DAPHNI Joli Mai / 2x LP NEW VINYL / Jiaolong 2017

Double LP version. Earlier in 2017, Daphni (aka Caribou, aka Dan Snaith) released a very special FabricLive mix (FABRIC 186CD) made up of 23 original, unreleased Daphni tracks and four new Daphni edits to widespread critical acclaim. He follows up this mix with the new full-length album, Joli Mai, comprised of extended versions of the tracks from the mix as well as the new, unreleased track "Vulture".

After releasing the remarkable Caribou album Our Love in 2014, Snaith has largely ended his live shows with that group. Instead, armed with an arsenal of exclusive remixes and productions on his thumb drives, Snaith plays extended DJ sets to dancefloors across the world. This year, Daphni DJ sets came into the spotlight when London’s Fabric club tapped Snaith to contribute the 93rd edition of their Fabriclive mix series. Just a few months later, Daphni is back with a new album, Joli Mai, consisting of unmixed, extended versions of many of the tracks from Fabriclive 93. In fact, 11 of the 12 tracks on Joli Mai were first heard in some form on Fabriclive 93. The omitted track, “Vulture,” was featured prominently on Midland’s Fabriclive 94. It’s safe to say Snaith envisioned these tracks exclusively, or at least primarily, for the club.

Snaith is the rare electronic producer who has a totally distinct sound from the jump. You can hear it on the first synth stab, or vibrant arpeggio on a track, where his synths drift and ripple in a fantasia. As Daphni, Snaith’s tight percussion is distinctive, too—his bass drums don’t thwack as much as they thump, creating a rounder-sounding low-end that is physical, but not overly aggressive. There’s an inherent joy on each Daphni track, with rhythms propulsive enough to make you sweat. It all blends together in an alchemy that’s ecstatic but understated—fun, unpretentious, and positive dance music that is neither too flashy nor too dull.