After the warm reception of 2022’s French Collection Vol. I, Berlin workhorse Dompe doubles down on the filter-funk aesthetic that first turned heads on the underground house circuit. Vol. II isn’t a nostalgic retread; it’s a meticulously engineered update that slots comfortably between the punch of modern tech-house and the warmth of late-’90s French touch. Think Roule swagger, but with the sub-bass extension today’s systems demand.
French Toast opens the LP with a rubbery Moog bassline that ducks beneath velvet-cut disco guitar—an instant signal that the record’s mix-down prioritises headroom over loudness wars. The filtering is musical, not gimmicky: resonance peaks are tamed, leaving space for highs to shimmer. Touch The Sky pushes the tempo and the optimism, layering gospel-schooled vocal chops over Rhodes stabs that swell with tasteful side-chain compression. DJs looking for a mid-set uplift will file this beside classics like Music Sounds Better With You.
On Together the mood turns deeper: detuned pads tease a minor-key melancholy while 909 rimshots keep the swing loose. The contrast pays off when Energy Haze slams in—arguably the album’s peak-time weapon. A 32-bar build whips filtered strings into white-noise hysteria before dropping to a snarling bass riff that screams for the strobes. Expect to hear it rinsed on Berlin rooftops and Barcelona warehouses alike.
The record’s spine, however, lies in its middle third. Flipper and French Open feel purpose-built for creative mixing: long intro bars, negative-space breakdowns and motifs that loop cleanly in the three-band EQ sweet spots. Fruity Juice earns the sleeper-hit tag; its reverse-chopped vocal and off-beat claps let you layer acapellas for days.
Every good full-length needs a breather, and Slipper supplies it—four minutes of hazy filter-house dub that resets the ear before the triumphant Springtime re-injects colour with horn swells and classic disco fills. Dialog Loop lands in the penultimate slot, a DJ tool whose hypnotic vocal snips and percolating percussion could roll indefinitely under FX sends. The promo-only Gummy Bears closes proceedings with sugar-rush synth flourishes; a smart move that ensures vinyl buyers and pool subscribers feel rewarded.
From a technical perspective, Vol. II is mastered by Deafhouse Audio for dynamic range rather than sheer LUFS, a decision paying dividends on club rigs where transient punch matters more than meter slamming. The sonic colour palette stays cohesive—vinyl heads will appreciate the unified low-mid warmth—yet each track is carved distinctly enough to avoid monotony.
