As might be expected from collaboration between a record/clothing label and a party-throwing fashion E-zine, ‘Kitsuné x Ponystep’ is an unprovoked act of chicness. It’s the sort of hipster dance played in Hoxton bars where Young British Artist types bang on about how working class they are over £5 pints of Leffe. This reviewer was ready to rage appropriately, especially after scoping out the artists’ names. D-Pulse? Act Yo Age? Fetch me my shotgun, son; papa’s got a job to do. Fast forward an hour and sound levels appear to have inched into annoy-the-neighbours territory. The volume started its inexorable creep towards hearing hazard with the Two Door Cinema Club’s ‘I Can Talk’, continued rising through Florrie’s poptastic ‘911’ and the electrodisco euphoria of JBAG’s ‘X Ray Sex’ and declared all-out ear war with ‘I Feel Space’, five minutes of retro stylings and dirty synth from Nordic electronaut Lindstrøm. Tunes such as Lo-Fi-Fnk’s irrepressible ‘Steppin’ Out’ and Berlin duo Booka Shade’s bouncy ‘Regeneration’ sealed the day for the forces of dance, the defeated enemy retiring from the field in disorder. Presiding over the victory is Kitsuné regular Jerry Bouthier, whose inventive mix goes a long way to making ‘Kitsuné x Ponystep’ a summery, upbeat joy, guaranteed to make your next overpriced pint taste better.
