Who is Justice?
A French duo out of the EU. They came up a few years after Daft Punk and are widely considered the godfathers of rock EDM — the sound of electronic music colliding with raw, distorted energy.
What's so special about these guys?
Besides being the godfathers of rock electronic music…
Justice puts on infamous live shows.
- Everything is mixed live — no premade tracks. You get to watch them create the bassline beats that are then warped, ripped apart, woven back together, and layered to recreate the studio versions a thousand times better.
- They only play their own songs, remixed to sound entirely different live. Think Porter Robinson's Worlds album vs. Worlds Live.
- Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning production. Live shows use the best lighting engineers and stage designers in the industry, along with the most insane sound setup that puts D&B DJs to shame.
Here's an example to bring it all together
Justice's discography in a nutshell
Justice's discography falls into three buckets:
- Studio-mixed albums — e.g., DVNO by Justice
- Live show albums — e.g., DVNO (Live Version) by Justice
- Miscellaneous remixes — e.g., DVNO (Justice Remix)
So what's the big deal? At live shows, Justice will mix each song from their core discography multiple times, layering different permutations of beats together — making each rendition refreshingly different from the last. Similar to Gesaffelstein.
| Studio album | Live album | Notes | Core songs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ✝ Justice (2007) | A Cross the Universe (2008) | Both albums are 10/10. The studio album is nothing like the live album, which is probably why they soared to stardom. They have a 50-minute documentary on YouTube about their first tour. | Genesis, Phantom, Phantom Pt. II, Waters of Nazareth, DVNO, Stress, D.A.N.C.E |
| Audio, Video, Disco (2011) | Access All Arenas (2013) | Justice's live debut of the D.A.N.C.E remix, where they blend Jay-Z's "On to the Next One" — which Jay-Z originally sampled from this song. | Canon, Audio Video Disco |
| Woman (2016) | Woman Worldwide (2018) | Honestly, I don't listen to the studio album that much, but the Woman Worldwide live album was the easiest to digest when I first started listening to them. | Love S.O.S, Safe and Sound |
| Hyperdrama (2024) | TBA (2026) | By far their best live show to date. Their live album is rumored to drop either summer '26 or Q4 '26. | Generator, Mannequin Love, One Night / All Night, Neverender |
Justice live set bootcamp
Now to put pen to paper… it's time to baptize you into the Justice church.
How to listen: Grab a pair of headphones (preferably with bass) and open the playlist. It'll give you quick and dirty breadth exposure to Justice's core songs.
The first half alternates between studio and live songs — you'll hear the delta of Justice's mixing powers in the studio vs. live. The second half is a speed round of their live mixes. I promise that just being slightly familiar with these beats will exponentially enhance your time at the live show.
| Curriculum | Song (playlist order) | Notes from your pal Kevin |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | Phantom Pt. II Phantom Pt. II (Live Version) |
The opus beat of Justice's entire discography. |
| Lesson 2 | Genesis Genesis (Live Version) |
Thesis staple beat mixed throughout the live show. |
| Lesson 3 | The Party TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY (Live Version) |
Let's get this party started — your litmus test to see who around you is an OG fan. |
| Lesson 4 | D.A.N.C.E D.A.N.C.E (Live / AAA) |
Best-performing commercial song. The second track is a masterclass demonstration in mixing. |
| Lesson 5 | Safe and Sound Safe and Sound (WWW) |
Highly recommend finishing out the studio vs. live comparison with this one. |
| Lesson 6 | Mannequin Love One Night / All Night Generator |
Core studio songs from the new album that you'll 100% hear live. |
| Practice exam | Stress, Phantom Part 1, Phantom Part 1.5, … Waters of Nazareth | Mock trial of a Justice live set and why they are the founding fathers of rock electronic music. |
| Bonus gems | Love S.O.S New Lands (Live / AAA) |
Personal favorites that don't have much of a presence in their latest live set. |
| Stage design | Watch here — a masterclass demonstration of how hard Justice goes with their lights and visuals. | |
Bonus material
Summary of my personal favorites:
- The entire A Cross the Universe album (seriously, absolutely insane)
- TTHHEE PPAARRTTYY — Live Version
- Honorable mention of an insane live mix: watch here
- One Minute to Midnight — Live Version
- Waters of Nazareth — Live Version
- Love S.O.S. (WWW)
- Donna — Outtake (not played live, but my favorite studio track)