I recently started dating a girl. It actually wasn't that recently and now she is my girlfriend. But! Until recently, there was a rift between us, a canyon separating our passions. She loves R&B. I hate R&B. Who knew a skinny, bearded French dude would sweep in to save the day?
That fair Frenchman's name is Thibault Berland, but you probably know him as Breakbot. Without overstating it too too much, I can probably say that Breakbot has been my favorite musician for the past few years. His music is not only melodic and upbeat, it's danceable in the way that only disco is. You can't listen to "Baby I'm Yours," his most popular track, and sit still. I promise.
A couple weeks ago, I was hanging out at my girlfriend's house. She was playing R&B. I was trying my best to understand it. I'm not talking about the Boyz II Men brand of R&B, either. That, I like . This is a new school that I don't want to attend. I was honestly kind of dreading things and a familiar sound came on. It was so kinetic, it must've sparkled. The melody wrapped around me like a towel after a vigorous swim. My heart beat fast. I swear Michael Jackson was singing the melody, but this was no Michael Jackson song I'd ever heard before.
"Who is this?" I asked, nodding my head to the beat.
"Breakbot!" she said, smiling. "It's called 'Fantasy.'"
My heart swelled. Over the next few days, I listened to the song over and over again. I dug into the depths of sound and found, much to my dismay, it had some R&B roots. That's surely why my girlfriend put it on her playlist. And now, when I listen to this new school R&B she loves so much, I like it a lot more than I used to. It's not that bad, I decided. Actually, I decided that I love it for just the right moment. R&B is kind of sexy!
And so is Breakbot. Whether you like R&B or not, you'll probably love "Fantasy." It's hard not to. [Spotify, iTunes, Amazon]
Welcome to Soundtrack, what Gizmodo's staff are listening to every night.