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BatBox
Studio album by
Miss Kittin
Released4 February 2008
Genre
Length51:40
LabelNobody's Bizzness
Producer
Miss Kittin chronology
A Bugged Out Mix
(2006) 		BatBox
(2008) 		Two
(2009)
Singles from BatBox
  1. "Kittin Is High"
    Released: 30 November 2007
  2. "Grace"
    Released: 20 June 2008

BatBox is the second solo studio album by French singer and DJ Miss Kittin, released on 4 February 2008 on her own label, Nobody's Bizzness. It was co-written and produced with Pascal Gabriel. The music combines elements of techno and electro and, as Miss Kittin describes it, "a flirtation with Goth culture."[1]

Background and development

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For Batbox, Miss Kittin teamed up with producer Pascal Gabriel, who had previously worked with Kylie Minogue, Boy George and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was recorded in Pascal's studio in London over several months in 2007.[2] Of the title, Miss Kittin stated, "BatBox is a redemption. Let the bats in my head fly out. I was saying goodbye to old ghosts."[3]

Composition

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Musically, the album draws influences from electropop and Detroit techno,[4] and fellow electroclash artists such as Chicks on Speed and Ellen Allien.[5]

Release and artwork

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The CD booklet and cover art were designed by Rob Reger, the creator of Emily the Strange.[1] Miss Kittin met Reger after performing a DJ gig in San Francisco.[2]

Promotion

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In 2008, "Barefoot Tonight" was used in the American comedy-drama television series Entourage, in the episode "First Class Jerk".[6]

Singles

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"Kittin Is High" was released as the album's lead single commercially worldwide on 30 November 2007. Rob Reger designed limited-edition artwork for the vinyl single cover.[7]

"Grace" was released as the album's second and final single on 20 June 2008; it included remixes by Martinez and Sleeparchive.[8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
The Guardian[9]
PopMatters7/10[10]
Resident Advisor2/5[5]
URB[11]
XLR8R6/10[12]

Jason Lymangrover, writing for AllMusic, commented, "As she emerges from the broken cocoon of Detroit and German techno influences into a unique artist of her own – one who is slightly experimental but never lacking a head-bobbing hook – it's hard to argue when she quips, 'Frenchies do it better.'"[4] John Burgess from The Guardian stated, "Her charismatic approach made her a major electroclash figure, and she has sustained her cult status. This is unlikely to change, despite a more pop approach for Batbox [...] The music remains niche, industrial and Teutonic, over which Hervé delivers idiosyncratic observations on her life and gothic pursuits."[9] Rob Woo of Exclaim! wrote, "The production work is exceptional, with a greater depth of sounds and textures put into the beats and synths, the influences seemingly drawn from the best electro, tech and progressive of the last few years."[13] Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters noted that the album "could have been bigger, brasher, and bolder. But, all things considered, it still amounts to a full load of goodies and a heck of a ride."[10]

Conversely, Resident Advisor's Stéphane Girard said that Miss Kittin "occupies an ungraceful and uncomfortable middle ground between Chicks on Speed and Ellen Allien, and BatBox, unfortunately, won't really do anything to change that nor rally anyone to her solo career's cause.[5] URB felt that "[a]s a concept the album fails miserably, but taken as individual tracks there are some that transcend, the brooding 'Lightmaker' or the nicely melodic DJ friendly track 'Playmate of the Century.'"[11] In addition, Luciana Lopez of XLR8R opined, "Even the glossy, high-quality production can't give this album the energy to rise above the middling bar it sets for itself."[12]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Caroline Hervé and Pascal Gabriel

No.TitleLength
1."Kittin Is High"3:51
2."BatBox"3:20
3."Grace"3:19
4."Solidasarockstar"3:56
5."Barefoot Tonight"3:03
6."Play Me a Tape"4:08
7."Pollution of the Mind"5:16
8."Wash N Dry"4:15
9."Metalhead"5:23
10."Machine Joy"3:32
11."Sunset Strip"3:02
12."Playmate of the Century"4:04
13."Lightmaker"4:31
Total length:51:40
iTunes Store bonus track[14]
No.TitleLength
14."Mother Star"3:37
Total length:55:17

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of BatBox.[15]

  • Miss Kittin – production
  • Pascal Gabriel – production
  • Mike Marsh – mastering at The Exchange (London)
  • Rob Reger – artwork, design

Charts

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Chart performance for BatBox
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[16] 91
Belgian Alternative Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 48
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 84
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 75

References

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  1. ^ a b "Miss Kittin set to release 2nd album 'BatBox' in February 2008". Side-Line. 12 December 2007. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  2. ^ a b Greig, Jasper (17 March 2008). "In the Batbox with Miss Kittin". Electronic Beats. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Miss Kittin: Stretching out her claws". In the Mix. 21 February 2008. Archived from the original on 26 February 2008. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  4. ^ a b c Lymangrover, Jason (2008). "Batbox – Miss Kittin". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Girard, Stéphane (30 January 2008). "RA Reviews: Miss Kittin – Batbox (Album)". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Miss Kittin". IMDb. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  7. ^ "Kittin Is High – The first single off Miss Kittin's album 'BatBox', released on 30th November 2007". KittinBatBox.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  8. ^ "Out now, MissKittin's new BatBox release: "Grace" EP with remixes by Martinez and Sleeparchive". KittinBatBox.com. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  9. ^ a b Burgess, John (8 February 2008). "CD: Miss Kittin, Batbox". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  10. ^ a b Huff, Quentin B. (5 March 2008). "Miss Kittin: BatBox". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  11. ^ a b "Miss Kittin – BatBox (Review)". URB. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
  12. ^ a b Lopez, Luciana (8 April 2008). "Miss Kittin: Batbox". XLR8R. Archived from the original on 24 May 2011. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
  13. ^ Woo, Rob (19 February 2008). "Miss Kittin: Batbox". Exclaim!. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  14. ^ "BatBox by Miss Kittin". Apple Music. United States. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  15. ^ BatBox (liner notes). Miss Kittin. Nobody's Bizzness. 2008. BIZZ2CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Ultratop.be – Miss Kittin – Batbox" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Miss Kittin – Batbox" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
  18. ^ "Ultratop.be – Miss Kittin – Batbox" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Lescharts.com – Miss Kittin – Batbox". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
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