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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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?”

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!

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

MY FAVORITE

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)

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.

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.

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

Absolutely love this album. I could have sworn it came out even earlier cause I swear I remember listening to it in highschool before '05. Every song on this album is a banger, I even like The Party which everyone in these reviews seems to dislike. Favorite tracks: Let There Be Light, Phantom, Phantom Pt II. What introduced me to these guys was "Groovy Dancing Girl #2" on youtube. Turns out that was uploaded in 2007 so my memory is indeed foggy on timelines.

Sooooo good. I recognized a bunch of the songs but could not have time you who they were by. Easy 5.

2017. electro house

Awesome. Best dance album i have listened to

What a find!!!!!! The amount of time and the detail required to parse 400+ microsamples and stitch them together in this masterpiece is incredible. Ya’ll know I’m a sucker for electronica and this one is right up there. They brought the energy and the creativity to blow me away.

Love it, the french know their electronic 5/5

Vuuurrr super album

Yes

Fav: Valentine Least Fav: The Party If your worst track on the album is The Party, you’re doing something right. So far these electronica picks have been perfect

Pretty good way to start the week. Dance club music on a Monday morning. Boogie in the kitchen.

Surprised to have recognized Genesis and Stress. This was a fantastic electronic album that grabbed my attention right from the start.

Back to back 5*

Super creative album with a lot of diversity in the song selection, especially for dance album. Also very catchy (of course).

I love pop electronica. This feels like a precursor to dubstep, where I feel electronic really started pushing the boundaries for exotic "Transformer" sounds. Similar to the group Ratatat. The best here is Genesis, D.A.N.C.E., and Stress, which is genuinely stressful.

Incredible! This feels like a cornerstone of noughties dance - its clear as day that this was influenced by the likes of LCD Soundsystem, and feels like it went on to influence electronic, dance and maybe even dubstep music in the following years. Very big fan

VMP

"Cross (stylized as †)" is the debut studio album by French electronic duo Justice. According to the duo, Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay who also self-produced the album, the album was composed as an "opera-disco" album. It contains many samples and microsamples, exceeding 400 including ones from Prince, Britney Spears and Madonna. The album was well-received critically and, commercially, hit #11 on the French charts and #1 on both the US and UK dance charts. The second single "D.A.N.C.E." is a tribute to Michael Jackson. A female is repeating the word "Dance" and "Do the dance". The song is more in the pop vein as the melody and bass sound like various Michael Jsckson songs. It's very catchy. "DVNO" features echoing vocals from Mehdi Pinson. It's funky and has a hard pounding beat. A synth-drum melody and a bass jam outro. "Stress" has fast, anxious, straining sample of David Share's "Night on Disco Mountain" from "Saturday Night Fever." It borders on being annoying. The drum beat is in the background and then picks up. An interesting bell outro. Static noise opens the first single "Waters of Nazareth." Synth keys and a disco beat pick up the pace. A decent song. This album sounds like the "Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack on steroids. It's also in debt to the music of Daft Punk. At the same time, almost every song that I heard emanating from the EDM area (Perry's) this weekend at Lollapalooza sounded somewhat like this album. So, it has been made a big impact on today's EDM scene. All songs have an underlying dance or disco beat. The variety of synths and sounds (mechanical, video game, layers, voices) lends to the variety between songs. I liked this album quite a bit. If you're an EDM, dance or disco fan, you'll like this album too.

This was a sensational album! I loved all the songs on it and I thought it had a great sound! Can't believe I've never heard of this album before

Really only knows the song “D. A. N. C. E.” but loved the whole record! Turns out I’m much more of a fan of electronic music than I thought. 5/5

I see no reason why i would not give this a 5 even if i try looking for excuses and the fact "The Party" is cheesy as hell. It sounds so powerful and full and the quality is amazing. What a fun listen I totally did not expect to like it this much.

My only knowledge of 10cc is from the guardians of the galaxy soundtrack so my expectations were pretty ambivalent to low which turned out in the albums favor. It started out pretty lame but gradually got more interesting as it went along even if it was only in brief moments and not any single song was a banger from start to finish. Baron samedi cane the closest though.

