Mr. Oizo, 'Lambs Anger'

The buzz: Ed Banger Records is arguably France’s trendiest and most popular electronic music label. Home to acts like dance rockers Justice and sassy faux-gangstress Uffie, it’s also where Mr. Oizo (Quentin Dupieux), a veteran techno producer whose moniker translates as “Mr. Bird,” chose to roost for his fourth album.

The verdict: "Lambs Anger" evokes the fun and frivolity of disco, rave and old-school rap. “Gay Dentists” is a cheeky poke at countless diva-driven house music anthems, using a punchy sample of Hamilton Bohannon’s oft-ripped disco tune “Let’s Start the Dance.” “Bruce Willis Is Dead” brilliantly parodies the early ‘90s rave classics “Michael Jackson Is in Heaven Now” and “James Brown Is Dead,” the latter written when the Godfather of Soul was actually still alive. “Two Takes It” featuring Carmen Castro briefly dips into the ‘80s for a rework of the old-school rap tune “It Takes Two” by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock. And “Steroids” presents a cute vocal turn from Uffie, and is also a good term to describe the energy during the whole set.

Did you know? Mr. Oizo first made a splash on international dancefloors with 1999’s “Flat Beat.” The song was used in a European TV commercial for Levi's Jeans that featured Flat Eric, an adorable yellow puppet made by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop after a drawing done by Oizo himself.

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