Nicolas Chaix, otherwise known as the prolific Parisian producer I:Cube, is clearly doing his damndest to change such popular notions. His latest -- and easily greatest -- full-length effort, the appropriately titled 3 (it's his third album), offers a number of subtle masterpieces. I:Cube primarily traffics in groovy house and Detroit techno, and it shows here in the sublime "Tunnel Vision," a cut that bursts at the seams with lush, bubbling synth work.
But it's his departures from the norm that may well constitute I:Cube's shining moments here. "Can You Deal With That?" featuring the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA is a unique slab of technofied, uptempo hip-hop. It's banging in spite of the Shaolin MC's mediocre vocal delivery. "La Vie En Communante" may well put house heads to sleep with a wistful dreaminess that recalls Air, but its appeal extends far beyond the dance floor, much like the rest of the album.