I was home sick from school the day of that first Major League Baseball session in congress discussing steroids. Maybe you remember; it was the one where Mark McGuire kept saying he wanted to “talk about the future” since talking about the past would mean admitting he was juiced out of his mind for his record-breaking ’98 season. Anyway, all the big channels were covering it, so I watched. At the end of the hour or so, absolutely nothing had been accomplished. Nobody had admitted any wrongdoing, nobody had presented any plans for moving forward. There had been no rational discussion of the facts at hand. Everybody knew steroids were rampant in the league and the problem had to be addressed, but congress’s session was nothing more than a bunch of name-calling, finger-pointing and question-evading. Ugh. I hate politics.

No, I mean I really hate politics. I hate everything about them (except, of course, really good political cartoons). I hate how politics is boring and vulgar. I hate how it’s damn near impossible to get anything done (proof: recent health care bill). I hate politicians themselves; they’re generally sleazy and dishonest. Everyone says whatever he or she needs to get votes rather than trying to solve problems. None of these adultery/bribery scandals surprise me any more. I’ve got a ridiculously cynical view of everything even remotely political (and I’m only twenty-one!). So it should come as no surprise that one of my least favorite things is—you guessed it—when musicians get political.

First, I hate when musicians voice their political opinions off-stage. Musical talent doesn’t warrant your preaching ideals. Just because you can play guitar doesn’t mean you’re allowed  to tell us who to vote for. And it drives me crazy that some people might actually be swayed by what musicians/actors/entertainers think. Still, all that talking-head and sound byte garbage can be forgiven or ignored–just listen to the music and forget the people who made it. What  I hate even more is when politics affects the music.

I’ve always disagreed with the idea that music can/should be used as a political tool. I know, I know—art can inspire revolution or challenge authority and all that stuff. I’ve heard the story about how the Rite of Spring caused a riot. Still, please keep politics out of it. That’s not why I listen to music. I have my own political opinions, but I don’t derive them from my favorite songs or lyrics. I read books and newspapers; I deal with facts and statistics and sound arguments. Music can make us feel a range of emotions, but level-headed debate and logic are the only way to run a country. Political lyrics drive me crazy. I like rap songs about money and cars and expensive clothes. Who cares what Young Jeezy thinks about the the economy? Keep writing rhymes about your Maybach.

Besides, musicians who “raise awareness” through their songs aren’t really doing much. They’re largely singing to people who already know about the problems we face. And it’s hard to argue that singing a song about how we need to cure cancer is more useful than spending the same amount of mental energy in the laboratory. Maybe that song can capture a specific emotion and make us vicariously feel the pain of cancer, but it won’t make any progress in curing the disease or getting more government funding. Music is aurally pleasing. That’s it.

One of the many reasons I love electronic music is that the genre has nothing to do with politics. It’s “all about the music, man.” Many electronic songs don’t have lyrics. Or maybe they have “lyrics,” usually just a looped sample with the same phrases repeating and stuttering for an entire track. But those phrases aren’t about the income tax or farm subsidies, they’re about partying or sex or having fun. I can’t name a dance song that has politically-driven lyrics. And that’s a good thing. When I’m dancing, the last thing I wanna think about is who to vote for.

Keep in mind that this is just one music lover’s opinion. People listen to music for different reasons, and I understand that. I know a lot of people who strongly disagree with everything I’ve just written. (Many of them play acoustic guitar in the park by my house and aren’t particularly talented.) Seriously though, I think music should be an escape from the mundane, ugly world of politics. It shouldn’t be contaminated. Music doesn’t and shouldn’t tell us how to live our lives or what to think about the mid-term elections.

And now that I think of it, readers of this blog probably don’t give a shit about my political views either. So let’s keep music blogs and politics separate, too. Deal? Here’s a song that won’t tell you what to think about global warming. But it sounds damn good. And that’s all that really matters, right?

Fred Falke – Back to Stay

What’s the name for the kind of music video that’s just a bunch of crazy shit all thrown together? I love that style– lots of colors and flashing lights and shapes you never learned about in geometry class; ridiculous costumes and even more ridiculous haircuts, vaguely sexual dancing and so many effects that little kids might get seizures by watching. I don’t know what to call the avante-garde, experimental, postmodern (post-postmodern?), surrealist, Dadaist style that’s become so popular in the last few years. So let’s just use the word “clusterfuck.”

The video below is a perfect example of clusterfuck-ism. I actually had no idea what I was  going to post today until I checked my inbox and saw this thing. It’s the music video for Sidney Samson’s new track “Shut Up & Let it Go” featuring Lady Bee. It reminds me of Major Lazer’s Pon De Floor video, last year’s best example of the clusterfuck style.

The song itself is a monster, and it’s going to be big at WMC in a few weeks. But I couldn’t get clearance from the label to post the track itself (it doesn’t come out until April 25th). I wish I could spread it all over the world because I’ve been listening to it on repeat all morning. The video below will have to tide you over for the time being.

I declare August 8th official “808 Day” (get it?). Let’s start building a playlist now. Here’s an old classic that uses the famous drum machine for the rhythm section. Remeber when this sound was cool until Kanye ruined it?

