finetune artist: Rinocerose

Named after a painting by 50s psychiatric patient Galston Duff, rinrse are a Montpellier, France-based innovative house outfit. Formed in 1995 around husband-and-wife guitar-and-bass duo Jean-Philippe Freu (b. 1962, Montpellier, France) and Patou (b. Patrice Carri, 1966, Montpellier, France), who also work as social psychologists by day (he lectures, while she writes educational CD-ROMS). Although bracketed with the French filtered house explosion of the late 90s, they owe more in style to independent rock music than dance music. Recording initially for the Spanish label Elefant Dance, the pair released the Bloodsport EP in July 1997 with dub-loving programmer/producer Johnny Palumbo. After assembling a seven-piece touring band around them, the duo signed to French major label PIAS and released the EP Le Mobilier in 1998. After receiving favourable press while supporting Underworld, rinrse were signed to V2 Records in 1999. With its cover illustration of Concorde signaling their retro take on the future, their album debut, Installation Sonore, received a rapturous reception and provided a more than suitable fill-in for those awaiting Daft Punk's as then-unreleased second album. Opening track "La Guitaristic House Organisation" was irresistible, a mixture of infectious, Etienne De Crcy-style Super Discount house, suffused with a reliance on mixed-forward distorted guitar. The Mod clothing in the video for "La Guitaristic House Organisation" further set out the case for their retro-futurism. The two-note riff of "Sublimor" with Franck Gauthier's jazzy flute predated St Germain's "Flute Thing" by a year and "I Love Ma Guitare" is a marriage of Ry Cooder's Performance soundtrack with harsh techno beats.

Listen to Rinocerose at Finetune.

La Guitaristic House Organisation
Le Mobilier
Music Kills Me
Radiocapte
Le Triangle