We here at Resonator have been Digitalism fans for a long time now, at least ever since the boys turned us on to the green lights of Tom Vek with their brilliant remix that made a strange, neo-David Byrne vocal the break out stomper of 2005. Digitalism has been tearing up other people’s work with edgy production work that’s entirely electronic but more likely to inspire moshing than dancing around one’s handbag (hence their recent Mixmag disc, “Rock the Rave”).
One of my favorite of their remixes is for the fairly mellow Cut Copy. They took “Going Nowhere” and added a tension building squiggle and that raises the track from polite cocktail party fare to full on dance floor mayhem. On record, it’s actually Digitalism’s work that better represents the live energy of Cut Copy than the band themselves.
Going Nowhere (Digitalism Remix) — Cut Copy
Our boys Simian Mobile Disco heavily featured the charmingly named Martian Assault edit of Digitalism’s “Jupiter Room” both live and on their Club NME mix. The original, featured on their new album Idealism, is still my favorite, deserving more than a little bit of a comparison to Daft Punk’s harder cuts off of Homework, especially “Burning” and “Da Funk.”
The Daft punk similarities don’t end there– these guys are definitely in line for the Robots’ crowns (or helmets?) when they retire. “Apollo-Gize” borrows the baroque by way of the year 3000 synth lines from Discovery while managing to brilliantly walk the line between homage and rip-off.
That’s not to say that Idealism is all French flavored. I hate to court blasphemy, but Digitalism succeeds in delivering a consistently enjoyable record from start to finish, something the Daft ones have never actually done (admit it, you’ve skipped more tracks on their releases than you’ve actually let play through). Their rock influence means that just before they noodle off into quirky and unlistenable, they reign themselves in with a little guitar (as on “I Want I Want”) or some good old fashioned post punk. The best cut on the record, “Digitalism in Cairo,” is a pop and lock masterpiece that cuts, chops, slices, and dices the Cure’s “Fire in Cairo” over a bottom heavy crunch of bass line that, on a good sound system, is guaranteed to make a dance floor shudder.
Digitalism in Cairo — Digitalism
Idealism is available now on Astralwerks from In Sound.
I love Digitalism too, but Daft punk have NEVER put a foot wrong! that is all
Digitalism will be the new Daft Punk if you ask me. Their name, their sound, it’s all good! And yes, Daft Punk did something wrong: They released ‘Human after all’. To make a long story short: Digitalism continious where Daft Punk stopt after ‘Discovery’…
Seriously? Human after all is amazing. I hate it when people dis on that album, its great. As much as I cannot see the connection, I agree, Digitalism has a ton of talent, and room to grow.
Sorry, but Digitalism will never reach Daft Punk status. And don’t count Thomas and Guy-man for expired legends yet…those boys are in the studio right now brewing a new batch of blow-your-f***ing-mind muffins as we speak.
BTW, Human After All is my favorite Daft album.