Afrika Bambaataa – Looking For The Perfect Beat

Michael Jackson’s last studio album, Invincible, came out in 2001. (His penultimate CD? 1995.) Before Jackson’s 2009 death, he was known to many young people as “that guy who used to be black…but now he’s white and doesn’t have a nose.” But when he died it was like the whole world got a slap across the face. I couldn’t walk more than three blocks without hearing his music blasting through an open window. It’s not a criticism; I’m as guilty as anyone for going on a summer-long MJ binge. But here’s the thing: eight years is a long time without an album. Is there any other musician/actor/artist who could step away from his craft for nearly a decade and have the same post-mortem effect on our culture? I don’t think so.

During the two months following his death, my inbox was flooded with countless MJ remixes, re-edits and mash-ups. Most of them felt rushed, as if every bedroom producer knew MJ songs were going to be hot for a month and tried to cash in by brewing a pot of coffee and staying up all night figuring how to make MJ even more club-friendly. “Thriller” was the most popular choice, probably because the melody is so infectious and recognizable. I had to wade through a lot of garbage to find some good stuff to listen to.

The Chus and Ceballos remix below is a nice progressive house version of the song. Still, it feels a little incomplete, as if the duo had something else ready-to-go and decided to add the “Thriller” melody at the last minute. (Maybe it’s more a matter of taste, because I’ve always felt that all progressive house a) is very similar and b) only sounds good if you’re at a club with loud speakers and tons of bass.)

Michael Jackson – Thriller (Chus and Ceballos Remix)

Laidback Luke’s remix sounds very, erm, Laidback Luke-y, with clean syncopated drums (does anyone do this better?) and a structure that keeps the song fresh by constantly changing rhythms and melodies. He never repeats the same section twice. The song doesn’t valley and peak, it just keeps changing gears.

Michael Jackson – Thriller (Laidback Luke Remix)

This Herve song is, as per his usual style, filled with bouncy bass and and stuttered vocals. Actually, this came out long before Jackson’s death and I’ve been listening to it for some time. Still, I wanted to post it for anyone who doesn’t have it.

Herve – Cheap Thrills

I’ve spent all morning listening to various re-interpretations of “Thriller.” You know what? I still prefer the original. Hearing the melody without getting the fun sing-along “Thriller! Thriller night!” chorus is unsettling. Nobody can best the King of Pop. Some songs are just too good to mess with.

The above graphic is the cover for MGMT’s forthcoming sophomore album Congratulations (April 23rd, Sony/Columbia). I’ve heard MGMT’s first CD dozens of times and I have no idea what the cover looks like. Not a clue. In fact, I can’t identify the artwork that decorates a lot of CDs I enjoy. When pressed to identify my favorite album covers from the last five years or so, I can only name a handful. Am I the only one? When and why did I stop caring about album art?

I never gave much thought to album art until I started buying vinyl. I was probably about fourteen years old at the time. Until then, the only album covers I’d seen were framed beneath hard plastic CD cases that gave even the most beautiful artwork an awkward packaged feel. At the store, those cases were wrapped in cellophane and loaded with annoying little stickers (“featuring the hit single!”); I couldn’t view an album cover without the constant reminder that I was a consumer buying a product.

But I can’t blame the record store. Even if I owned the album I’d probably read the liner notes once before struggling to slide the booklet back in without denting the corners. The cover of an album was an afterthought. It served as an easy way to recognize a CD without having to read the spine, but it didn’t have much inherent beauty. I liked good album covers (who doesn’t?). Still, I’m not sure I would’ve ever called the cover of an album “beautiful.” (Actually, at fourteen I don’t know if I would’ve ever called anything “beautiful,” but that’s beside the point.)

When I started buying vinyl I started paying attention to album art. The covers felt so much more substantial and, well, beautiful. The covers themselves were works of art rather than simply part of some machine-processed, shrink-wrapped package. Maybe the difference was that vinyl covers were so much bigger. Or maybe it was because buying vinyl meant flipping through hundreds of records and looking at each cover one-at-a-time instead of scanning a wall of CDs and seeing multiple covers simultaneously. Maybe it was just a coincidence. I don’t know. Whatever the reason, I fell in love with album art.

It’s important to remember that music wasn’t always accompanied by artwork. Cavemen in a drum circle (why do I always picture this as the “birth of music?”) just had their banging. Mozart never had an album cover. In fact, there was no such thing as album art until the vinyl album. Album art was just a way of decorating the thick cardboard packaging needed to protect delicate records. Then it decorated CD cases. Now it “decorates” the screen of an iPhone. Album artwork has been grandfathered in from an earlier time when a cover was big and glossy.

There’s room for debate about whether music sounds better on vinyl. But album art always looks its best on a big vinyl sleeve. Sure, it’s the same picture you find on the CD or on your iPod screen. But the vinyl cover feels like it has more artistic merit. Don’t think so? Consider this: hanging some vinyl-sized album covers on your wall is a trendy/retro-chic way to decorate your apartment. But hang six CD booklets on your wall and you’ll be laughed at. It looks totally ridiculous, one step above hanging a bunch of videogame instruction manuals.

But here’s the problem: people don’t buy vinyl albums anymore. Downloaded music often comes with album art, but even a fantastic high-resolution cover is reduced to a desktop thumbnail or sequestered to the bottom left corner in iTunes. I don’t intend to come off as some old geezer complaining about how album art is “too damn small these days.” But album art just doesn’t look as good on anything but a big vinyl sleeve. It doesn’t matter how awesome the graphic is, it’s going to look bad when it’s put on an electronic device that fits in my pocket. Hence, I don’t know a lot of modern album covers because I listen to music on my computer or on an iPod and the artwork is shrunk down so much that I essentially ignore it.

