Drop any misconceptions you have about the French: the outdated berets; the overbearing accents; the presumed sissy-like attitudes. While France continues to expand as the dominating powerhouse for electro-dance music, the growing independent dance scene keeps churning out all-night-long party DJs with the Toxic Avenger quickly rising as the premiere Frenchman taking the dance floor to a new level. Born Simon DeLacroix, the man behind the comic book-inspired persona, the Toxic Avenger is notorious for his infectiously catchy, self-produced dance-athon tunes, but is equally recognized for his perfected remixes, most notably his work with Ladytron’s “Ghosts” and “Dance Among the Ruins” by Tommie Sunshine featuring the queen of raunchy,Peaches. Still, music is nothing new to the Toxic Avenger. At the tender age of 12, the tiny Avenger played for various punk bands, as guitarist and vocalist, and a number of short-lived hardcore metal bands. Dropping the punk-hardcore genre, he fell into the electro movement after falling in love with a girl who worked at an electro radio station. Soon after catching the electro bug, he began creating songs on his low-budget computer, quickly mastering his unique sound. Though his dance-inducing electro remains his signature style, the Toxic Avenger draws from a number of distinct influences not directly related to the dance scene. Besides his strange infatuation with Kylie Minogue, whose music he has asked to remix pro bono, the Toxic Avenger pulls from a wideranging array of influences: emotronic bands, including Autotune; soundtracks of 70s and 80s low-budget films; and is a self-proclaimed super fan of Weezer and the Smiths. When he’s not killing the dance floors, the Toxic Avenger works with his side projects: the Black Milk, an electro rock band where he plays guitars and synthesizers; and Ed Wood is Dead, “a band that celebrates B-movies via hiphop music,” says the Toxic Avenger. Signed to Los Angeles-based IHEARTCOMIX Records in March 2007, the Toxic Avenger has recently finished his first U.S. tour with label boss DJ Franki Chan and has released his debut EP, a vinyl-only release featuring Toxie’s self-produced work, both original versions and remixed tracks and has even more to come. Stay tuned...