from there but that’s the trajectory for Justice. I hope there’s more of them on this list. This album is the answer to the question “What if Daft Punk had continued putting out music like their first few albums?”

Brilliant album. Reminds me of uni. A gateway to French dance and electronica.

Give me a big throwback to Homework/Discovery era Daft Punk, and I am absolutely loving it. I was almost set on giving this album a 5, but wow, the song The Party was so bad it lost the album an entire star for me.

I don't know what to say about this, other than the fact that it was frightfully repetitive and dull as hell. This is a very poor attempt at I don't know what to call this abortion. They need to never pick instruments up again. ever.

They clearly just discovered the sound effects on their electronic keyboard. Lazer noises galore. I thought this was going to have at least aged poorly, but its from 2007!!

Take Daft Punk's Discovery and Human After All, stick them in a blender and crank the volume up to 11. Proof that derivative =/= bad.

there are some instances in which i can forgive the french, and usually those instances involve synths

Legendary, timeless album. It's a feat that this even exists, and it's something that has a magic to it that has not yet been replicated. Every song is stellar and unique.

Raw pure emotion. One of my all time favorites

Easily among my top 5 albums of all time, one that I've heard front to back hundreds of times. The transitions and overall journey never gets old, and it's still crazy to me how drastically underrated Justice is. Also it could be my furry brainrot, but the entire last half of DVNO sounds like meowing :3

damn 2007? this has been in regular rotation for years. certified classic.

Very formative album for me when I was younger. Love this one

Not my usual genre, but this was very catchy and engaging, which I don't usually get out of electronic music. Loved it and will check out more of their music!

MY FAVORITE

Already love DANCE, so I’m excited to hear the rest. Well, I still like that one song, but that’s it for me. 3/5

It's Daft Punk, but compressed and distorted to hell. Grading on a curve and giving a 3 because it's a dance album that only made me want to play in traffic like four times. Best track: D.A.N.C.E.

Sans the inscrutability of Daft Punk or the self seriousness of (I think) Saint Etienne and Beach House but incorporating the hop-and-skip of Avalanches, it's pretty good album-oriented dance music.

Rubbish. Painful.

Absolute garbage-tier electronic music. It makes my ears hurt

Unlistenable. Undanceable.

Such a bizarre electronic album. Continuing to solidify my lack of taste in the genre. Was ready for it to end. 1.7/10

Never heard of this band before. "I'll just listen while I'm in the gym", I thought. Wham! First track couldn't have been more apt for the situation. It's great to workout to but I didn't even recognise the genre, never mind the track, so had to look them up to find out what sort of 'music' this is - but I was none the wiser, really. Eurobollocks maybe? Downhill all the way after the first track - I don't dance so this is hopeless. Confirmed all my prejudices about dance music though, so I'm glad I listened to it. Nul points from me.

Unexpected favorite! Funky fresh ;)

"Cross" introduit à la violence comme le ferait un gros daron et une ceinture : sans prévenir. Chaque morceau, ou presque, est sans préliminaire : à minima l'intro est reléguée à la fin du morceau ; à maxima, comme dans stress, le morceau insiste en boucle sur le choc que constitue ses 20 premières secondes. Presque uniforme, l'album n'est pourtant pas presque une réussite : même le vilain petit canard de l'album, D.A.N.C.E, est un banger tout public. Cross le premier amour de ma vie, et sera le seul jusqu'à au moins trilogy de carpenter brut... Cross secoue l'auditeur comme le clip de stress avait secoué l'extrême droite : il ne demande pas la charité que mendient les auteurs et les musiciens. J'aurais mis 6 étoiles si j'avais pu. Son préféré : Stress of nazareth

Loved. It. 5/5

"Waters of Nazareth" electro-tech-banger wahrscheinlich hier das maximum an technoid...c

Legendary

A fantastic album, maybe made better because the album before this was an instrumental album that was boring. While this isn’t entirely instrumental it’s not your typical rock or pop album either.

