We get a lot of CDs here at DCist, and at least 90 percent of them are nothing more than DJ mix tapes. So it was a bit of a pleasant surprise when Beau Tand’s self-titled debut album arrived and we heard what sounded like David Bowie crooning about French model and actress Francoise Hardy over programmed beats. Sure it’s more 1980s Bowie than Ziggy Stardust, and that might be enough to drive some listeners away, but the album manages to take that sound and put an interesting spin on it.

Beau Tand is the name of former Eighteenth Street Lounge Music DJ Carlton English – but don’t let that fool you into thinking this is another Thievery Corporation spin-off. English, who is based in Washington, D.C., is doing something vastly more interesting with Beau Tand. The album took two years to complete and was recorded on two continents – both here in D.C. at Listen-Vision and in Dublin. It’s not hard to imagine English sitting at the console in the studio overseeing the mixing of every single track because the album feels that personal. All the things that influence English practically pour out of the speakers, from his affection for French culture and noir to the post-Thin White Duke and Roxy Music recordings that we’re sure hold a prominent space in his album collection.