Gaspard Augé

French producer and DJ Gaspard Augé is best known as one-half of Justice, a Grammy-winning duo who brought a brash, maximalist edge to dance music during the 2000s, greatly influencing the EDM boom of the 2010s. The pair’s anthemic 2003 remix of Simian’s “Never Be Alone,” later re-released as “We Are Your Friends,” was a watershed moment for the decade’s indie-dance crossover, and Justice soon became the flagship act of the extremely hip Parisian label Ed Banger. The duo released several angular, distorted singles that drew from disco, funk, prog rock, and metal, culminating in the acclaimed 2007 full-length debut † (aka Cross). On subsequent releases like 2011′s Audio, Video, Disco and 2016′s Woman, they moved away from their raw, blown-out early sound and embraced the more polished pop, rock, and dance sounds of the ’70s and ’80s, continually developing their extravagant live shows to match their ambitious music. Outside of Justice, Augé designed album artwork as Gaspirator, collaborated with French electro misfit Mr. Oizo on the 2010 soundtrack Rubber, and made his solo debut in 2021 with the cinematic, instrumental full-length Escapades.
Prior to forming Justice with Xavier de Rosnay, Gaspard Augé made lo-fi synth pop under the names Blunder Boy and Microloisir, and the two played together in a band called Darling (not to be confused with the pre-Daft Punk group Darlin’). The duo’s first tracks as Justice were included on the 2003 compilation Musclorvision - Hits Up to You, designed as a collection of fake Eurovision songs. Justice then made a remix of Simian’s “Never Be Alone” for a radio station contest. Ed Banger Records signed the group and released their remix, and its success in clubs and online prompted a 2004 reissue by DJ Hell’s International DeeJay Gigolo Records. The duo’s profile was raised through additional remixes for N*E*R*D, Britney Spears, Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, and many others. Justice released the abrasive “Waters of Nazareth” in 2005, and Virgin re-released “Never Be Alone,” this time as “We Are Your Friends,” in 2006. The track reached number 20 in the U.K. singles chart, and its music video won the 2006 MTV Europe Music Award for Best Video.
The Goblin-sampling “Phantom” and disco-inspired “D.A.N.C.E.” were released as singles leading up to Justice’s first full-length, titled † (the duo have always used cross imagery as part of their logo and live performances). Certified gold in the U.K., the album was one of 2007′s biggest dance releases, and a landmark for the electro-house scene. Among the band’s accolades, they won two more MTV Europe Awards, an NME Award, and eventually a Grammy for their remix of MGMT’s “Electric Feel.” Justice released a live album and DVD, A Cross the Universe, in 2008. Augé collaborated with producer and filmmaker Mr. Oizo (Quentin Dupieux) on the soundtrack to his 2010 surrealist horror flick Rubber.
Audio, Video, Disco, Justice’s less heavy, more song-focused sophomore album, was released in 2011, reaching number five on the French album charts, and the Top 40 in the U.S. and the U.K. Second live album Access All Arenas appeared in 2013. Slightly returning to their earlier house sound while sporting more expansive arrangements, Justice’s third studio LP, Woman, appeared in 2016. Woman Worldwide, an album of reworked tracks from throughout the duo’s discography, mixed similar to their live performances, was released in 2018, and subsequently won a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. IRIS: A Space Opera by Justice, a film of a live performance recorded without an audience, was premiered in 2019, and released as a limited box set in 2020. Inspired by library music and Italian soundtracks from the ’60s and ’70s, Augé’s debut solo album, Escapades, appeared in 2021. ~ Paul Simpson