One thought I've had to confront in the course of taking part in this list is, "Man — how much do I even really like electronic music?" And I know I do. I know I like that stuff. But then, most of the stuff my group has gotten that's fallen under that umbrella... I'unno, it just left me cold. There was an honest moment where electronica was one of my bottom three genres because of how I kept being disappointed by it. It really made me wonder, do I even like electronica as a whole, or is it just the stuff that sounds like Daft Punk? So, here we come to Justice. I've long been aware of the name, not just for the stuff I've heard in mashups (check out Wax Audio's "Come Together 2008"), but because I know a lot of people in the Discord server where my group operates **love** Justice. When 'Hyperdrama' dropped last year, the people went nuts for it. And, y'know, given all of the acclaim, I probably should've checked them sooner. I'd always figured I'd like them! And yet, like so much other music, I just found myself too busy and comfortable with my old stuff to try anything new. And also like with so much other music, I dang looooved it. It's like... Y'know what this album is? It's not helping my case is what it is, because if this thing sounds like anything to me, it's amped up Daft Punk. It's like if they decided to go way harder into grittier techno, while still keeping their good sensibility for hooks and building on themselves. It's an album I put on while I was skimming the Internet, and, honestly, I was just grooving hard. It's really another one of those albums where as much as I wanna have a lot to say about it, I really don't. These are just a tight 48 minutes of music that really speak for themselves. From the big hit "D.A.N.C.E", all the way to the horror movie beats of "Stress", it's just... So good. Really thing you gotta hear in full, front to back, no stops. And I guess it really cements for me just how damn good the French are at this stuff. First Daft Punk, then Justice... And even that "electronic tango" album my group got wasn't bad at all. Major props to 'em. I don't even have a big or clever way to tie my review back into its opening like I like to do. Certainly it doesn't disprove that I'm mostly into Daft Punk-adjacent electronica — or, more specifically I suppose, French house music. Ah well. C'est la vie, I suppose. This album is just real good shit, and I tell you, I'd absolutely return to it again. Heck, I'd eagerly check out the rest of their discography: that's how good it is! So, hey, nice job, Justice. Not bad at all for an album where I refuse to refer to it as anything but '†.'

Don't even need to listen to this to know I'm giving it all of my love (but I will anyways because fuck yeah, Justice.) Solid 6 Stars, if that were an option.

Yeah, I think I’m at a 10. Just a flawless album, really. I mean, sure, I can nitpick about some tracks maybe going a little long or some occasional notes that are a bit too loud, but in terms of a tight 48 minute club set, with transitions smoother than any Anthony Fantano ending & an endless supply of energy, how can I not go up to a 10 with how much I enjoyed this? This is my first time listening to this album as a full, uninterrupted experience, but make no mistake about it; this album’s presence has been in my life since the first time I ever heard a SoundCloud mashup. OK, maybe not literally, but if you were ever on the site in the mid-2010s, Justice tracks became an essential staple of mashup culture, and that’s something that I think still rings true today. “Waters of Megalovania” has 23 million fucking views, and that was made a decade ago. People are still doing fresh stuff with this album, and that’s solely from a mashup perspective. The amount of albums at the professional level this must have inspired has to be immense. This album is nearly 20 years old, and I think it sounds like it could’ve been made this year. That’s how ahead of pace these guys were. The songs I recognized on this listen were “Genesis” (again, SoundCloud), “D.A.N.C.E.” (by far the biggest hit), “DVNO” (helped write a Jeopardy clue about it once), “Stress” (surprisingly enough, from the Jay-Z curated soundtrack to NBA 2K13 – good fucking pick, Jay), & “Waters of Nazareth” (yet again, SoundCloud). 5 out of 12 is a pretty good track record, and I think the other 7 hold up pretty well. Hard to say too much about them, given that this is an album you simply have to feel for yourself to really judge the quality on, save for “TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY” effectively showing me that Kesha REALLY stole that flow from Uffie (who I have never heard of before today) for TiK ToK. It’s hard to not acknowledge some sort of Daft Punk comparison here, but I honestly never thought about it THAT much during the course of the album. This is a little harsher, a little more techno-y, and the grit in the synths gives this a bit of edge that I can’t say I remember “Homework”, “Discovery”, or “Random Access Memories” having, at least not to this degree. It’s certainly possible that “Human After All” or the “Tron: Legacy” soundtrack has a bit more like this, but I’ve just never heard them. Either way, the comparison is warranted, but to my ears, it’s just not that linked, you know? Overall, I think this album feels like an introduction to the EDM sensibilities that would enter mainstream pop for the 2010s, while standing on its own as a kind of pinnacle / bar for the bass-heavy electro-house style that people are still chasing. It’s a SUPER tight 48 minutes, and even in the minor spots where the album hits some sort of a lull, it knows exactly when to pick back up with something that refreshes the energy instantly. This flew by for me, and I’m very glad to remedy my ignorance of not having heard this in full before. I think it’s a 10.

