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Dan Ghenacia's tight family of groove fiends has grown an extra head recently. Ladies and gentlemen, please make a warm welcome for fellow Frenchman Seuil. You can find him nestled somewhere between the deep funk delights of Dyed Soundorom and the perky, pestering techno of Shonky - as his debut release for Freak N' Chic Still Nox Asleep reveals, his sound is tailor made for the fine French freak farm.  

To many Seuil needs no introduction. Since 2006 he's had released on Minibar, Einmaleins Musik, Lomidhigh, Adjunct, Igloo, Minimood and his own Eklo imprint to name but a few. Heck, he's even appeared on Freak N' Chic before. Two months ago, in fact, as a remixer for Anthony Collins' Rabouine House EP.  

With a decade of classical music training under his belt, there's no doubting Seuil's flexibility in the studio, and it shows. In the past he's painted soundscapes from mesmerising acid house with a noughties twist (Dance on Minibar) to spooked out bubbly minimal (Jealous Derviche on LesIzmore) and here he's gone for three totally new aural paintings.  

Kicking off with Trapped House, we're slowly enticed into a locked down tribal groove that grows gradually before your very ears. It takes more than a minute for the bassline to kick in, but when it does you're lost, floundering in a world of trippy noises and poignant political vocal samples (and not the most obvious ones either). Deeper than your boss's pockets, it's a smooth but solid introduction to Freak N' Chic's freshest face.  

Next up is Raw Blood, a totally different style with a focussed flow that contrasts the cool nonchalance of Trapped House. A true headnod to house's Chicago roots, the clattering beats happyslap you into submission as they remind you of the days when boompty was big and everyone was jacking. There's a real garage swing to proceedings, the bassline bumps while the beats twist their way into your hips. The reversed vocal swooshes that Jesse Rose is rather fond of appear from time to time, giving the track a ghostly groove. In a good way, of course. 

Lunamax finishes off the package and adds a third shade to Seuil's successful serving. A darker, more techno influenced number, it's a 3am essential. Possibly even 6am. Moody and moving, the echoed bass hook works as a hypnotiser's gold watch, slowly bringing you under. Melodic mbira-style percussion sees you through the trip, it's like Laurent Garnier has landed in Malawi. Or Jeff Mills in Botswana. As loopy and lucid as it is, Seuil's sure to remind us that the groove is paramount as he breaks the tune mid way to a classic bass and kick drum groove before building it all up again, element by element.  

While the three tunes each showcase a different style, there's an overall sheen that doesn't just mark Seuil out as a unique producer but also lends itself so well to the Freak N' Chic sound. It really is like he's been there since day one.

Artist: Seuil Title: Still Nox Asleep Label: Freak N' Chic Tracklisting:  A: Trapped House B1: Raw Blood B2: Lunamix    www.freaknchic.com   www.myspace.com/seuil