(As an aside, I think dance music stands out as a genre with a lot of singles rather than complete albums. Many singles have artwork, but a fair amount of bootlegs and remixes never get a “proper” release and float around as art-less MP3s.)

Here’s an optimistic prediction: album art will change to take advantage of new technology. It’s not implausible, since this is exactly how album art developed in the first place. There’s plenty of room for album art to evolve. It just hasn’t happened yet.

If you know your album cover is going to be viewed primarily on iPods, why not get creative? How about animated album art. Animated .gifs are a cinch to make. There could be an album cover that changes colors every day of the week. Or a photograph that rotates seasonally. What if the cover changed every day like the Google homepage? Album art that moved to the beat of the music? Something interactive that I can play with rather than look at? “Album art” could be any number of things. The transition from vinyl to MP3 doesn’t necessarily mean the end of album art. It might simply mean the end of traditional album art and the rise of, for lack of a better term, non-traditional album art.

I don’t know if those ideas are cool or not. Maybe they work better in theory than in practice. I recently went to an exhibit at New York’s Museum of Modern Art that featured digital and interactive artwork. Sounds kinda cool, right? I thought so. But I found it all a little gimmicky. None of the pieces had the same warmth of, say, a painting. The iphone-app-as-album-art idea might not work for the same reason. Then again, some art critics panned the use of the silkscreen when it was first invented, and history’s been deservedly kind to that Warhol guy.

A bigger issue is the computer science behind all these ideas. I’ve never written code for an iPhone and I have no idea how iTunes processes album artwork. Maybe it can’t display anything more than a static image. I hope that’s not the case. But even if it is, it probably won’t be that way forever. Imagine what iTunes version 20 is going to be like. All it takes is one album to get things going. And if a big artist like John Mayer wants his album cover to dance, Apple will probably make it happen.

Album art isn’t dead. But it’s stale because we’re looking at it on tiny little screens instead of the big vinyl sleeves for which it was originally intended. Everything else in the music world is has changed in the last fifty years. Why should album art be the one exception?

This song has nothing to do with what I wrote about above. I just wanted to post it because it’s so damn good. Remember the opening scene of Boogie Nights that’s three minutes long and filmed in one uncut crane-to-Steadicam take? This song is what plays in the background. Whenever someone tells me “I don’t like disco,” I make them listen to this. If it doesn’t change their mind, nothing will.

The Emotions – Best Of My Love

Here’s a more club-friendly version that beatmaps the original to a steady drumbeat (and includes a relatively simple intro and outro). If you’re a DJ, you’ll want to grab this second MP3 to use in a set.

The Emotions – Best of My Love (Dance Edit)

For two people who have yet to release their first full-length album, Holy Ghost!’s Nick Millheiser (right) and Alex Frankel are more popular than you’d expect. But there’s a good explanation– they’re damn talented at what they do. They make the kind of music I wish I could make (but can’t, don’t and never will). Take a listen to any of their songs (seriously, just pick one, they’re all fantastic) and hear it for yourself. Even if you don’t love Holy Ghost!, your favorite musician probably does. It’s no accident they’ve been called on to remix the likes of Phoenix, Cut Copy and Moby.

But they’re not just talented musicians; they’re cool guys with a lot of interesting things to say about the themselves and the industry. We recently met in Brooklyn for coffee and pizza so I could ask them some questions. Read below to find out why DJing is less stressful than being in a band, the best places in New York City to buy vinyl, and why James Murphy always makes two albums at once.

Need a crash course in Holy Ghost!? They recently released a fantastic mixtape that groups their best remixes into an hour-long set. You probably can’t score one of the 200 old school cassette mixtapes they put out (try eBay), but don’t worry– the mp3 is available on the DFA website. Download it here, and cancel your plans for the rest of the day. You’re not going to be able to stop listening to it.

(NB: For clarity, I’ve occasionally “combined” their answers.)

How did you two meet?

We’ve actually known each other since elementary school. We grew up together in New York City.

When did you start making music together?

We played together in the school band for a while. You know, when we were kids. Then in high school we started a rap group called Automato. It was the two of us and some other friends we went to school with. Holy Ghost! came later.

What sort of musical background do you have? It sounds like you’ve got some formal training.

Alex: I took piano lessons from the father of a kid I went to school with. It was really informal though. And I probably had about five guitar lessons on top of that.

Nick: I took drum lessons from the age of eight until I was eighteen. Niether of us studied music in college, though.

Where did the name “Holy Ghost!” come from?

It’s the name of a Bar-Kays song.

Bar-Kays – Holy Ghost (Disco Mix)

How would you describe the Holy Ghost! sound?

Nick: That’s hard to say. I don’t know. I mean, you tell me. (laughs)

It’s funny because the first time my friend played me your Lisztomania remix I said “this sounds like a Holy Ghost! rip-off.” I think it’s got to do with the warmth of the synths and the tone of the drums. The drums aren’t looped or stuttered or anything.

Alex: That’s all true. We always record the drums. Actually we record everything into Pro Tools. But that’s it with the computer. We don’t use any of the effects or anything.

And I know you’ve got more synths than you have room for.

Nick: But there’s still so many more to buy! (laughs). We definitely use a lot of synths.

What set-up do you use when you’re performing?

Alex: Right now we’re just DJing, but we’ve got a full-on live show coming soon. (More on that below.)

Nick: We just use regular DJing gear– turntables and a mixer. We’re pretty old-fashioned. Vinyl and CDs. We’re switching more over to CDs now, but still a lot of vinyl.

Is that because vinyl sounds better? Or because there’s so much stuff that’s only put out on vinyl?

Alex: Both. We definitely play a lot of stuff you can’t always find on CD.

Nick: I do think that when the turntables are properly set up that vinyl sounds better.

Alex: Also, it’s what we learned on. When we first started DJing it was only vinyl, so we’re more comfortable with it. But we use CDJs, too.

There’s also the fact that CDs are a lot lighter than vinyl.

Nick: That’s true. But the weight was never that big of a deal. Honestly, I think the only people who bitch about carrying vinyl are people who’ve never been in a band before. It’s just as hard to carry all that equipment around. Once you’re used to carrying around huge cases and moving a drum set it doesn’t seem so bad to carry records.

Alex: Plus when we DJ we usually play, at most, a two-hour set. It’s not like we’re playing one of those all night, midnight-until-dawn things. We’ll play two hours, tops. So that means probably between 30-60 records. Split between two people it’s not so bad.

Nick: Honestly the biggest problem is that some clubs aren’t set up to handle it. We’ll get booked somewhere and have to make sure the club can handle our vinyl.

Since nobody else is using real vinyl.

Nick: Right. So we’ll call and ask “Do people play records there?” And they’ll say “Yeah, of course. People play vinyl here all the time!” But you’ve gotta make sure to explain “No, not Serato records. Do they play actual vinyl records?” And then you’ll show up and no one’s played a real record in years. (laughs)

What’s your favorite and least favorite part about being on tour?

Nick: It’s fun to be on tour. The worst part is the flying. Just being in airports and being on planes all the time. It’s fun because you get to go all over the world. I like touring a lot, I really do.

What are some of your favorite places to perform?

Nick: There’s a place in Glasgow called Sub Club that’s great.

Alex: There was one place in Zurich; I can’t remember the name. New York City is always fun.

Nick: Honestly, a really good DFA party in New York City is pretty tough to beat.

Do you notice a big difference in the crowds?

Alex: Oh yeah, totally. It’s very different in other countries.

Nick: The whole culture is different. If you grew up in, say, Berlin, you grew up listening to dance music. And if you’re a teenager or you’re in your twenties you probably go to dance clubs all the time.

Dance music in America? I think it’s a much newer phenomenon. So in any given city in the states there are only a couple of dance-y places. And everyone plays at the same places.

So a lot of the time we’ll go somewhere and people come see us expecting to hear harder electro stuff. People just expect us to play that since the same venue has had it before. All “dance” music sort of gets lumped together in the same places. But if you go to Germany there’s one club that plays disco, and another club that plays harder electro.

I think it’s also the misnaming or misgrouping of genres. Like when I say “House music,” I mean the stuff they were playing in Chicago in the nineties. But most people don’t think that.

Nick: Yeah that’s definitely part of it. That’s why it’s so hard to describe our sound. I don’t know what genre we are.

I mean, I think first and foremost we’d be considered indie. Our sound draws heavily from different genres of dance music. I guess we make maybe neu-disco but we’re not authentically disco. I don’t know. For all our snobbery we just make dance music. I guess maybe electro.

Alex: But right now “electro” now just means literally “electronic music.” (laughs) It could basically be anything. It really has nothing to do with the feel of the music; it’s not a specific sound. People describe us as “electro” even though it’s probably misleading to say that.

Nick: And I mean I listen to a lot of electro and I like a lot of that stuff, but our record couldn’t sound more different.

How much preparation do you do for your DJ sets?

Alex: We don’t plan it out. Maybe like five minutes before we go on we’ll look at each other and say “So what do you wanna start with?” (laughs)

Nick: But we each know what records the other person has.

That’s another nice thing about playing with vinyl. You know your record collection really well.

Alex: Oh for sure. You really know your collection. Sometimes I’ll listen to a song online and the first thirty seconds will sound awesome so I’ll download it. But then I’ll burn it to a CD and listen to the whole song later and the rest will just totally suck. (laughs) But yeah, if you’ve got vinyl you know your music front-to-back.

Nick: Also, I think there’s something nice about sort of having to work within the restriction of vinyl. I think I’d be overwhelmed with Serato. It’s just too much music. Same with computers and all those effects. There’s just so many to choose from. I don’t like having too many options.

So when we DJ we’ve got maybe thirty records, and we have to find a way to make everything work. Sometimes we can’t (laughs) but it’s usually pretty good.

Alex: Whenever we play at a place with a computer in front of us I always flip it down. I just think it’s just distracting and gets in between you and everyone else. It creates a barrier so you can’t get a feel for the crowd.

How do you start when you’re making a song? Drums? Melody?

Alex: It really depends. Half-and-half. Good ideas can come from anywhere. Sometimes piano or vocals. Sometimes drums.

Nick: A lot the time when we’re doing remixes we’ll sort of strip out all the music. Literally take everything out. So we’ll have the bassline, the drums and the melody all separate.