Did this one already

Amazing album, start to finish. Been a fan of the album for years and loved the re-visit. I can really appreciate the whole flow of the album.

I've enjoyed the French electronic duo Justice, up to and including seeing them live at Coachella back in 2024. Their style of electro house, typified by those heavy, buzzing basslines and the booming bass drum notes, took major influences from disco, funk, and hard rock. Having already heard half of their debut record, Cross, I was looking forward to checking out the other half, and the experience certainly enthralled me. From the opening bombast of "Genesis" giving way to the supple bass groove, blaring drills, and chopped-up sampling, the sound is established. The duo of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay effectively utilized distorted synths, hard-hitting percussion, ever-present basslines, and numerous micro-samples to create imaginative compositions that flow seamlessly from one to the next, maintaining listener engagement. Even when vocals do show up occasionally on this record, such as the chorus of children on "D.A.N.C.E.", the raspy vocals of Uffie on "The Party", and the glossy delivery of Mehdi Pinson on "DVNO", their presences felt complementary to the swagger and bounce of those tracks. Sure, it might seem simple in its musical statement, and perhaps the methods in which they mash and play with the samples and distorted elements can be overwhelming for some. But I still enjoyed Cross all the way through, as Justice carved their own niche in a throwback sound that still feels fresh and innovative years later.

OK, it's dance music. It has a great beat. It's hard on the 1 and the 3 but that's fine; it works for funk, so we'll allow it. They syncopate enough that you won't get bored with it and, frankly, it moves around. What's key is the amount of musical interest throughout Justice's work: catchy, varied melodies; harmonic tension; electronic wails that rise until the breakdowns come. Where house music often feels trance-like to me, as if trying to hypnotize me for hours rather than grab my attention and hold it, this relentlessly grips my brain. Justice are always building to something and it always comes, eventually -- there's never a letdown, always a breakdown. I think that the most important thing that underpins this record is that the foundation of every song is a fabulous set of drums samples. The bass, the synths, the ambient noises, the jazzy guitar hits: it all perfumes this beautiful curry but one thing sits beneath it like the onions that every curry builds from -- just fucking fantastic drumming. Dance music that'll make you feel something other than untz-untz-untz. What a concept. 5/5 and there will be no arguing from the audience.

Some good dance music

The perfect party music album. I had a blast listening to each and every song on this record.

Gear: Focalman Cleardara Artwork: ˗ˏˋ ✞ ˎˊ˗ Production: ˗ˏˋ ✞ ˎˊ˗ Music: ˗ˏˋ ✞ ˎˊ˗ Rating: ✞✞✞✞✞/5

Easy 5. This album slaps, though I expect not for everyone. Fun experience all around!

A ton of fun. I only knew the big single DANCE before this but the whole thing was solid. Even some of the melancholy songs worked much better than I thought. Rating: 4.7

как же я люблю французские электронные дуэты мммм ну мякотка, ну красота, кайфанула мощно

Love justice, I do think WWW is their best but this one is pretty good too

I remember when a friend of mine from PA mailed me a mix tape. The A side was some of his own electro stuff that he was working on and the B side was this album. In the note that he sent he was like 'picked this up the other day and was blown away, needed something to fill the B side of the tape so here you go'. I too was blown away because it was a great electro album and coming from the home of Daft Punk you knew it had to be great. Still when I hear DVNO I always have to listen to it a few times before moving on. I'm sure that when the tape I have breaks it will be at that part where I listened to that song over and over and over again.

Absolute banger

Geeze the French really know how to do electronica don't they! Daft Punk, Jean-Michel Jarre, Air - and Justice! So good I loved the gritty electronic vibes, the bits where it pulled right back to the riff and then built all the way back up! Yes, I'm here for this and this album is going on the rotation. I'd only listened to (and loved) We are your friends - Justice Vs Simian and I don't know why I never listened any further. I'd say this is probably closer to a 4.5, and there are a few tracks I wasn't as into - but I'm giving it a 5 because its rad

alr frick you guys. this album was an absolute blast to listen to. on par with discovery for sure. my middle school music taste and nothing has changed. jacob its onteresting you say video game background music because i was playing cuphead whilst indulging. didnt fit very well with the theme but a solly coincidence perhaps. the repetitive sound of the music makes it easy to listen to and who needs thought provocation when you dance? not me. anyways this album is an instant classic for me. perhaps goat status??

