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The EDM explosion and David Guetta’s rise as the genre’s crown prince were years off when the French DJ released his studio debut in 2003. Back then, Guetta’s style was simply called house music, inspired by the sunny vibes and buoyant beats of the Ibiza club scene, of which Guetta was the de facto mayor. Fans of that classic sound will delight in the stirring disco grooves of “People Come People Go,” the gospel-inflected vocals of “Love Don’t Let Me Go,” and the churning beats and positive message of the title track, all of which feature vocals from frequent collaborator Chris Willis. From the rolling bassline of “Give Me Something (Deep in My Heart)” to the surging tech-house of “133,” Guetta’s debut leaves no doubt that the producer was a star in the making.

David Guetta’s third studio album, Pop Life, found him in a state of transition. Prior to its 2007 release, the Frenchman had spent the past two decades growing his profile in Europe. He came up first as a DJ playing EDM, New Wave, and house music across Paris’ nightclubs before expanding into production and throwing his own events. After releasing his first two full lengths, 2002’s Just a Little More Love and 2004’s Guetta Blaster, Guetta entered his third-album era with momentum on his side, having secured his first UK Top 10 with the 2006 single “Love Don’t Let Me Go (Walking Away)” and his first Grammy nomination—a big initial step toward overseas success.

Vestiges of early Guetta appear throughout Pop Life. Two of his go-to vocalists, Chris Willis and JD Davis, feature on most of its songs, while French producer Joachim Garraud (with whom Guetta made Just a Little More Love) returns for album-wide co-production duties. Most notably, the production still largely reflects his electro-house roots: “You’re Not Alone” evokes riotous dance floors with its stuttering synths and glitched-out vocal fragments, while thumping kick drums and charged electric guitar plucks drive “Winner of the Game.”

Even among the hard-edged sounds, the album reveals Guetta’s pop ambition. On “Baby When the Light” and “Everytime We Touch” (co-produced by Swedish House Mafia’s Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso), he trades in the club’s sweat-slicked walls and cigarette-smoke clouds for more radio-friendly fare with impassioned hooks and a softer, more polished approach. But it was the wailing heartbreak anthem “Love Is Gone” that ultimately crossed over, topping the U.S. Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, breaching the Billboard Hot 100 (his first appearance of many), and sliding into U.S. Top 40 radio rotation. By showing the potential of combining heavy dance beats and pop-structured songwriting, Pop Life served as the prototype for Guetta’s star-studded, breakthrough fourth album and planted the seeds for EDM’s global phenomenon.

After decades of underground toil in Paris’ club scene, DJ/producer David Guetta broke through to the mainstream on his fourth album, One Love. Akon helps turn the club-ready “Sexy Bitch” into a soaring ode to midnight magnetism, while Estelle lends her powerhouse pipes to the uplifting title track. A collab with Chris Willis calls back to Guetta’s house roots, but the highlight is “When Love Takes Over”—a pristine piano-house anthem with a classic diva workout by Kelly Rowland.

After decades of underground toil in Paris’ club scene, DJ/producer David Guetta broke through to the mainstream on his fourth album, One Love. Akon helps turn the club-ready “Sexy Bitch” into a soaring ode to midnight magnetism, while Estelle lends her powerhouse pipes to the uplifting title track. A collab with Chris Willis calls back to Guetta’s house roots, but the highlight is “When Love Takes Over”—a pristine piano-house anthem with a classic diva workout by Kelly Rowland.

Parisian producer David Guetta’s follow-up to the crossover success of 2009’s One Love is noticeably more based in the retro tones of bygone synthcore, while also boasting an impressive roster of A-list guests. Nicki Minaj and Flo Rida are awash in a Jacuzzi of Auto-Tune effects in the opening showstopper, “Where Them Girls At,” before stepping out to bust some hyper-phrased rhymes over Guetta’s quiver of vintage arcade keyboards and beats. Taio Cruz and Ludacris swap melodies and rhymes over wonky synths that sound like classic Nintendo systems. Snoop Dogg coos through robotic filters alongside some studio wizardry in the sultry standout “Sweat,” as Guetta rubs crisp rhythms against the grain of lo-fi Casiotone notes and murky underwater beats. In the Daft Punk–flavored “Without You,” the marriage of Usher’s smooth tenor and Guetta’s penchant for digging up analog textures delivers the album’s brightest gem.

Though it has a guest list resembling a GRAMMY® after-party (Sia, Nicki Minaj, even 2014 summer sensations Magic!)—Listen distinguishes itself with its contemplative moments. “What I Did for Love” features somber pianos. “Listen” is melancholy and introspective, while “The Whisperer,” with its circular pianos and plaintive chorus, forgoes a beat entirely. “Lovers on the Sun,” “Lift Me Up,” and “Hey Mama” are all bangers.

殿堂级 DJ 双碟新专，一面与巨星合作，一面留给最初自我。

Years before David Guetta helped steer dance pop’s mainstream crossover, the trendsetting French DJ/producer cut his teeth in Europe’s underground club circuit. This album honors both sides of his story: There’s a spread of glossy pop collaborations featuring A-list voices from around the world (Sia, J Balvin, Stefflon Don, and Justin Bieber, among others), followed by gritty club cuts from his house music alias, Jack Back. In an interview with Jax Jones on Beats 1 about “Drive (feat. Delilah Montagu),” his collaboration with South African producer Black Coffee, Guetta described the tough, enlightening, and often magical process of bringing musicians from different scenes and cultures together to create. “We had friendly fights–but we did have fights,” he said, describing Black Coffee’s more minimal production style. “I’m like, ‘What do you mean it’s too big?’ There’s nothing that can be too big!’ He was Mr. Minus and I was Mr. Plus.”