The usual way it works is that one of us starts something then we’ll e-mail the other and say “check it out.” You know, it’s not like every Thursday at 3 o’clock we meet and get work done. We’ll just call and say “let’s work on this.” And then we’ll mess around with it.

How do you know when you’re finished working on a song?

Nick: We don’t. (laughs)

When I interviewed Jas Shaw he said something like “if you’re still changing stuff on a song and it’s not getting any better, you’re probably finished.”

Nick: That’s actually a really smart thing to say. Then I guess I would say whenever the final mix is done. There are a couple of songs on the album that are “done,” but it helps to have somebody else mix it. That’s why we’re working with a producer to do the final mix.

I’ve definitely driven myself crazy EQing that hi-hat nobody’s going to notice anyway.

Nick: Oh yeah, yeah. Little things like that will just drive you insane. It helps to take time off from it.

So maybe we’ll start late afternoon and mix until midnight. Then I’ll take it home. And even having like a little bit of time, that laundry list of things that you wanted to change, you can cross some of them out right away and figure out what’s important. You can narrow down the list of things that bother you.

So what’s the status on the LP?

Alex: The album is finished. We were actually just talking the other day about how it’s going to come out. There’s still some stuff to figure out but it’ll probably get released sometime in September or maybe as late as next January.

Nick: There will be singles before then though, for sure. And some remixes. And a lot of touring.

Here’s the thing: when “Hold On” came out, it’s not like we were sitting on another eleven songs to put on an album. You know? So we were really just starting a new record. And even after that single came out it wasn’t like “we’re going to go to the studio now and make an album.” We went on tour. It was more “Alright, see ya later. We’re going on tour for a year.”

(laughs)

Alex: Up until the last couple of months we weren’t always working on the record. But then the last few months we went to finish it.

Did you even want to make an album? Why not just keep releasing singles?

Nick: I mean I definitely like songs. I like songs that work within the context of an album. But I also like songs that stand on their own. Something good enough to be it’s own 12-inch. Yeah, we could’ve put out a shitty album really quickly. (laughs)

Alex: I think it was necessary. We were also sort of figuring out what we wanted while we were on tour and in the studio. And you sort of learn by doing. So there was figuring out what we wanted to do, and then taking six months to actually do it. But yeah, we’re excited for it. It’s coming out through DFA.

How did signing to DFA come about? They just approached you?

Alex: Well they’re friends of ours. The first band we were in, that rap group Automato, was produced by James Murphy. So he knew who we were back in 2003.

Nick: And I was drumming in The Juan Maclean, another DFA artist.

Alex: And then we sent James the beat to “Hold On.”

Nick: But it was really casual. Honestly, I think we were probably the last people to know DFA was going to put that song out. We finished it, or at least we finished the demo of it and gave it to Tim Sweeney who played it on Beats in Space. I mean we assumed it was coming out on DFA but we hadn’t really talked about it.

I remember very distinctly being over at Tim Goldsworthy’s house. He was talking about something and he made some mention about how “Hold On” was coming out. And I was like “Well, what is it going to come out on? Is DFA gonna put it out?” And he goes “Oh, yeah yeah.” (laughs)

Alex: That’s how informal it was. I don’t even think we signed anything until a couple of months ago. We really trusted them and they trust us so it works out really well.

The music industry keeps changing. What are your thoughts on the current state of the industry?

Alex: I think it’s much harder to be a star, to be a huge artist. It’s funny because I think if you’ve got a huge voice like Kelly Clarkson, but you don’t write songs and you don’t know anything about production then you’re at a disadvantage.

Nick: You’re not gonna get a big advance from a record label anymore. That’s for sure. It’s all changed so quickly though. When we were in Automato there was no myspace or anything. Everything was about the label and the publisher and we had almost no control over anything. It was totally different.

But when “Hold On” came out, almost instantly people would write to us via myspace and ask us to play at their party. So I guess it’s easier to get a following and get shows without needing to deal with labels and distribution. But it’s much harder to get really rich and famous.

I think that’s probably, on the aggregate, a good thing. At least in the sense that more people are making money by making music.

Nick: Oh I do, too. It’s definitely a lot easier to make a decent living. I mean don’t get me wrong, we’re not rich or anything. But we’re getting paid.

Alex: The funny thing is our old band Automato went through basically what was our dream situation. We signed a pretty big major label contract, we got a big signing bonus. We were seventeen years old at the time. But we never made a penny. We were always paying for tour support. And we only put out one vinyl-only single on a record label with two employees.

Nick: Yeah, after Automato I totally thought I would never make a living making music. I mean If I couldn’t make a living after that, it wasn’t gonna happen. And that was like ten years ago.

What specifically didn’t work out with Automato? The label? The group itself?

(laughs)

Nick: Everything.

Alex: I mean, yeah, everything. All of that. We had our own dysfunctions and obviously we’re older and more mature now. But I think now having more control over your music you’ve got a lot more responsibility, too. It was easy to say at the time “Oh that’s the label’s fault” whenever something went wrong.

What about the role of music blogs?

Alex: I think they’re good. I mean I think it depends on their own rating systems and all that. What I mean is that they’re sometimes bad in the sense anyone can write shit about you all the time. But they’re usually really supportive.

Nick: Most blogs serve a niche market. And they’ve got moderate readership.

Alex: They definitely can serve as tastemakers and help bands get popular. I asked my little brother what’s cool now, what do the kids like and he said, “Whatever’s on hypemachine.”

