Darabi - Parisian Gangsta Lean

Darabi is the Parisian partnership of Philippe Hallais and Dang Khoa Chau. Following remixes and releases on Klasse, Marketing Music and Get The Curse, the pair have an EP on Magda, Marc Houle & Troy Pierce's Items & Things imprint along side Tim Paris. With their wonky, gangsta inspired disco irreverance they have supplied Pulse with a mix that encompasses James Pants, Metro Area and Chicken Lips. Helen S speaks to the duo about inspirations, studio snacks and the Parisian underground, and show stopping sexual tension.

(Scroll down to download Pulse.068 & tracklisting)

Can you describe your sound right now? Modern Boogie. Our productions tend toward a robotic, cold funk mixed with early 90's house elements. The chorus & vocal gimmicks are obviously really important in our sound. Most times we do vocal parts ourselves rather than sampling r&b and soul acapellas.

For the uninitiated, can you explain a little about gangster basslines? I’d say we both share a big hip hop background. In rap music the production approach is focused on bass and rhythm, same thing for major styles to us like P-Funk and boogie. Consciously or not we probably reproduce this formula.

What's your favourite studio gear for producing gangster bass? Almost any synth can offer a gangster bassline if you manage the right synthesis. Of course monophonic synths like the Little Phatty (Moog) or a Yamaha CS 15, will bring these results easily. But it’s still a kind of misconception because we think you can bring amazing basslines as well out of a poly, we’re talking Roland Juno or Korg Polysix.

And what's your favourite studio snack while producing gangsta bass? Organic italian food, Like a four cheese pizza.

Where do you reference your inspirations? Metroplex the label. Egyptian Lover as much for the music as for the vocals. Teddy Riley, Mark Kinchen. Yeah, we’d say stuff like New Jack Swing and New York’s mid-’90s house scene are a fascination to us. 

What’s hot in the Parisian underground right now? The label In Paradisum that Mondkopf and Guillaume Heuguet are developing at the moment, it’s very far from the reference we were just pointing but their next releases, by Somaticae and Ricardo Tobar, are incredible. The tension and analog processing you get in these records are addressing us on a direct level. Talking about the hot parisian underground scene, obviously Get The Curse is a manifest of it, for the parties at Rex Club (where we are residents alongside Clement Meyer) and the label itself. For that matter, the track closing this mix for Pulse Radio is an extract of the EP from our friend Tomas More, which will soon be released on Get The Curse Music. It’s an amazing piece of slow motion Detroit techno, Tomas is at his best when leaning toward this electronica kind of songs.

Next big thing from you? Our shared EP with Tim Paris is just out on Items & Things. Magda, Troy & Marc put it in their bags for the WMC. We can’t wait to see the reactions! There’s a series of remixes to be released this spring for Scratch Massive (Pschent), Logo (Kitsuné), Max Pask & Remain (Throne Of Blood), as well as a new EP for Marketing Music.

Favourite gig this year? Our parties "Extended" at Parisian club Chez Moune is like a home run every time. This club is one-of-a-kind just by his history as a lesbian cabaret. The party last week was one of the best, all of our friends were partying with us. Some inappropriate content were called… Let’s say the sexual tension in this club is pretty intense.

What are you listening to right now? We’re very impressed by Jimmy Edgar new album : it’s like Blake Baxter, Prince and Model 500 hanging out in the studio. Otherwise we suggest listening to the whole So So Def collection circa 1997 when the spring days are coming up in Paris.

Strangest experience you’ve had when DJing? Last year we accepted a gig in a weird strip club in Pigalle. We had to stop playing when the girls – which weren’t the hottest creatures in the world – were performing their lap dance. Still there was a fun aspect somehow.

Various Items - Tim Paris & Darabi is out now on Items & Things - Get it here.

Download Pulse.068 - Darabi here

Darabi - Player (A Cappella)
Low Jack - Look At My Pyramid
Society Of Silence - Tatoo
Basil Hardhaus - Release 

Metro Area - RMM Special Dub 

The Oliverwho Factory - Nightlights (C2 Bonus Beats)
The Oliverwho Factory - Nightlights
Roman Flügel - N M I S M D
Chicago Skyway - Air (95 Version)
Newcleus - Jam On It (A Chicken Lips Drum Deluxe!) 

Factory Floor - Lying (Darabi Sizzurp Edit)
The Unknow DJ - 808 Beats
Pankow - Boys And Girls (BeTTy Botox Edit)
Bernard Bardie - Party Jacktrack (Oracy's House Call Edit) 

Two Dogs In A House - Next To You
Detroit In Effect - Like No Other 

Darabi - Player (Dub)
Change - This Is Your Time 

Johnwaynes - White Track 

Craig Bratley - Get Up
James Pants - Cosmic Rapp (Egyptian Lover Instrumental)
Architectural - Architectural 04.1 

Mr. DE - Give It Up (Instrumental) 

Tomas More - Break O Dawn 

Listen to Darabi on Pulse Radio