Virgin

Gangs are generally bad things. Followed by world poverty and a burgeoning crack habit. None of which are true of this week’s guests, Gang Gang Dance. Playing their only UK tour date this year, and set to release deeply lauded album ‘Saint Dymphna’, Eleanor Conway of music.virgin.com chats to Gang Gang Dance about collaborating with grime artist Tinchy Stryder, suprising the contemporary art snobs at the Whitney Biennial and their love of Kylie.

Gang Gang Dance’s new album Saint Dymphna is out now.
www.ganggangdance.com

Every year, the music industry descends like hawks throughout the bowels of New York City for a week in October. 100,000 people watch 1000 bands perform in 65 different venues for CMJ (College Music Journal)’s Music Marathon. Bands crash in vans and on floors in Brooklyn, bloggers crash on couches and under their computer desks, and no one gets enough sleep. It’s pretty much musical mayhem as well as euphoria for indie rock lovers and journalists like myself because CMJ remains one of the only really true “taste-maker” festivals (like SXSW and POP Montreal). True, 80 percent of the bands you see, you’ll never hear of again but it’s the sweet 20 percent you savor: those unfound music ingenues who will set the trends for the year and become legends in two years. Daftpunk, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Spiritualized, the Foo Fighters, The Beastie Boys, Lenny Kravitz and L L Cool J all performed in a small dank bar somewherein CMJ’s 28 year history.

This year, CMJ the schedule includes: A Place To Bury Strangers, Beach House, Broken Social Scene, Cool Kids, Crystal Castles, Deerhoof, Donavon Frankenreiter, Gang Gang Dance, Jay Reatard, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Lykke Li, Minus The Bear, Roisin Murphy, Mark Ronson, The Dears and Yo Majesty.

Like last year, I am shooting CMJ for CMJ, so I’ll be sure to fill you music.virgin.com peeps in on the best and worst performances, the drama behind the DJ booth, and any or all inappropriate dance moves. To give you a taste, I included my favorite shot last year of most ‘memorable moment’ of Philly-based rapper Spankrock kissing a random audience member upside down; let me know what you think. (I might add that night, Spankrock, who performed with Santogold, invited half the crowd onstage and then towards the end of his performance, simply curled up behind the DJ booth and passed out.)

Just a quickie to let you know that Saturday’s Gang Gang Dance gig at ULU has now moved to HOXTON BAR AND GRILL, times also changed (all original tickets still valid).

Tickets available from seetickets.com

Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen
2 Hoxton Square
London N1 6NU
United Kingdom

To celebrate the release of their highly anticipated new album ‘St. Dymphna’, Gang Gang Dance will be doing a one off UK show, at ULU, London on the 11th of October. A party it will be, going on until 2am with a number of hot DJs and acts to be announced!

Named after the patron saint of outsiders, taboo subject matter and general disorder, Gang Gang Dance will release ‘Saint Dymphna’ on Warp on the 20th of October. Not only is it a stunning follow-up to the critically acclaimed ‘God’s Money’, but it is quite possibly their greatest opus to date.

Without a doubt, the impending release of their new album will cement Gang Gang Dance’s reputation of being the next hot band to come out of New York, spawning from the same creative pool that has bought the world Animal Collective and Battles.

With quotes praising the album such as ‘One of the best albums we’ve heard all year… astonishing in it’s breadth and quality’ - FACT, or from TV On The Radio founding member and fellow New York-ite, Dave Sitek: ‘Gang Gang Dance - their new album is absolutely enormous’, this buzz is very much justified.

The current press campaign reflects this too with the cover of Plan B magazine forthcoming as well as huge spreads in all the style magazines, Dazed, i-D and more.

3 creative individuals with strong ties to the art community, they are all exhibiting artists in their own right. Their invitation to show at this year’s Whitney Biennial is an offer rarely extended to musicians. With his upcoming exhibition at Le Confort Moderne in Poitiers, a leading art centre in the region, band member Brian DeGraw, alongside the rest of the band have consequently been able to take time out to do this London album launch party.

St. Dymphna can only be loosely described as an unpredictable melange of truly global dance styles overlaid with live instrumentation - guitar and drums and transcendent vocals. Including a vocal part supplied by Grime’s ascending star Tinchy Stryder, and in a way you would never expect, it represents an album that surprises and delights on every listen.

And so with this in mind please come join Gang Gang Dance and the rest of the stellar line up forthcoming, in what will truly be one of the hottest shows this year!

BIG NEW TUNES - FREE DOWNLOADS

Gang Gang Dance - Princes (ft. Tinchy Stryder) (taken from forthcoming Saint Dymphna LP)

http://www.warprecords.com/ganggangdance/Gang_Gang_Dance-Princes_feat_Tinchy_Stryder.mp3

Gang Gang Dance - House Jam (taken from forthcoming Saint Dymphna LP)

http://www.warprecords.com/ganggangdance/Gang_Gang_Dance-House_Jam.mp3

& if you haven’t seen Gang Gang Dance on previous outings, you need these too!

Gang Gang Dance - House Jam (XXXchange Remix)

http://www.warprecords.com/ganggangdance/Gang_Gang_Dance-House_Jam_XXXchange%20remix.mp3

Gang Gang Dance - Nicoman (from Rawwr)

http://www.warprecords.com/ganggangdance/Gang_Gang_Dance-Nicoman.mp3

Gang Gang Dance album launch party (+ special guests)

Saturday 11th October 2008 til 2am

ULU, Manning Hall, Malet St, WC1E 7HY

Tickets £11.50 from www.seetickets.com