I said, “What does that mean?”

And he just said, “People listen to whatever’s big on hypemachine.” But I don’t know, I don’t use it a lot. For some reason it crashes my computer.

Nick: I don’t use it either. Alex actually just showed me how it works.

Are there any specific blogs you do follow?

Nick: Eli Escobar has a good one. I like A-Trak’s blog a lot.

Alex: DJ Medhi’s blog, too. On Twitter? I pay attention to Questlove, Hot Chip.

What’s coming up from you two in 2010?

Nick: A tour soon, that’s for sure. The live band, too. Not a computer or anything. Drums, synthesizers. We’re still sort of figuring out the set up.

Alex: Our drummer, Jerry (Fuchs), who played on half of our record was going to play live, passed away unexpectedly. So we’re still trying to figure it out. Will our live show be good? I don’t know. I hope so. (laughs)

Nick: We had a very complete plan of how to play live but now it’s going to change. Obviously other than losing such a good friend we had to change the live set-up.

Right, and it’s not like you can just go hire some studio drummer. It’s not just finding someone who can play drums.

Nick: Exactly. And Jerry was as good as a studio drummer, but he was also a great guy. You know, he fit in our group of friends and was a really great dude. He had all the same tastes as us and everything. And that’s obviously the most important thing.

You know, look at James. When James put together LCD Soundsystem he basically hand-picked people he wanted to hang out with. But Jerry was technically as good as anyone.

Alex: So we’re going to tour a lot. And we’ll put the record out in the fall or early next year. We just did this thing with Friendly Fires. They covered us and we covered them.

Nick: We’ve got a song from the album coming out soon. Not really a full-on single though.

What are your long-term career goals?

Alex: Tough to say right now.

Nick: Make a second album. LP2. (laughs)

What’t the best movie you saw last year?

Nick: Inglorious Basterds. I was surprised more people didn’t like it actually.

Alex: Get back to me. Can’t think of one right now.

Best book you read?

Alex: We both read Brotherhood. That was really good.

Nick: And almost the entire Richard Price catalogue. Lush Life was fantastic. That’s the last Richard Price book. I’ve probably read more books this year than I have in my entire life. At home I never read. But on tour when I’m at an airport or on a plane it’s a great was to pass the time.

Music recommendation?

Eli Escobar is great. The new Shit Robot is going to be awesome.

The new Jaques Renault.

Rub-N-Tug. Everything they’ve done. All of it.

That Still Going song, “Spaghetti Circus.”

A friend visits NYC for a day. Where do you take him/her?

Alex: Just a day, huh? And we’ve gotta do something? (laughs) Probably something local. Grab coffee and pizza. We’re pretty boring.

Nick: We’ll go record shopping. Take them to Turntable Lab, A1 and the Academy.

Alex: Then we’ll eat at Marlow & Sons. That’s our favorite restaurant in Brooklyn.

Is there any city other than New York you’d want to live in?

At almost exactly the same time: Paris.

(laughs)

Nick: I would do LA for like six months or so, I think that’s about it. I don’t know. We’re from New York and we like it here.

It seems like you guys are friend with a lot of the other DJs.

Nick: Yeah we’re friends with them. Unlike in rock bands where it tends to be sort of insular, DJing is different. A lot of it has to do with people who DJ but come from a background of playing in bands.

Which isn’t to say playing in bands is any less legit than DJing. But it’s infinitely less stressful being a DJ. You don’t have to do sound checks, you’re not lugging around a ton of gear or paying $1000 a flight for weight overages. I’ve gotta say: it’s a pretty sweet gig.

And you’re playing a lot of the same songs. Or each other’s songs.

Nick: Right. It’s different than a band doing a cover song. And then when  a DJ you love plays your song it’s like giving props to you.

Alex: You know, one of our favorite DJ’s played “Hold On” and we were like, “holy shit!” And there’s a lot of “here’s a song that rules, you should play it too.”

I gotta ask: Have you guys heard the new LCD Soundsystem?

Alex: Some of it, yeah. It’s going to be good.

I can’t wait. I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for new LCD. I guess there were those 45:33 remixes that came out last year.

Alex: Yeah, the thing is James has been touring a fair amount.

Nick: And it’s taken a while because while he was making the new album he was also doing the score for Greenberg. The same thing happened last time, actually. While he was making Sound of Silver Nike came to him for that mix. And that was basically an album unto itself. So he was sorta making two albums at once.

Same thing now, I guess, with the Greenberg soundtrack. He seems to always make two albums at a time. He works hard and he’s had a pretty prolific last seven years or so if you think about it.

Definitely. It must have been great working with him. If he wanted to produce my album I’d pretty much sign my life away on the spot.

(laughs)

Nick: You definitely get a great record made. That’s for sure.

Alex: When we first met him I don’t even think the label DFA existed. So maybe he wasn’t as big of a deal back then.

Nick: Yeah, we started to get to know him right before the first Juan Maclean album came out. So there was like that initial hype at the time around them. I’ll say this: he likes a good cup of coffee. (laughs)

Thanks again to Nick and Alex for taking the time to answer all my questions. Here’s a pair of my favorite Holy Ghost! songs. Enjoy.

