Dub About Me, by Miss Kittin, on I.Com (2004)
I.Com is the first official solo work of the french DJ, but she had already released several albums before, most of them in duo with The Hacker. However, the sound here is more personal, the ambiance more intimate, with songs alternating between energetic experiments and atmospheric ballads.
Dub About Me is a masterpiece of downtempo electronica. Lead by the artist's plaintive voice supplicating for attention, the repetitive beats grow on you, electronic heartbeats replacing your own, and evolve into a wide construction inviting a robot-like voice to reply, repeating the verses in synthetic tones. The opposition forms a beautiful electronic duet, a simplistic relationship but direct love with a machine. A popular theme among electronic artists (Daft Punk, Air, Kraftwerk, etc), but crafted with subtlety in this song.
After all, isn't it the ultimate solitude of our techno-age, when the only one to answer you is your computer, paradoxically boasting emotions ("Do you really want to see me cry?")? Thanks to the machines, the artist builds envelopping articial sounds creating an ambience of organic quietness, an audio cocoon in which your ears will like to rest when tired of the material world.
Happy Violentine is another highlight of this album, sharing the smooth quiteness of Dub About Me. The construction follows the artist's usual pattern: slow beats, her feminine voice, and a plethora of unidentified sounds forming the audio texture. Another dreamy ambience, enhanced by a reverberating piano solo and the ethereal ending of the song.
The rest of the album is more upbeat, featuring sounds right out of an electronic factory, amusing lyrics and rousing rhythms. Highlights include Professional Distortion, Allergic, Soundtrack of Now, Neukölln 2.
