Enfants
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| "Enfants" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 French word | ||||
| Single by Ricardo Villalobos | ||||
| A-side | "Enfants (Chants)" | |||
| B-side | "Enfants (Tambours)" | |||
| Released | February 22, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Minimal techno, microhouse | |||
| Length | 17:05 | |||
| Label | Sei Es Drum, Word and Sound | |||
| Producer(s) | Ricardo Villalobos | |||
| Ricardo Villalobos singles chronology | ||||
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"Enfants" is a 2008 single by electronic music producer Ricardo Villalobos. Though 17 minutes in length, the A-side, "Enfants (Chants)", has been described as a "remarkably catchy, hype-inducing DJ tool" by Pitchfork Media,[1] and as a "great tool for DJs" by electronic music magazine Resident Advisor, due to its minimal changes over the course of the entire song.[2]
The branding of "Enfants (Chants)" as a "DJ tool" is due to its unusual structure, incorporating "no development over its seventeen minute length".[2] The song is based on a repeating sample of "Baba Yaga La Sorcière", a track from Christian Vander's 1995 rework of his band Magma's Mekanïk Destruktïw Kommandöh (1973).[2] With the addition electronic drums and hi-hat, it "turns snippet of a prog rock classic into a minimal techno classic."[3] The sample simply fades in at the beginning, and fades out at the piece's conclusion. The minimal development through the song invites seamless DJ mixing;[2] Villalobos himself stated that "the idea is that anyone can mix whatever track into this track because it doesn't have too much melody, tones or harmony inside."[4]
The B-side, "Enfants (Tambours)", is a ten-minute "DJ tool" in a similar style, consisting of only percussion and bass.[2]
Reception
"Enfants (Chants)" was released to much hype,[5] and received generally positive reviews. It was given a 5 star rating by DJ Magazine[6] and was rated 3.5/5 in a review by Resident Advisor.[2] It was also featured in a number of "best of 2008" lists, including being named the 52nd best track of 2008 by Pitchfork Media[7] and a "Critical Beat" of 2008 in The Wire's "2008 Rewind" issue.[8] "Enfants (Chants)" was also featured on The Wire's April 2008 "Office Ambience" chart, with reviews editor Derek Walmsley referring to the song as a "minimal techno masterpiece".[9]