Versatile France Vinyl & CDs

Review: Five years ago, French record collector Vidal Benjamin wowed us with "Disco Sympathie", a killer compilation of obscure Gallic disco and boogie gems. For this similarly dusty-fingered follow-up, he's set his gaze on French new wave and synth-pop. It's an entertaining and eye-opening listen that moves from the samba-chanson of Cecilia and the fizzing electro-funk of Electropic, to the sweet and cheery synth-pop of "Reserve". Highlights in between include the bustling synth-pop sleaziness of Sonia's "J'Sais Plus Ou J'En Suis", the throbbing new wave quirkiness of Milpatte's "Je Vais Danser" and the low-slung post-punk pop of I:Cube's fresh re-edit of Yogo's "Reve De Star".