Happiness Therapy LP01: The Coast

Album review

The name Jesse Bru first appeared in France in 2012. Spotted by Parisian label Karat, run by the DJ/production duo Alex and Laëtitia Katapult, thanks to his micro-house project Hot Keys (with his fellow countryman Ryan Trann), the Vancouver-based producer achieved great success the following year thanks to his club hit Psychedelic Brain Paint, taken from his debut EP Changing for You. The track was a lo-fi house gem, reminiscent of Motor City Drum Ensemble, featuring samples of crowds going wild and Janis Joplin praying (Work Me Lord, Woodstock version). Jesse Bru then set out down the DJ path which unsurprisingly lead him to Berlin where, to satisfy the bookers, he relentlessly produced EP after EP. Two years ago, tired of this cycle of work, he returned to Vancouver to take stock and to ponder something along the lines of a first album.

The Canadian had already released an LP with 2012's Mid City, but it was more of a collection of tracks than an album. So, The Coast finally gives us the opportunity to enjoy Jesse Bru in long form, with 15 tracks full of small ideas and real treats. As a former hip-hop producer who fell into electronic music after a stint in Montreal, Jesse Bru has always maintained his taste for sampling. He has been doing more and more self-sampling alongside the cornerstone of his success: a warm palette of colours and sounds. Here that assortment of timbres results in a mix of soulful, New York style House - with jewels like All Day Bae and Workin (Should Be Livin), UK garage (Life's Alright), techno (Lucid Dreaming), jazz and drum'n'bass, as on Cmwtme, a sublime track mixing trumpet and amen break. The album is a sort of tribute to the 90s: "I really like electro, breaks, techno and jungle, and super-emotional music," explains Jesse Bru, who cherishes the liberation that this album represents. "I felt like I was doing the same thing all the time, just stringing EPs together to try and stay relevant on stage". With an album of such a high standard, you almost feel like locking Jesse Bru in his studio.  © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz