Step aside President Obama, another change is on the way….*
Once upon a time in America, the term “disco” simply referred to the soundtrack to shallow, amphetamine-fueled urban nights of bacchanalian fervor. True bards did not express themselves with four-to-the-bar bass drum patterns, glitzy synthesized motifs, octave electric bass-lines, choppy guitar riffs, slinky space age sound effects and other characteristics of the aforementioned intellectually-reviled genre. Oh sure, there were folks who passed themselves off as “dance artists” and you could certainly boogie to a Prince record, and guys like Herbie Hancock infuriated the jazz police with his Headhunters and his decidedly computerized r & b stance - but the whole point of disco was non-contemplation!
Enter the collective who work under the tempting moniker of My Dear Disco. They have conjured a new genre that’s bound to blow your mind and booty away: “dancethink” - which also happens to be the title name of their stimulating debut album.
“The term is meant to be flexible” says MDD (they speak in unison). “The goals in behind dancethink have existed long before us, but it may be somewhat rare these days. Back in the day, this was not necessarily the case with artists such as Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn and Rufus, Patrice Rushen, Herbie Hancock, the Talking Heads and so on….We would definitely put our music within that kind of legacy. [This record] captures what we love about them and paves the way for our own contributions. For us, some current artists who could be described as ‘dancethink’ are the Brazilian Girls, Cornelius, Dntel, Jamie Lidell, among others.”
Now for the shocker - the band: Tyler Duncan (synths/programming), Robert Lester (guitar, vocals, programming, bass), Christian Carpenter (bass), Michelle Chamuel (lead vocals), Theo Katzman (guitar, vocals, drums), Mike Shea (drums), and Joey Dosik (keyboards, vocals) - hail from Ann Arbor, Michigan - a locale highly noted for its loud proud garage rock lore (remember the MC5, The Stooges?).
MDD tells it like it is: “our dance aesthetic was honed more at house parties - which is a much cheaper form of entertainment than expensive rock club nights throughout our shared college experiences. Ann Arbor is the home to the great electronic music label Ghostly International which definitely contributes to the local scene. Bands and DJs come through here as a result of Ghostly and their musical influence has had an effect on us.”
The scope of Dancethink is rather expansive. Seductive balladry (“Madam Eon - Part One”), raucous neo-punk thrash (“Amsterdam”) and hard-core electro-funk (M.Y.F. Move Your Feet) coexist seamlessly. Who has the capacity to take it all in? “One of our favorite things about MDD is the diversity of our fan base. When we play shows outside of typical club scenes, like festivals or free outdoor shows, shows for cultural events, and similar gigs, we garner a great positive response from a broad range of people from all races, genders, ages, and cultural niches.”
MDD insists on sharing one anecdote that conveys their affect on the masses: “In December 2007 we were playing a holiday party at an art gallery in Detroit in a really small room. The crowd covered ages six to sixty and was super racially diverse. The place was kind of swank; we think a lot of the people were volunteer and community service types - certainly not elite art collectors. The stage was non-existent - we set up on the floor and played through a small, inadequate PA. The crowd was seated on folding chairs within two feet of us in all directions. We were not sure how our high-energy dance music would go over, but as soon as we started - the little kids went crazy! Then their parents got down. Everyone was watching really closely and smiling super wide. One woman, who looked exactly like Queen Latifah, was sitting to our left. She was grooving super hard in her seat - clapping and stuff - and sending us incredible amounts of energy. As soon as we finished she came over to me and shouted ‘I got a splinter in my ass from all the dancing I was doing in my seat!’ We’ll never forget that compliment!”
--Tom Semioli [February 23, 2009]
*Notes MDD “We actually played at an Obama Rally the night before the election. No Obama showing, but a bunch of Michigan political royalty were there. Next election year, when this type of thing happens again, I am utterly confident that our governor will guest on a song with us!”
My Dear Disco’s Dancethink is out now on Dancethink Records.
My Dear Disco Myspace