Justice are one of the only acts comparable to Daft Punk for me. I heard this album live in 2012, and it was intense. The whole album goes hard, isn't too long and is paced very well. Genesis is such a badass start to the album. "Phantom" and "Phantom Pt. II", and "One Minute to Midnight" are my favorite songs. 9/10 This album is iconic. Album art is sick too.

French touch

Deserved classic status

Not at all what I expected

A flawless expression of everything an electronica duo can and should be. Brilliantly visualized in its samples, soundstage and music videos. Absolutely as vital as anything ever put out by Pet Shop Boys, Basement Jaxx, Daft Punk, or Boards of Canada. This has all the style The Chainsmokers would later reach for without the servile fealty they swear to what will market profitably. Absolutely an essential electronica / DJ album, bar no era.

I adore this album as it was foundational in my clubby French DJ Duo phase

Even better than I remembered, daaaaaamn <3

5/5. I can admit not every song is perfect on here but gosh darn is this not a banger front to back or what? Each instrumental has unique beats and rhythms while sticking to the formula. The features are fun and the only improvement would be a more diverse track list setup such as 2 instrumentals -> song -> 2 instrumentals -> song, etc. Otherwise, awesome album still front to back. Best Song: Genesis, DVNO, Waters of Nazareth

Cross is Justice's debut album, and the album made the French producers into international stars. They bill the album as a "disco opera," an the result is one of the best electronic dance album ever produced. Their electro-house songs make extensive used of samples, and have an upbeat musicality that make the songs unforgettable.

Ich hol das jetzt no will das Album sött mir gfalle. Ersts sample mega geil, fuck de ersti bass ballert scho, genesis isch es meisterwerk. D.A.N.C.E isch so cool... Das barocke zügs passt so guet So viel gueti songs, ein klare sound mit gnueg abwechslig. De Mix isch so fest glimited und troche, ich han biz whiplash, aber es tönt guet und LUUUT

oooh des yes yes yes genesis isch soooo geil so choppy so aggressiv und denn de gitarre teil wie heeend sie 2007 gmacht?? let there be light isch nuur weirdi sounds und denn de haaardi bass wa laaauft. DÖLÖÖÖÖT (generalpause) DÖÖÖÖÖÖT und denn drums ohhhhh ja und denn komischs epiano und schöni chords? hää? ich liiiieb d.a.n.c.e. es SLAPPT SO HERT. jede ton isch e ander sample. am schluss fucking pachelbel?? newjack so autowerbig musig aber hert geil phantom goht glich nervös wiiter aber d kick soo geil und wenns alles use goht AAAAH. und wa isch da füren hääässlicje bass ich lieben. uiii no meh synthis wo nonie en filter gseh hend aaaaah yes boah de bass vreak in phantom fuuuck part 2 gad au insane bruuuudi irgendwie fühlts sich ah als hätted sie irgendwie cheated. valentine actually e cuti melodie und so plus ich lieb de crackle sound. ah und s wurli tönt wie supertramp. denn counter melody uf ihrem synth dings aaah. übergang in the party iconic. the party vilicht ein vode grösste banger ever plus e masterclass in edging? jo. d antwort isch jo. fuuuck isch de song. wer isch sie? wieso blibts so herrrrrt im ohr? sie reimt crazy uf naughty?? ES GOHT SO LANG BISES LOSGOHT. mmmmh DVNO isch sooo weird wie hends sich afoch traut d vocals elai mit ihrne 1000 effekt laufe loh? stress iconic. het gad glöscht wani gschriebe han aber ha nöd gwüsst dases es kontroverses musigvideo geh het muni no luege. waters of nazareth boppt hert de hani vergesse gha alli songs gönd inenand ine findi suuuper.