Супер-важный для меня альбом, ноу скипс, бэнгерс. Классика, и абсолютная вершина, которую эта группа, к сожалению, наверное уже никогда не переплюнет. Лучшая песня - DVNO.

An absolute masterpiece of electronic music. Absolutely mind blowing production and arrangements across 12 tracks that you can just dance to for every moment they are playing. This album never holds back or is ever afraid to commit to a risky idea, and it pays off every time, being full of some of the most unique and original moments of any dance album in the last 20 years.

Classic, love this

One of the first albums, next to daft punks alive, to get me into electronic music. I just sounds so grandiose. I really liked to listen to it again after some years of not really listening to it anymore. The opening is just so good.

Holy shit! This is one of my son's favorite albums of all time. We were luck enough to see them live earlier this year. One of the most energetic shows I’ve ever seen, it was incredible. Cross was the debut album of the French EDM band Justice and quick rocketed the band to worldwide fame for good reason. The use of intense keyboards, combined with bass-heavy music incorporated elements of rock, metal and disco in a unique and fantastic way. The incorporation of familiar elements from other genres make this album a perfect gateway into electronic music for those not previously familiar. However, I think what really makes the album special in the emotional journey it takes the listener on. From the opening moments of "Genesis" listener knows, deep in gut knowledge, that they are about to be launched on a musical journey, then they drop you back down to Earth gently as the sounds of "One Minute to Midnight" fade away. The first time I heard the album in its entirety, I literally took a deep breath. When Justice composed Cross they sometimes spent weeks composing a song, dissecting each moment so that the sounds integrated seamlessly and projected to the listener their intended emotional impact. While the songs are each distinct from each other, they integrate together seamlessly, while also keeping you wondering where you are going next. There is no fluff here. I had no idea the album was on the list, but it certainly deserves to be here. Other than perhaps Daft Punk, I cannot think of a band that has had a larger influence on electronic music.

Perfect opener with some mind-blowing transitions between songs. There are some duds on the tracklist, who really stand out because the rest is so good. Still an essential listen to anyone who likes electronic music/house that's a little dark and gritty

Not what I expected at all and incredibly enjoyable. Love some electronic music to get my morning started.

This album makes me very nostalgic - I was in my early 20s, mostly an indie fan, but dabbling in some 'acceptable to rock listeners' electronica. Daft Punk, LCD Soundsystem, Chemical Brothers, Four Tet and the like. Justice were another one, so I have some bias on this but I think it stands up really well. Unlike some electronic albums it doesn't totally overstay its welcome; although the last 2-3 tracks do get a bit repetitive, it's nothing compared to something like the Prodigy or Goldie in that respect. They create some really great, catchy tunes, despite being mostly instrumental, and the production is just.. LOUD! And that can't be a bad thing when the songs are this good

Super fun!

Hot diggity

I was blown away by how good this was.

Yessss!

Megusta

Banger after banger. This is the ultimate album for the gym.

Didn’t expect to see this album on here so was very excited to see that it was my album today. An immediate 5, one of the nowt important albums in my life. This hit right when I turned 18 and the whole Ed Banger/Boys Noize thing was going on, so my Saturday nights were filled with going to places that played this kind of sample-heavy electro house. Nothing comes close to Cross for me though. Effortlessly cool, grittier than Daft Punk, not as self-deprecating as LCD Soundsystem, and with one of the greatest closing tracks on any album. A great reminded that Uffie was a thing as well.

Eines meiner Lieblingsalben. Einzig The Party ist bisschen schwächer, ansonsten durchgehend Banger.

10/10

This album makes you feel. Incredible groove, fun and the highlight Stress is a flood of cortisol. Amazing.

Kinda the opposite effect from the previous album I listened to ("Seventeen Seconds"). I also listened to this a bunch of times but it was because it was so good. D.A.N.C.E. is maybe....the greatest song ever written? 😂 Several others were such amazing surprises. Hear me now lord, bring me more Justice albums.

