Tomorrow we’re playing one of our favorite parties in the world. I love this flyer!

So we played our first show in quite some time last night at Union Pool under the name of the mighty Electric Mayhem Band. It was a blast! Here’s a write up from the NY Press about the show:

A secret show of sorts at Union Pool last night saw TV Baby and The Rapture rip through two short but killer sets.
Openers TV Baby (said to me more like TV, Baby, with a swagger-packed paused) tore up songs of jagged guitar riffs, howling vocals and fast synth beats. It was kinda like giving Little Richard a guitar he wasn’t sure how to play and making him front New Order while everybody was on amphetamines—a rock ‘n’ roll dance flashbang. TV Baby is Brain McPeck and Matt McAuley from A.R.E. Weapons, a band that has purportedly been friends with The Rapture’s keyboardist/saxophonist/aux percussionist Luke Jenner for years, hence the billing.
As a friend reminded me before the main draw took the stage, we heard last from The Rapture on the 2006 album Pieces of the People We Love— that is, beyond the plethora of TV, movie and video game appearances keeping the band in the black as it records a new album in Paris. Singer and guitarist Gabriel Andruzzi told me the show had a last-minute announcement via the band’s Facebook page around 3 p.m. because the post-punk dance trio just wanted friends there. Well, if that’s the case, they sure have a lot of pals—the place was packed to the gills.
With LCD Soundsystem selling out Terminal 5 for three nights in a row, it would have been a shame if these dance-centered DFA veterans couldn’t have filled the much, much smaller Union Pool, even on such short notice. But The Rapture certainly did, drawing in as many mouthy, excited fans from the garden as from its clandestine web announcement. Drummer Vito Roccoforte told me it was a warm-up show (they have two, more-publicized shows this week). But they seemed totally on point, joined on bass by Harris Klahr, late of the excellent Q And Not U, and playing a shitload of crowd favorites and only one new track, “Sail Away,” a down-tempo joint that still managed to break into the band’s signature 2–4 dance vibe. It appears the band is winding up to make some moves this year—is that an album release we smell on the horizon?
Besides someone in the audience with an airhorn, who was remarkably on rhythm, the set went down like a dance pill, and The Rapture had the crowd eating out of its volatile hands. So much so Andruzzi led the crowd in a collective, post-set Telemundo howl of “GOOOAL” in celebration of Landon Donovan’s World Cup stunner.

MUGWUMP EP by Throne Of Blood

Some recent reviews and a couple free download links for Mugwump’s “The Congregation of Discalced Clerks”/”Concrete Skankin”, which is available in finer record shops and digital download outlets now:

Juno:
“When a DJ of Ivan Smagghe’s stature leaves a 150 word reaction waxing
lyrical about a record, you know it’s gonna be something a little bit
special. Mugwump’s The Congregation Of Discalced Clerks is that record
and it’s a thumping release for NYC imprint Throne Of Blood, rapidly
becoming contenders for label of the year.”

Piccadilly:
“I hate to make the comparison but if you liked “Odyssey” by Caribou
then your going to love “The Congregation Of Discalced Clerks” (what a
mouthful!). With a simple three-note bassline / melody and a live,
organic drum beat complete with cowbells and Hot Chip style swing
(that Caribou also do very well) its a brilliantly modern sounding
track that still retains that ever important human element and
juxtaposes digital and organic production.”

Resident Advisor:
Mugwump hasn’t found a reliable label home, but that’s to be expected. Geoffroy Dewandeler and Olivier Gregoire’s music is so varied that it’s hard to pin them down to any one sound. Case in point: The duo’s new EP, The Congregation of Discalced Clerks, for New York label Throne of Blood. The two tracks seemingly come from two completely different groups. The title track is bright Kompakt-esque pop, riding a percolating synth line to victorious ends. Reminiscent of prime-era Rex The Dog, it keeps the rhythm basic in order to make sure that the melody sticks in your head. Mission accomplished.

“Concrete Skankin” is the more interesting of the pair, a throwback to the duo’s Belgian New Beat past. Rough around the edges and clocking in at a healthy 130 BPM, there’s a lot to digest: Reversed vocal samples, a synth line that recalls the classic sound of “Los Ninos del Parque,” buzzing horns in the back. The duo have stuffed the tune to the brim, but break it down early and often for maximum impact. Mugwump may not be easy to figure out on a release-to-release basis, but they clearly have no problem adhering to the law of the dance floor each time out.

XLR8R:
“From The Rapture-run record label Throne of Blood comes this funky,
Italo-tinged dance tune. Belgian producer Mugwump crafted the song as
the lead number for his forthcoming two-song EP, and it’s easy to tell
why; the song kicks off right away, immediately setting a slyly
serious tone with arppeggiated synths, rubbery bass riffs, and a
backbeat tailor-made for folks looking to flex some fancy footwork.
But that’s all prior to a tense string section taking over the whole
track, and transporting it into spatial oblivion before taking it back
to the initialgroove.

Slutty Fringe:
In which Throne of Blood continue to excel with their release schedule, this time turning to Belgian duo Mugwump who deliver a superlative two track EP that includes a acid soaked EBM remake of Nitzer Ebb in ‘Concrete Skankin’ and ‘The Congregation of Discalced Clerks’ which sounds like a homage to a balearic classic.

Apparently Gary Young the original drummer for Pavement is playing one date on the reunion tour for Pavement in their hometown of Stockton. If you are anywhere near there I highly recommend going.

Watching the first video reminded me of this video I saw a while ago. These guys have definitely set the bar pretty high.

This guy is awesome. He is def feeling the magic. I went to see Pavement back in High School in San Diego in a giant shed in the Del Mar Fair grounds. This guys performance reminds me of that day.