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GANG GANG DANCE “Often when a group with avant-garde leanings flies close to the pop sun, the results can sound forced or off-key. But since accessible melodies have always bubbled beneath the music’s surface, Gang Gang Dance’s evolution sounds supremely logical. And anyone who thought that the cloudy sound of previous albums was a smokescreen should think again - it turns out the band behind that curtain really is made up of wizards.” - Pitchfork “Gang Gang Dance have erected a phenomenal, pavement-cracking dance record out of the sublime frequencies of non-American music: reggaeton, grime, and various strains of Central African music." - Village Voice “With an unrestrained tunefulness, Saint Dymphna examines a variety of genres – dub, hip hop, and ambient being among them – but remains remarkably coherent. It’s one of those rare experimental albums that gets better over time, remaining both wholly captivating and endlessly listenable.” – XLR8R Named after the patron saint of outsiders, taboo subject matter and general disorder, Saint Dymphna is Gang Gang Dance's stunning follow-up to the critically acclaimed God’s Money. After three years of complex and sporadic recording, complete with jetsetting, breakdowns, a Whitney Biennial appearance, plus the Retina Riddim DVD+CD and RAWWAR EP, the band yielded a true masterpiece in The Social Registry canon. If you’ve seen a Gang Gang Dance show since 2005, you know that Lizzi Bougatsos, Brian Degraw, Tim Dewit and Josh Diamond have taken an even dancier, inclusive direction that continues to emphasize the ritualistic elements of their music while upping the transcendent aspects. This is apparent (times ten) on Saint Dymphna. The record opens with “Bebey” – a preview of coming attractions that is like an organic, eastern Aphex Twin with spinning percussion, face-fuzz ambient textures and oral rebirth. The track melts into “First Communion,” which is a great representation of the new, moreaccessible- than-ever version of the band. After a dreamy introduction, the unit pummels in with a truly global punch – we’re talking Brazilian guitars, punk snarl on the vocals and a beat that resembles the omnipresent sound of reggaeton flooding the NYC streets during summer months.ell as the more idylllic moments of their travels around the world. “Blue Nile” touches on 80s techno, trip-hop, interstellar travel and Hot 97 R&B without really sounding like any of those things. “Princes” is the real shocker of the bunch. The first appearance of Londonbased MC Tinchy Stryder and his “Oh shit! Gang Gang!” toast will cause more than a few moments of “Did I accidentally switch records?” before the conclusion that this stuff is smashing apart genre conventions in a way that few bands have been willing to experiment with. The song plays like the weirdest Grime track (or the weirdest Gang Gang Dance track for that matter) you’ve ever heard. Either way, it re-emphasizes the group’s club potential, experimental success and beyond all, true understanding of good music no matter what label critics decide to obsess over on a given day. Like God’s Money, Saint Dymphna is envisioned as a LP experience, although each track is more than strong enough to stand alone. The production is pristine cinematic headphone candy with 70s Eno intricacy and 00s Timbaland immediacy that will firmly hold your attention while Gang Gang Dance continue to push things forward. |
Catalog Number: TSR050 Released in Europe and Australia Tracklisting: FOR MORE INFO ON All Tracks Listed In Blue Are Linked To A Downloadable MP3 |