Xavier de Rosnay

Xavier de Rosnay
De Rosnay in 2008
Background information
Also known as
  • XDR
  • Just X
  • Dustin N'Guyen
Born
Xavier Dulong de Rosnay

(1982-07-22) 22 July 1982
OriginSeine-et-Marne, France
GenresFrench house[1]
Member ofJustice

Xavier Dulong de Rosnay (French pronunciation: [də ʁonɛ]; born 22 July 1982) is a French electronic musician and producer and one half of the duo Justice with Gaspard Augé.

Biography

Xavier Dulong de Rosnay[2] was born on 22 July 1982,[3][4] hailing from Seine-et-Marne,[5] although he grew up in Paris "on a diet of 1970s prog-rock and 1980s funk".[6] The son of a Vietnamese-born dentist and a human resources director of a Parisian hospital, he studied graphic design at the École Estienne in Paris,[3] where he also met Thibaut Berland (later known as Breakbot). Berland would later cite de Rosnay for his breakthrough into music.[7]

By 2002, while he was finishing up his studies, he stayed at an apartment at the Boulevard Barbès with fellow graphic designers Gaspard "Gaspirator" Augé (whom he had met at a party)[6] and Bertrand "So Me" de Langeron. With Augé, he formed the electronic duo Justice, together producing their breakout hit "We Are Your Friends" for a remix competition in 2003.[8][9][10] The remix resulted in the group being signed to Ed Banger (who released it) and became a hit in clubs and on the Internet.[11] In 2005, de Rosnay contributed to the bootlegged album Bootleggers with Respect Vol II, alongside Soulwax, DJ Mehdi and Feadz, all under pseudonyms.[12] In order to produce their debut album Cross (2007), Justice was initially based in de Rosnay's bedroom, but subsequently moved to his basement, which he described as a "cave with a computer in it."[13]

Following the success of Cross and tours around the world, the two embarked on their A Cross The Universe tour in North America during March 2008, which de Rosnay said "close[d] the first chapter for Justice."[14] A documentary of the tour showcased their rockstar lifestyle during the tour, although de Rosnay later clarified there were "not all things we approve of." De Rosnay was also briefly arrested after a violent altercation with a fan, although he was let go after police concluded he had acted in self-defense.[15] In April, he collaborated with Midfield General on the track "Disco Sirens."[16] Two years later, he was enlisted by French duo Jamaica to co-produce their album No Problem alongside Peter Franco. Their joint production was praised by The Guardian and Pitchfork.[17][18]

De Rosnay and Augé together made their return in Audio, Video, Disco (2011), the second studio album of Justice.[19][20] It was succeeded by their third, Woman (2016),[21] and the remix album Woman Worldwide (2018).[22] Afterwards, de Rosnay co-produced Prudence's first studio album Beginnings alongside Surkin.[23] In 2022, he produced the EP Man On A Wire by Mehdi Pinson, known professionally as DVNO due to having previously provided vocals to Justice's 2007 song DVNO.[24] That same year co-produced Juliette Armanet's song "Flamme" for her album Brûler le feu.[25] Justice returned with their fourth studio album Hyperdrama in 2024, their first LP in eight years. De Rosnay quipped a "safe prediction" for their next album would be "around 2048".[26]

Public image

De Rosnay has been described as the more talkative half of Justice, compared to Augé.[13][27] In this regard, de Rosnay has been compared to Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk.[3] Angus Harrison, interviewing Justice for Vice, wrote that when de Rosnay speaks, he launches "into often lengthy, always thoughtful monologues."[6] He has also been noted for his fringe haircut.[6][28]

Personal life

In a 2008 interview with Nardwuar, de Rosnay said he enjoys cooking, particularly crêpes.[29] In 2025, he described his relationship with Augé as "fusional", adding that "I behave with him the same way I behave with myself. Like almost one entity."[30]

Discography

As part of Justice

Main article: Justice discography

Other writing, production, and remix credits

Title Year Performing artist(s) Co-producer(s) Album
[Untitled remix of "Fat Joe- Lean Back"] (as Just X)[12] 2005 LCD Soundsystem Soulwax, DJ Mehdi, Feadz[a] Bootleggers with Respect Vol II
"Lalaland" (Ed Banger's All Stars Remix)[31] 2006 Play Paul SebastiAn N/a
"Disco Sirens"[16] 2008 Midfield General Soulwax General Disarray
"Brooklyn" (Radio Edit) [XDR Rework][32] 2009 Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family N/a 1973
No Problem (studio album)[17][18] 2010 Jamaica Peter Franco N/a
"Nightcall" (Dustin N'Guyen Remix)[33] 2010 Kavinsky N/a N/a
"This Song" (Suicided by Xavier de Rosnay)[34] 2013 Busy P, Andrew Woodhead N/a Still Busy
Beginnings (studio album)[23] 2021 Prudence Surkin N/a
"Flamme"[25] 2022 Juliette Armanet Victor Le Masne, Yuksek, Marlon B Brûler le feu
Man On A Wire (EP)[24] 2022 DVNO N/a N/a