Wow, I didn’t know there was another artist capable of doing what Daft Punk does. Prog-techno… is that a term? That’s how I’d describe both Daft Punk and Justice. This album has experimental bangers with weird rhythms and glitchy beat switches but also songs like “D.A.N.C.E.” which is pure dance floor candy and “The Party” which has incredibly charming guest vocals that feel like a monologue designed to pump you up for a Friday night out. And then a song like “Stress” comes in like a disco hurricane. I kept having to check to see when songs ended too — it’s mixed like a continuous DJ set. Brilliant album.

hey i hacked you

I really like this album. Cool sounds, very stimulating and danceable. Good movie soundtrack

Awesome album - these guys are excellent.

hurmuri,hypnoosialbumi, viehättäjät ranskanalaiset... sokea soittoniekka.. keskiosassa paskoja biisejä mutta prkl kyllä tykkään tästä pistää hyvälle päälle hurmurit.. olisi 16v meikän suosikkialbumeita mutta voin nykyäänkin kuunnella hävettämättä. toivottavasti lisää ranskalaisia ja brittejä ja saksalaisia elektronika artisteja tulee lisää.. ja ei vittu koskaan alankomaista tai belgiasta turhaa seutua, mitään sieltä tullut EI ALBUMEITA SIELTÄ...... EI KOSKAAN KIITOS... vahingossakaan laita semmoista tulelle. ....and justice of rall stress

I know this album by heart

I really liked this a lot. Like it was great. Yes I was surprised. 4.5

I've listened through this album hundreds of times by now. It is practically solely responsible for shaping my late teens. I can't not give it 5/5.

kleine Geschister von Stromae, synth-electro mit und ohne Gesang

Killer album. It's bops all the way down.

TIL all those great songs I could never assign to an artist were Justice Maybe the Metallica live album would have been better if they had collaborated with them, and maybe call the album "...and Justice for All"

Great dance album.

Just unpretentious fun. It goes hard.

This is the peak of electronic music, this is where it ends, and while other albums have tried to revitalize it in its entirety, whether that be the rise and fall of dubstep, its influence on pop music, or even good attempts such as Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, this is still where I consider it to have gone all out. It scratches every itch in my brain with its sharp melodies, while still knowing when to make a fantastic pop song or two, and on the opposite spectrum making the most sinister club bangers to ever be on market, all made on GarageBand of all things. There's rich instrumentation, fantastic bass, and I really love the more experimental stuff, such as the radio fuzz in Newjack, or the raw terror of Stress, which is perhaps the most apt song title in music history. Every single song here gets me hyped instantly, whether I actually feel like moving, am just driving my car, or sitting at home, this album always gets me in the mood to fucking jam. And those transitions! They're holy, some of the best in music. You can start this album and play it through to the end as one big song and be just as satisfied, something I feel a lot of albums from the 2000s lack. There isn't a track on here that I haven't adored at some point, and I truly find it to be a masterclass of music in general. I see why some would find it be generic, especially after the before mentioned dupstep boom, but for 2006 this is out of this world. It wears its influences on its sleeve, yes, but it elevates those influences to be something greater, and I truly think there is no match for it, save for perhaps Daft Punk's Discovery (well, and Sparks' No. 1 in Heaven but we're talking about another world with that one) and I'm so glad to have it in my life. The whole album is as if you were to ascend to Heaven and find out its just one big rave up there, and that is perhaps my favorite depiction of Heaven, and the religious iconography is a cool set piece without feeling cheesy. I just adore this record. God!

Listening to this album for the first time in 2023 was like a revelation. I had spent much of my adolescence, around 2011-2013, developing what would become my first self-made musical taste, listening to artists that were emulating this album. To finally hear it a decade later was like a veil had been lifted. I understood.

LOS PUTOS GOATs No necesitan recomendarme altísimos temardos. Si si aixina si, bastante upbeat tot. En acabar me'l tornaré a escoltar 11/5

oh lord its peak

Unbelievable. Listened 3 times

guy probably makes music the same way i use to smash buttons on the keyboard in year 7, yet sounds incredible

More of a 4.5 I love this albums it’s something listen to a lot. The aggressive synths / metal style production does it for me. The more vocal driven tracks on this album I find less enjoyable. One of my top alums of all time.

