To say that Flashmob, the new album by Vitalic is eagerly awaited would be an understatement. This is the first major release in four years from Dijon, France-based Pascal Arbez-Nicolas, one of the world's leading electronic producers. The Frenchman is a "disco visionary," according to Vice, and like Daft Punk of Aphex Twin, is responsible for shaping the sound of modern-day electronic music. Once again, with Flashmob's dozen songs, Pascal sets the agenda for others to follow.

A daring successor to 2005's OK Cowboy, Flashmob is an album that effortlessly evokes the insatiable attitude of disco - reducing its essence, in certain places, to the sound of a snare, to a single handclap - while Pascal's production and composition gives the songs a timeless quality. "The idea was to make different songs, different styles, as if viewed through a Kaleidoscope" he says. "I used technology that would have made it impossible to produce this album five years ago. I mixed many different styles, from R'n'B to Jean Michel Jarre with Justice and Metro Area. To make these tracks," Pascal continues, "I put myself in a mindset that was similar to when I made the Poney EP - disco and experimentation mixed with tracks that are still easy to understand." The four-song Poney EP, arguably the finest techno 12-inch of the decade, was Vitalic's 2001 debut leading to international tour dates and acclaim in the media.

Vitalic has always operated with ruthless efficiency. Each live show is memorable and engaging as Pascal regularly fills arenas around the world including Japan and Brazil with tireless versions of "La Rock 01" and "Valetta Fanfares". On OK Cowboy, Vitalic chose to re-imagine rock'n'roll as ecstatic, choppy grunge, best represented on tracks like "My Friend Dario" and "Newman". With Flashmob, he took a totally different approach "The Vitalic that people know is straight to the point," he says. "So with this album I wanted something more artistic and romantic. I feel I have more freedom with this album."

The songs are short. Only "Still", an enchanting Moroder moment, spills over five minutes. The others sustain around the four-minute mark, which for an artist with a background in DJ culture is unusual. Ironically, Pascal was persuaded to trim his new tracks after playing with Ableton on his laptop. "With computers, no one needs two-minute introductions anymore."

This editing also brings into focus Flashmob's pop appeal. "Poison Lips", for example, is a rhythmic bliss that spirals into space, carried by the swooning alien- vox of Pascal's old friend, Brigitte. "Your Disco Song", the first single, is a playful 8-bit synth-pop with a hefty kick, penned for Pascal's party pal, Popeye, who, after a heavy weekend, often gets the blues with a new week on the horizon. "I told him I would make a disco song for him to feel better on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it worked." "Terminateurr Benelux", meanwhile, is exactly how you'd imagine a track called "Terminateurr Benelux" to sound: imposing and voracious, in an early-90s Belgian rave style. Pascal's regular collaborator, New York chanteuse Linda Lamb, sings on "One Above One". Pascal himself, his voice mangled by effects, burbles on the buzzsaw boogie of "Chicken Lady".

As for the title track, "Flashmob", Pascal says: "I needed to make a song that anthemic and a dancefloor thriller. The idea behind a flashmob is really poetic and also contemporary, because all you need is the internet and a phone line. This wasn't possible 15 years ago."