Vitalic - Rave Age (2LP) - Purple Vinyl

Released in 2012, Rave Age finds Vitalic sharpening his tools for the dancefloor with a kind of ruthless efficiency that still feels brash and alive. Pascal Arbez-Nicolas has always thrived on big-room electricity, from the Poney EP to OK Cowboy and Flashmob, but this one cuts straight to the muscle. It’s a leaner, faster record, built for nights when the kick drum never lets up and the lights never stop chasing the ceiling.

You can hear the intent in the first few tracks, where the synths bite hard and the drums hit like they’ve been sandblasted. Vitalic is a master at making machines sound hungry. He layers thick, serrated leads over piston-precise rhythms, then sprinkles just enough melody to keep the hedonism from turning into a blur. It’s the kind of balance that made him a touchstone for modern French electro, and on Rave Age he doubles down on it with a grin.

“Stamina” was the calling card and for good reason. It’s a sprint of a single, wired with a jittery vocal hook and a tempo that begs you to test your own. The video, which skewered fitness culture with a dark wink, nailed the album’s attitude too. The track doesn’t fuss with long intros or ornamental breakdowns. It throws you into the set and dares you to keep up. Plenty of DJs took the dare; it became one of those mid-2010s moments that could light up a room, whether you were in a tiny club in Lyon or a warehouse on the outskirts of Sydney.

What’s striking across the album is how physical it feels. Vitalic’s sound design has always had a tactile quality, like metal flexing or rubber snapping back into place. Here, the bass hits are taut and springy, and the hi-hats feel clipped to the millimetre. He nudges the mix so the low end stays warm while the midrange growls. On a good system the synths seem to swipe past your ears, and on Rave Age vinyl that push-pull becomes even more satisfying, the air moving in the room as those riffs bite down.

It’s also easy to forget how melodic he can be when the BPMs run hot. Between the steam and sparks there are glimmers of romance, little arpeggios that break through the fog, or a chord change that turns a bruiser into an anthem. Vitalic understands that the best rave records operate on muscle and memory. So even when he’s hammering a four to the floor, he’ll slip in a line that sticks with you on the tram ride home.

If you came up on his earlier gear, you’ll notice how Rave Age streamlines some of the playfulness of Flashmob and channels it into something harder. It was released on Different Recordings, the same label that backed his first two albums, and it feels like a deliberate reset after a decade of shapeshifting. The palette is more direct, the arrangements tighter, the drop-to-payoff ratio sharpened. It doesn’t chase trends so much as it trims the fat and hits the club face-on.

Over time, the record has settled into the crates as a dependable go-to for late-night lift. In a Melbourne record store you’ll often see Vitalic albums on vinyl pinched between the big electro hitters and techno lifers, and Rave Age belongs right there. People who collect vinyl records in Australia tend to know the value of a front-to-back party piece, and this one has the stamina to earn its keep. If you’re browsing under V and spot a clean copy, don’t leave it behind.

For those building a proper dance shelf at home, Rave Age vinyl sits nicely next to OK Cowboy and Flashmob, drawing a neat line through his catalogue. The punch and clarity make it a smart pick if you buy Vitalic records online, and it’s the album I pull when someone asks why he still matters in a post-EDM world. The answer is simple. He writes bangers that feel engineered for sweaty rooms, but he never forgets the human pulse that makes them worth hearing again.

Vitalic vinyl has a way of turning a living room into a little club, and this record does that without fuss. It feels tough, confident and unpretentious, and it still finds new gears a decade on. If you need a reliable ignition key for the night, drop the needle and let it roar.