References

Notes

  1. ^ Pseudonymously credited as "Soulass," "Idhem," and "Zdaef" respectively

Citations

  1. ^ Mouriquand, David (26 April 2024). "Justice for French Touch: The Gallic movement's essential tracks". Euronews. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  2. ^ Bigot, Yves; Goujon, Camille; Goujon, Michel (3 September 2020). "N: Nouveaux Daft Punk". Daft Punk Incognito (in French). L'Archipel. ISBN 978-2-8098-2908-2.
  3. ^ a b c Davet, Stéphane (6 April 2024). "Justice's new quest". Le Monde. Retrieved 6 June 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ Elster, Robert J., ed. (2017). "ROSNAY, Xavier de". International Who's Who in Popular Music 2017 (19th ed.). London: Routledge. p. 532.
  5. ^ Pierron, Séverine (9 September 2011). "Le retour de Justice". GQ France (in French).
  6. ^ a b c d Harrison, Angus (1 December 2016). "TRAVAIL FAMILLE PARTY: Welcome to Justice's Private Universe". Vice.
  7. ^ Tonet, Aureliano (30 November 2012). "Breakbot, de Bambi à Ed Banger". Le Monde (in French).
  8. ^ Pialat, Julia (11 May 2023). Ed Banger Records - Une histoire des musiques électroniques françaises (in French). Groupe Robert Laffont. pp. 200–201. ISBN 978-2-84049-844-5.
  9. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (18 November 2016). "Justice Is Still Not Like Those Other Electronic Bands, Thank You Very Much". Vogue.
  10. ^ Amorosi, A.D. (9 September 2019). "In Conversation: Justice's Xavier de Rosnay on Their New Film "IRIS: A Space Opera"". FLOOD Magazine.
  11. ^ Hermes, Will (1 July 2007). "Electronica That Rocks, à la Française". The New York Times.
  12. ^ a b Hui, Alan (2009). "Can Daft Punk Play At My House?" (PDF) (Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) (Honours) thesis). University of Sydney. p. 7.
  13. ^ a b Battaglia, Andy (June 2007). "Justice: Metallica-lovin' French electro duo—how you say?—le merde". Spin. New York: Spin Media LLC. p. 48.
  14. ^ O'Dair, Marcus (9 January 2009). "In pursuit of Justice". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  15. ^ Batey, Angus (31 October 2008). "'There was blood, but he was fine'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  16. ^ a b "Midfield General's Disarray". Resident Advisor. 11 August 2008.
  17. ^ a b Costa, Maddy (19 August 2010). "Jamaica: No Problem". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  18. ^ a b Kelly, Zach. "Jamaica: No Problem". Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  19. ^ Jonze, Tim (28 October 2011). "Justice are rocking the world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  20. ^ "Justice: Audio, Video, Disco". Dazed. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  21. ^ Wright, Danny (2016). "Justice - Woman review". DIY. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  22. ^ Ordaz, Sophia (21 August 2018). "Review: Justice, Woman Worldwide". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  23. ^ a b Coljon, Thierry (8 June 2021). "Prudence Beginnings". Le Soir (in French).{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  24. ^ a b "DVNO - Man On A Wire". Les Oreilles Curieuses (in French). 17 November 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  25. ^ a b "Juliette Armanet embrase l'écran dans son nouveau clip « Flamme »". RFM (in French). 1 December 2022.
  26. ^ Brandle, Lars (8 May 2025). "Before Their Grammy Glory, Justice Said 'No' to a Tame Impala Remix". Tone Deaf. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  27. ^ Ducker, Eric (18 April 2024). "Why Electro's Exacting Duo Justice Wanted to Break Its Own Rules". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  28. ^ Wilks, Robin (June 2007). "Geeky Disco". Plan B. No. 22. London: Plan B Publishing Limited. p. 38. Retrieved 7 February 2026.
  29. ^ Nardwuar (2008). "Nardwuar the Human Serviette vs. Justice". Razorcake. No. 45. Los Angeles, CA: Razorcake. p. 29.
  30. ^ Romanyk, Julianna (28 May 2025). "Justice's best advice for artists: revel in your mistakes". CBC.ca. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  31. ^ Lalaland (Ed Banger's All Stars Remix) by Play Paul on Apple Music, 12 July 2006, retrieved 6 June 2025
  32. ^ Brooklyn (Radio Edit) [XDR Rework] by Tahiti Boy and the Palmtree Family on Apple Music, 2 March 2009, retrieved 6 June 2025
  33. ^ Rafter, Andrew (2 November 2010). "Kavinsky's Nightcall The Remixes". Harder Blogger Faster.
  34. ^ This Song (feat. Andrew Woodhead) [Suicided by Xavier de Rosnay] by Busy P on Apple Music, 21 June 2013, retrieved 6 June 2025
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