A French Music Tour in 27 Tracks

27 Tracks Full Of French FlavorAccording to stereotypes held the world over, French people, particularly Parisians, disdain outsiders. They're insular and unfriendly. "Snooty" seems to be the adjective most commonly associated with this culture. Though there may be some shade on Paris' streets, as there is everywhere, it's a very different story on France's collective dance floor.

For decades, from the out-of-this-world disco sound ofSheila B. Devotion to record producerEd Banger's stable today, France has exported some of the world's most upbeat and jubilant electronic music, which, taken together, is broadly referred to as French House.

Here we offer a pretty sizable sample ? 27 tracks, 23 artists ? of the Franco sound. We haveCerrone, of course, and his contemporary,Space, both of whom could be considered grand daddies to the French house and electronic scenes.

Familiar faces likeDaft Punk andAir are thrown into the mix, and so too are less well-known but just as influential acts like?tienne de Cr?cy andSurkin.

Aside from the occasional existential-tinged love song,Martin Solveig's 'Dry,' most of the tracks here are unabashedly joyous, likeBob Sinclair's ever-optimistic "World Hold On" andBreakbot's more recent hit "Break of Dawn."

If you're worried about understanding the words, don't worry; unlike that other stereotype, that the French hate English-speakers, most of the nation's artists know their tracks get more plays if they're sung in the more accessible tongue. Or, to avoid any language barrier, remove the words entirely.

If you don't have Spotify, visit their website and download it. It's free and fabulous.