So yeah , the debut album from Hercules and Love Affair , the New York-based dance collective and brainchild of Andy Butler, was released stateside this week and it’s amazing. Definitely believe the hype, but if for some reason you don’t, you can listen to the whole thing on Spinner . The New York Times even donated some ink to the group last weekend, and beyond providing a perfect summation of what the group is about, offers some insight on the musical pool from which they’ve emerged. “Lately there has been a resurgence of interest in the oft-dismissed disco era. New books and countless reissues have reaffirmed modern dance music’s roots in disco culture, while labels like DFA Records, Environ Records and Italians Do It Better, and bands like Escort (from New York) and Million Dollar Orchestra (from Glasgow) have attempted to update the disco sound.” The Hercules album, easily one of my favorite records of the year (a statement I feel confident making now that we’re six months in), has a lot in common with many of my favorites from last year as well. It’s in league with albums like LCD Soundsystem’s “Sound of Silver” and M.I.A.’s “Kala,” both of which are ferociously progressive dance records, though frequently look back towards the past and have no problem boldly proclaiming their roots. It’s a characteristic I’m sure will come to define many of the great records of our current decade. HaLA played their first show last May at Studio ...
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So yeah , the debut album from Hercules and Love Affair , the New York-based dance collective and brainchild of Andy Butler, was released stateside this week and it’s amazing. Definitely believe the hype, but if for some reason you don’t, you can listen to the whole thing on Spinner . The New York Times even donated some ink to the group last weekend, and beyond providing a perfect summation of what the group is about, offers some insight on the musical pool from which they’ve emerged. “Lately there has been a resurgence of interest in the oft-dismissed disco era. New books and countless reissues have reaffirmed modern dance music’s roots in disco culture, while labels like DFA Records, Environ Records and Italians Do It Better, and bands like Escort (from New York) and Million Dollar Orchestra (from Glasgow) have attempted to update the disco sound.” The Hercules album, easily one of my favorite records of the year (a statement I feel confident making now that we’re six months in), has a lot in common with many of my favorites from last year as well. It’s in league with albums like LCD Soundsystem’s “Sound of Silver” and M.I.A.’s “Kala,” both of which are ferociously progressive dance records, though frequently look back towards the past and have no problem boldly proclaiming their roots. It’s a characteristic I’m sure will come to define many of the great records of our current decade. HaLA played their first show last May at Studio ...