St. Germain - World rhythms and deep grooves from a French Touch master

It’s been twenty years since St Germain’s debut full-length album ‘Boulevard’ hypnotised listeners with an inimitable style of French Touch, ousting the brasher elements of the sound and instead interspersing deep grooves with elements of jazz, blues and dub, all alongside samples from the likes of the late Gil Scott Heron.

St Germain, real name Ludovic Navarre, had previously worked under a number of aliases including Deepside, Sub System and Choice, as well as with iconic producers like Laurent Garnier and DJ Deep, but it was ‘Boulevard’ that introduced the Parisian to a discerning global audience.

In Session: St Germain by Mixmag on Mixcloud

Five years later he followed it up with ‘Tourist’, another classic album that continued St Germain’s distinctive sound, riding the line between deep and downtempo French house and acid jazz. The record went on to sell over three million copies worldwide and opened with the unmistakeable ‘Rose Rouge’, a sensual track that has since soundtracked countless Ibizan sunsets.