Producers and remixers for the likes of
Lana Del Rey,
Gaëtan Roussel, and
Shakira, French '80s synth pop-inspired duo
the Shoes later stepped out from behind the mixing desk to embark on their own successful career. Childhood friends Guillaume Brière and
Benjamin Lebeau started out in various school bands before finding brief fame in short-lived outfit the Film, whose track "Can You Touch Me" was chosen as the soundtrack for a car advert. Reinventing themselves as
the Shoes, they moved back to their hometown of Reims and became part of the same Anglophone scene as
Lilly Wood & the Prick,
the Dø, and
Cocoon. In 2011, they released their debut album,
Crack My Bones, whose second single, "Time to Dance," attracted worldwide attention thanks to the appearance of Jake Gyllenhaal in its video. Remixes for the likes of
Electric Guest,
Griefjoy, and
Au Revoir Simone were scattered through 2014. ~ Jon O'Brien