Cut Copy – Hearts On Fire (Holy Ghost! Remix)

Van She – (Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Holy Ghost! Remix)

Disney’s given us a lot of great animation over the years: Pinocchio. Fantasia. The Lion King. But I recently stumbled across the following and, well, I haven’t been this excited about a cartoon since I saw the trailer for Toy Story 3.

Here’s the backstory: in 1979 Disney tried to cash in on the popularity for all-things disco by releasing an album that included both disco-fied Disney songs and Disney-fied disco songs. Their plan worked; the album was a hit and eventually sold enough copies to be certified double platinum. It’s out-of-print now, but if you’re dying to listen to “Macho Duck” or “Watch out for Goofy!” in their entirety, all the songs are available on iTunes.

Disney also released an accompanying seven-minute animated Super 8 reel set to music. Watch a brief history about that video (and the video itself) below. (Hat tip to my friends over at Retro Thing for producing such a great piece.)

The lineup (excluding the awful celebrity DJ’s) was A-Trak, followed by Steve Aoki. Now, I respect both of these men to infinity and beyond (I’m a nerd, I know), but let’s be honest, as DJ’s, one of them is just a little bit more talented than the other. That is, one of them won the DMC world championship in turntableism at age 15, and the other…. erm… knows how to beat match with Serato? That being the case, I fully expected A-Trak to steal the show–but I was wrong. Despite his incredible skill, and his massively superior set (which included the ridiculous Robot Rock jam he’s become so well known for), A-Trak’s show as a whole paled in comparison. He played his entire set to a crowd that seemed to have forgotten how to do anything more than a reluctant shuffle to the beat. And even then, it seemed like the little dancing that was going on was more out of respect for him as an artist than an actual desire to dance. For some reason, the energy just wasn’t there, and I could not for the life of me figure out why. That is until Aoki took over.

Here’s the magic of it all: What did Steve do when he took control of the turntables? Did he put on some kind of miraculous display of musical prowess? Did he have a gnarly intro and a set full of never before heard tracks? Nope. He played Warp. He played Warp, and then proceeded to climb atop the DJ booth with his arms spread wide like Christ himself, whilst screaming “I just want!I just want!” at the top of his lungs, and the crowd lost it. It didn’t matter that we were all dancing to a tune we had heard a thousand times over, and it didn’t matter that the DJ wasn’t even standing behind the decks while we all went nuts. The energy was there, and that was everything.

Game over. Everything I thought I knew about music went into the trash can. If it’s not talent that makes a good show, then what is it? Am I even there for the music? Do I even like music? What is music? What is a musician? And for god’s sake, why is watching someone play records fun?

Have you ever had to explain to someone who’s new to the scene what a DJ’s roll actually is? People ask me all the time, and it never fails, after I finish my five minute breakdown on “keeping the energy high” and “reading the crowd” and all that junk us DJ’s use to justify our trade, the person I’m explaining it to says something along the lines of, “So wait, why wouldn’t you just put on an iTunes playlist?” I used to just shrug it off as ignorance, but having had this near religious experience, that question seems to carry a lot more weight than it used to. I’ve seen crowds go crazy for DJ sets that were literally worse than iTunes playlists. Does that imply that we could all have just a great of a time dancing to a computer? Probably not. But where’s the line? Why does watching a DJ play a track on turntables get us off so much more effectively than if he were to double click it in iTunes? After all, it is the same mp3 file, is it not?

Now, I’m not pretending to be the guy with answers, but one cannot be subject to such profound realization without being forced to draw a couple conclusions. So here’s my theory: All those people that take it upon themselves to convince the world that DJ’s aren’t rockstars? They’re flat out wrong. DJ’s couldn’t be any closer to rockstars. Think about it. Rock has never been about the musicians’ talent. Shit, take a look at ACDC’s frontman. There isn’t a chance in a million that a guy like that could even make it through American Idol’s tryouts, and yet he’s the pillar supporting one of the world’s most successful bands of all time. Their fame came not from harmonies perfectly complimenting melodies, but from random acts of insanity, colorful light shows, fireworks, and that strut thing that the guitarist always liked to do across the stage. That was it. They were gods, and the people who saw their shows were paying not to hear their music, but to experience what it’s like to be in the presence of a bunch of out-of-control deities who represent everything that a human being really wants in life: sex and carefree mayhem, and these are things that any musician, rockstar or DJ, can provide.

So what was it that made Steve Aoki’s party so much better than A-Traks? The same thing that keeps artists like The Bloody Beetroots and Rusko, and countless other charismatic DJ’s at the top of festival bills: they’re symbols that exist in an almost fictional world. They’re like that character in a book that everyone wants to be, and they carry with the the same weight that celebrities like Paris Hilton do. What are they famous for? It doesn’t matter. If they look right (long haired Japanese guy, italian punks with venom masks, mowhawked british bloke) and act right (front flipping into a crowd, pouring Greygoose down the tiniest little asian girls throat, wearing neon green glow glasses and shooting laser beams to the sound of the bass), worship is bound to ensue.

Anyway, that’s my little bit of existential bullshit. Take it or leave it. But even if you choose to leave it, make sure you don’t pass up this bit of UK Funky (which is in no way related to any of the above). It’s a groovy little jam, to say the least.