A+++ very intense electro dance

Holy Shit I did not expect to love this as much as I did. The bass on this thing is so crunchy and big, and it makes every song sound massive in scale. Justice was apparently going for a "Opera-Disco" style similar to a Rock-Opera album, and it succeeds in strides. This album feels like a Electronic/Disco journey for lack of a better word. I was worried the energy would die down too much, but it never did and just kept on rolling. If I had a complaint, it's that I wished they played up the theatrics more with some of the vocals. The lyrics aren't taking themselves too seriously, mostly joking about partying. That doesn't really change much though, and the Theatrics in the production alone carry in that department. Honestly might be a 10/10, I'm super surprised at how cool this was. Nice job, Justice.

If you don't get hyped up listening to this album, then I don't trust you. It's banger after banger after banger with a perfect blend of noise and hooks. Absolute insanity that 'D.A.N.C.E.' was not the lead single Every single track could find its' way to my playlist - okay perhaps not 'Tthhee Ppaarrttyy', because that one really makes no sense outside of the world created on †. Also, I had the biggest jump scare of my life when putting on the Italian Giallo film Tenebre and having the theme from 'Phantom' blasted at me full volume from 40 years in the past.

With the sole exception of “Tthhee Ppaarrttyy”, † is just banger upon banger. It’s the perfect mix of electronic noise and danceable pop production. French perfection.

5 stars

More of this please!

Reminds me a lot of Daft Punk. D.A.N.C.E and One Minute To Midnight were my favorites, but the whole album is super vibey. The concept of microsamples is interesting too. They used regular samples in some of the songs, but for most of the album they took small pieces from hundreds of songs and frankensteined them together to create something unique.

This album took me by surprise. There are so many unexpected voices, and vulgarity, though it's not hip hop, we even can see a video of some dudes beating people up and music is still playing behind. I didn't expect a girl to be present in the album. Very original.

Another top notch electronic entry. Can really hear the influence it has on dub music. Really fun, never boring.

Masterpiece

This is some really great dance music. The bass lines are filthy, the builds are captivating, and everything maintains momentum which prevents me from getting bored unlike lots of other dance music. Very diverse.

Excellent production. Waters of Nazareth made my ears feel funny in a good way. Great mix of dance and glitch which is a favorite of mine. The hits certainly hit on this one and the rest of the tracks support them splendidly. 10 weeks till Bonnaroo.

A wise man once said "Fuck yeah, Justice." Not sure if I have ever fully listened to this album but definitely know a majority of the songs. Starts off with an absolute banger of Genesis, DANCE is such a fun song, and the Phantoms are so great. Such an industrial sounding techno with beats that are not super repetitive which is an mega plus for me when it comes to electronic music. Love when I can give back to back 5s two days in a row. Going to absolute lose my mind when we see Justice at Bonnaroo coming up in a couple months.

Closest thing well ever get to Daft Punk. Justice rulez. Album got me through some late nights working a few years ago. Ready to lose it at Roo to these guys. Genesis is just an all timer of an opener. Scratches all the itches. Great transitions all across the board. Everyone knows D.A.N.C.E. and for good measure. This song is just so catchy and danceable. I'm literally dancing right now. Can't tell which part of Phantom I like more both bang. Valentine is the perfect interlude song after those hard hitters. The Party is just fun. Stress is stressful in the best way possible. One Minute to Midnight is like a spiritual successor to Television Rules The Nation. Not a huge EDM guy but this is my favorite type.

Incredible

Classic init. Loved it in my 20s.

4.5 Banger

Wow, what a great album. Super funky and groovy. All the tracks flow together really nicely too. Great production throughout too. Low 5.

This list invests so much in showcasing UK electronic acts, and every single one of those gets completely smoked by the French and German offerings.

Coolest album of its kind, 5/5 might edit later but yeah

Kwaliteitsmuziek. Hoewel ik dit niet maandelijks aanzet en m'n electro-periode alweer een jaar of 14 achter me ligt, vind ik dit nog steeds wel tof en het is wat mij betreft ook terecht dat het in deze lijst staat. Ik vind dit persoonlijk leuker dan het alom geprezen 'Discovery' en 'Homework' van Daft Punk. Verder heb ik hier echt bijzonder weinig over te melden. Ik twijfel tussen de 4 en 5 sterren, maar ik ga toch voor de 5.

Just a fantastic electronic album.