Bouncing beats, warped bass Non stop dance party special Unique electronic

You can’t convince me this isn’t Daft Punk sans helmets 5/5

Amazing album. Saw them live in Osheaga. Not a single song on this record I would skip.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this album since I wasn't familiar with the band at all. Even so, it was an amazing experience and I shall recommend this one to anyone that vibes with electro stuff. Fav tracks: - D.A.N.C.E. - Phantom Pt. II - The Party

Greatest electro record of all time

Love the deep notes. The bass really hits in the chest. Lots of songs I've heard but would never have been able to name the artist until now. Now I know. There must be some rocket League songs in here. After finishing this album, I give it a solid 5 stars. It has hints of everything.... Or rather, everything has hints of IT. Definitely a defining compilation of familiar sounds.

Super surprised by this one, really excellent electronic music. Waters of Nazareth is excellent!

Loved listening to this, breath of fresh air to have contemporary experimental-ish music. Going into my rotation of albums. 9/10

Justice are a French electronic/dance duo. It's like modern, electronic disco mixed with funk and house/techno music. It's really fuckin solid. What sets if apart from other electronica albums is the fact that it actually has a discernable beat and direction as opposed to just ambling about and not really accomplishing anything. It is very bass heavy. Similar to Daft Punk or Mr. Oizo or deadmau5. Favourite songs: Waters of Nazareth, Genesis, Let There Be Light, Newjack, Phantom, Phantom Pt. II, One Minute to Midnight Least favourite songs: Valentine 5/5

Hmm

Loved it

I love this album

good

Not only did I listen to the whole thing. I listened three times. It was a pleasure. genesis and one minute to midnight are the best songs

Great album 10/10

amazing. Loved it

Top tier album

amazing french edm

Favorite tracks: Genesis and D.A.N.C.E.

Fijne elektronische plaat. De rauwe nummers hebben wat weg van het rauwere werk van The Chemical Brothers. Deze heren lijken graag nog een tikje of een kraakje toe te voegen, bij voorkeur naast een mini-stilte. Daarmee halen ze het wat uit balans. Wat hen toch vijf sterren minder oplevert, dan de broers. Komen ze nog steeds uit op een respectabele 5 sterren. Meer van dit genre graag!

Funky baslijntjes, hiephoi! Maar dan in een moddervette french electro house variant. Af en toe komen er nog wat gameboy geluidjes voorbij. Huismerk Daft Punk dekt volledig de lading. Dit is iets wat je live wil zien in een volle dampende stampende festivaltent. Zoals Pendulum op Dour. Of zoals Daft Punk vrij aardig heeft weten te pakken op hun Alive 2007 albums. En dan maakt het niet eens uit dat ze alleen maar op play hebben gedrukt.

Another album from my younger days that was an absolute staple. Havent had it on in years but even after the first note of Genesis it took me back to my 96 reg Corsa. Genesis is the track I’d have as my walkout theme if I was a boxer or a darts player, or if I was putting together a compilation of goals for Football Focus. Anyway, I loved this then and I love it now. Its cool as fuck without it ever being a dickhead. It makes me wish I could pull off a leather jacket and a fancy haircut and take up smoking. Manages to capture a lot of what was mint about mid 00s music without any of that landfill rubbish that clogged things up. Electro, dance, indie, some funky bass riffs. It’s big and bold without being crass. Here’s a big hill I’m prepared to die on: this is better than anything their compatriots Daft Punk ever did. 10/10

Along with daft punk and MSTRKTFT, Justice are the sort of rock driven dance music I can get on board with. Very nostalgic, D.A.N.C.E was an indie club staple in the uni days. While it isn't that varied, I'm not sure you'd expect much variation from an album like this. While I do have this album on my phone, not sure if I've listened to it in the last 5 years, so was great to hear again.

Really surprised by this - I can tolerate Daft Punk, and so roughly new what to expect. Valentine, Phantom Pt. II, Dance, and Genesis were my favourites. Sort of felt amped up but also chilled out afterwards. I didn't actually realise that so much of this album is used on soundtracks - felt sort of nostalgic and exciting. Almost no tracks outstayed their welcome either - and one or two ended too soon for me, which is rare. I'm struggling to think of a reason not to give a 5, so 5 it is.

Amazing

Creo que es el único disco que he escuchado de Justice. Muy bueno por cierto

I mean it's a fuckin banger. One of my favourite electronic records ever.