From punk bassist to Paris sound engineer, then creator of some of the most sublime house melodies of the last thirty years, Étienne de Crécy is an artist in perpetual motion.
 

Étienne de Crécy is undoubtedly best known for his classic album Super Discount, which embodied all that was chic, soulful and innovative about the emergence of the French Touch when it was released in 1997. But Étienne de Crécy's roots go back long before Super Discount, and he continues to release fantastic music today, making him one of the few French Touch legends still touring, producing and innovating in 2023.
 

After playing bass in a punk band “that never really existed”, Étienne de Crécy's first steps in music date back to the early 90s, when he landed a job as a sound engineer at the legendary +XXX studio in Paris. It was there, between coffee runs and other tasks, that he met Philippe Zdar. The two became the Motorbass duo, inspired by the burgeoning Paris rave scene.
 

After attracting international interest with their first EP (in 1993), the duo released their debut album Pansoul three years later, to great acclaim, celebrated for its very French, gentle and infinitely elegant approach to Chicago house. It became one of the first French house albums to attract attention beyond France's borders.
 

Today, Étienne de Crécy remembers Pansoul for its musical freedom: “We felt totally free,” he explains. “Back then, the rules weren't so strict in electronic music. Philippe Zdar had the idea: “Instead of doing a single or a double single, let's do an album.” And that was quite unheard of at the time: to create a house album.”
 

Super Discount, Étienne de Crécy's solo but collaborative project, was a critical and commercial success when its first volume was released in 1997. It featured a wave of emerging talents, including Air (whose very first song, Modulor Mix in 1995, was mixed and produced by Étienne de Crécy) and Alex Gopher.
 

Following the release of Daft Punk's Homework, Super Discount shows that something very special is afoot in France; the record's blend of deep house, jazz, hip-hop and reggae hints at a kaleidoscopic talent. “I'm really proud of Super Discount,” says Étienne de Crécy. “And I think it's perhaps the variety of this album that represents the French Touch. Because the French Touch isn't really a sound. If you listen to Air and Daft Punk, people used to say that was French Touch - but their music is really different.”
 

In 2000, Étienne de Crécy released Tempovision, an album that broke away from the Super Discount model, opting for an electronic soul sound that was equally suited to home listening and introspective dancing. The single Am I Wrong reaches number 44 in the UK charts.
 

“After Tempovision, the French Touch collapsed,” explains Étienne de Crécy. “And I had to start from scratch.” This revival took the form of Super Discount 2, released in 2004, where Étienne de Crécy returned to the methods of his first hit from 1997, with guests like Philippe Zdar, Boombass, Alex Gopher and DJ Mehdi, but in an acid, sample-free mood that fitted perfectly with the new wave of French producers inspired by Ed Banger and the nascent Electroclash movement.
 

“Some of my DJ friends told me: “No, I didn't listen to Super Discount 2 because I thought it was another French Touch album”, says Étienne de Crécy. “But young people did listen to it: those who were discovering music with Electroclash were familiar with the album.”
 

In the years that followed, Étienne de Crécy released a series of impeccable EPs - notably the Commercial series with its raw, punk sound - before returning to Super Discount in 2015 for Volume 3. This vocally-influenced project shows another facet of his talent, and its striking design maintains continuity with previous Super Discount installments. Collaborators include Kilo Kish, De La Soul and Madeline Follin of Cults, a line-up that reflects De Crécy's international status.
 

Super Discount 3 also introduces Baxter Dury to the world of Étienne de Crécy, with the English singer lending his voice to the song Family. This collaboration would bear fruit again when Étienne de Crécy, Dury and Delilah Holliday formed B.E.D in 2018, producing a brilliant self-titled album that fused electro-pop, soul, house and punk.
 

Between these two releases, Étienne de Crécy released the After EP series, four discs of immaculate electro music inspired by progressive house. “I was really moved by these cheap chords and sounds,” says Étienne de Crécy. “They remind me of the feelings you get at a rave where the music is both romantic and kitschy - cheap pleasures.”
 

In addition to his exquisite musicianship, his records also stand out for their captivating, polished aesthetics, illustrating an artist who attaches great importance to the look and sound of his work. “The visual is very important to me,” he explains. “Over the years, I've tried to keep a consistent design line. In music, I like to be influenced by new styles and evolve. But for design, I prefer to stay focused.”
 

Étienne de Crécy is also highly respected as a live performer, having pushed the boundaries of electronic music on his Super Discount, Space Echo and Beats 'n' Cubes tours. His shows are designed to offer an immersive audiovisual experience: Beats 'n' Cubes, for example, blends a dazzling aesthetic - six cubic meters of luminous architecture - with a show of dizzying intensity.
 

Alongside these creations, Étienne de Crécy has also enjoyed a long and successful DJ career, his funky sets and adventurous spirit in demand from Barcelona to Mexico City, making him one of the most enduring DJs to emerge from the French Touch. And he's not finished yet. In 2023, De Crécy is preparing something very special, with more surprises in store.
 

After all these years of innovation and success, moving hearts, minds and dancefloors, De Crécy says he's “still a big fan of electronic music.” “Since I'm a DJ, I have to find new music all the time. And every week, I discover a new track, a new sound, a new style,” concludes Étienne de Crécy. “It's incredible.” - The same could be said of his career.