Donaeo – Party Hard

A DJ’s primary job (or, if you prefer, “purpose”) is choosing songs. For a while it was his only job—back when turntables didn’t have pitch control and scratching was a surefire way to break your record player and destroy your vinyl all at once.*** A DJ was a one-trick pony, playing one song after another until the party ended. Hence, the only way to compare one DJ with another was by his song selection. A better DJ played better songs. (Of course, the argument “What makes a better selection of songs?” is even harder to settle. But the logic still follows that whoever played better songs was a better DJ.)

***Insert long David Foster Wallace-esque footnote here: A turntable is basically a motor that spins a metal disk at a constant speed. There are two types of turntables: belt-drive and direct-drive. A belt-drive turntable has the motor off to the side. That motor is connected to the spinning axle via an elastic band. This band isn’t strong enough to withstand any serious scratching, and over time the band deteriorates until it must be replaced. This was the standard for years, and it’s probably what your parents used when they first listened to the Beatles.

A direct-drive turntable has a motor directly underneath the spinning disc. This design makes a record reach the proper RPM much quicker; you need a direct-drive turntable if you’re going to scratch. Even better, there’s no elastic band to replace. The catch? For a long time turntable motors were loud and clunky; the motor vibrated during playback and made the needle jump. This shaking damaged the vinyl itself and created rough, irregular playback. But modern motors are quiet enough to keep the record spinning consistently and the needle firmly in the groove. Direct-drive turntables are preferred by every serious DJ, though they’re typically more expensive.

Back to the main point: DJs were choosing songs, and we were comparing them by those songs. But DJing evolved (along with the equipment) and there was another criterion by which to judge DJs: technical ability. The best DJs knew how to use the equipment. They could beatmatch perfectly; they could EQ songs with just the right amount of high, middle and low frequencies; they could use samplers or effects processors or any number of sequencers, drum machines and synthesizers. Learning to use this equipment was hard. But those who mastered the machinery were considered better DJs. Two DJs could play the exact same songs, but one could play a better set depending on how he played the songs. Technical ability mattered.

Today, software like Serato Scratch Live and Ableton Live make the technical aspect of DJing much easier to learn. Modern DJs aren’t learning to use hardware, they’re learning to use software (or some combination of hardware and software).

For example, beatmatching used to be the most important technical skill a DJ could learn. It took years to perfect that ability. Now it’s a breeze. I’m pretty sure I could teach anyone with a decent ear and a few hours of free time to beatmatch songs using Serato. Ableton literally beatmatches for you, assuming your songs are quantized correctly beforehand.









There are two main implications to the rise of software-driven DJ sets:

First, I think we’re all better off because amateur DJs don’t sound as amateurish. Nothing is more painful to listen to than shitty scratching or off-beat mixing. Software corrects some of that. It’s easier to be a mediocre DJ, and mediocre DJing is better than bad DJing. And the fact that DJing is easier to learn also means more people are doing it. That doesn’t mean they’re doing it well, but they’re still doing it. More people DJing is, on the aggregate, a good thing. Even if they’re bad DJs, they probably pay money to see other DJs or in some other way help “the scene.” On a more personal note, many of them also read this blog.

There are certainly purists (read: turntablists) who scoff at the idea of using anything more than two turntables and a mixer, but those people are in the minority. Most DJs use a laptop or, at the very least, CDJs (which, by the way, are still digital rather than analog and often have some sort of built-in software package that’s essentially just a scaled-down version of Serato). It’s both foolish and futile to oppose DJing software. If it makes the set better (“better” meaning “let’s the artist get the exact sound he wants”) then I’m all for it. But then again, there are also people who prefer an acoustic guitar to an electric guitar because that’s the sound they want. It’s just personal preference.

Second, DJs are again primarily judged by the songs they play. We’ve come full circle. Operating Serato/Ableton still requires a certain amount of “skill” (should I even include quotation marks there anymore?). But software helps level the playing field and, more importantly, adjust the learning curve. Once all DJs become the same in their ability to use the software, the only judging criterion left is—you guessed it—song selection. Technical proficiency isn’t a valid criterion for comparison anymore because everyone is technically proficient. Maybe we’ll eventually get to the point where all a DJ will be able to do is chose songs while the software takes care of the rest. Where do we go from there?

Kissy Sell Out

My favorite DJ right now? Tough to answer. But the first person who comes to mind is Kissy Sell Out. He’s got the technical ability that every great DJ has, but his song selection is top-notch. He’ll play a set with music from all over the place and somehow make it all work. For example, a recent performance of his included songs by Rusko, Cat Stevens, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, M83 and Machines Don’t Care. The tracklist reads like a total clusterfuck, as if he just hit “shuffle” and played whatever came up next. But if you listen to the mix you’ll realize he pulls it off like nobody else could.

My favorite thing about Kissy Sell Out is that he remixes songs exclusively for his live sets (appropriately titled “Kissy Klub Versions”). See him perform and you’ll hear a track that’s never been released and never will be; his hard drive must be loaded with homemade gems. It’s actually a little frustrating—much of his stuff is fantastic and the fact that I can’t get the individual songs drives me crazy. But it makes his live sets that much more exciting. I never know what he’s going to play and I’ll probably never get to hear some of those Kissy Klub Versions again. The songs add a thrilling sense of once-in-a-lifetime urgency to his performances.

Enjoy this original track from his album Youth and a fun R.E.M. bmore-inspired remix.

Kissy Sell Out – Garden Friends

R.E.M. – Nightswimming (Kissy Sell Out Remix)