For like a year back in college, some radio fat cat thought it would be a good idea to inject a dance and techno station into the ears and hearts of the natives, and though I never previously gave much consideration to the genre I found myself cranking it in the wee hours after driving home half-asleep from working long nights at a local eatery.
That late at night, music such a forceful, driving beat can either roust you into wakefulness or rock you into a droning coma, and depending on what song was playing I had my fair share of experiences with both. When listening to iiO, however—most famous for their huge club hit “Rapture”—I usually found myself tightrope walking somewhere in between those two states of consciousness.
It was awesome.
The thing about club music is that a lot of its notoriety comes from remixes that get passed around and bumped at discotheques worldwide, but my allure to “Rapture” and later iiO jams like “At the End,” “Kiss Me,” and “Runaway” were a little more than just a primal appreciation for heavy bass and creatively thumping beats. These songs are, at their heart, really good and really catchy little ditties. It’s not just formulaic ass-shaker music intended for E-heads grinding on each other’s scantily-clad, sweaty bodies. Okay, so it is that, but it’s more than that, too. It’s music in every sense of the word, and I likes me some it.
Today, iiO is a one-man show, as Markus Moser has lost his partner Nadia Ali to a solo vocal career, which is apparently going relatively well. Regardless of what they’re up to now, back in 2003 they were the business, helping me stay awake on the drive home from a job that I absolutely did not like. The dance and techno station didn’t last, perhaps predictably because it’s such a niche market, but for the short time it was around I genuinely appreciated it.
And thanks to it, I still appreciate iiO. And thanks to me, you do too.
Here’s the video for “Rapture”:
And the video for “At the End”:
With the 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival finally over after a weekend of heat (both in intensity and, you know, temperature) we feel it necessary to feature some of the notable acts to make for certain they have made it on to your iPod. LCD Soundsystem is one of those artists.
You may have heard the single “Drunk Girls” recently on the radio and for good reason: it’s crazy catchy. LCD Soundsystem has a knack for creating retro-synth beats that mix in a plethora (yes plethora) of different genres including electronic, disco and rock. This is none more prevalent than on the latest album release This Is Happening.
In my opinion, the album is best experienced with a set of headphones, but don’t let that stop you should you be the only one on earth that doesn’t own headphones. I personally like my music spoon-fed directly to my ears when it has so much character and pizazz. You can actually feel the bass shaking your brain. It’s awesome.
Check out the latest release This Is Happening for an eclectic mix of techno-awesomeness. Each song is quirky (in a good way) including “Pow Pow”, “One Touch” and the opening track “Dance Yrself Clean”. In fact, the opening track is so awesome, it didn’t even need all of the letters in the name. Take that other tracks.
If you’re feeling saucy check out his other albums for an overdose of LCD. Don’t worry, LCD isn’t a drug it’s a type of TV display. You can only metaphorically overdose on it. But you should still take it in moderation.
Check out the video for “Drunk Girls”:
Buy This Is Happening:
