Wax Tailor

Wax Tailor, the moniker of French producer Jean-Christophe Le Saoût, is a pivotal figure in the second wave of trip-hop and downtempo. Emerging from the French rap scene of the 1990s with the group La Formule, Le Saoût transitioned into a solo project that prioritized 'Phonovisions' - a term he uses to describe his cinematic approach to sound.

His work is characterized by a dense, collage-like assembly of film dialogue, jazz samples, and orchestral flourishes, all anchored by a hip-hop rhythmic foundation. Unlike many of his contemporaries who focused on club-oriented beats, Wax Tailor leaned into the 'Seventh Art,' citing influences like Hitchcock and Kubrick. His 2005 debut, 'Tales of the Forgotten Melodies,' became a cornerstone of the genre, praised for its narrative cohesion. Over two decades, he has evolved from a bedroom sampler to a composer capable of leading the Phonovisions Symphonic Orchestra, maintaining a consistent aesthetic of 'dusty' nostalgia while collaborating with diverse vocalists like Charlotte Savary and Aloe Blacc. He remains a central figure in the French electronic scene, bridging the gap between crate-digging purism and modern multimedia performance.