Ratatat

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Ratatat
Mike Stroud and Evan Mast (2008)
Mike Stroud and Evan Mast (2008)
Background information
Origin New York City
Genre(s) Electronic rock, House, Electronic, Post-rock, Hip Hop
Instrument(s) Guitar, bass guitar, synthesizer
Years active 2001–present
Label(s) XL Recordings, Rex Records, Audio Dregs
Website Official website
Members
Evan Mast, Mike Stroud

Ratatat is a New York City electronic music duo consisting of guitarist Mike Stroud and synthesizer driver and producer Evan Mast.

Contents

[edit] History

Mike Stroud and Evan Mast first met as Skidmore College students, but they did not work together until they recorded several songs under the name "Cherry" in 2001. Their 2004 debut, Ratatat, was written and recorded in Mast's Crown Heights, Brooklyn apartment on Stroud's PowerBook.[1] The album is entirely instrumental with the exception of vocal excerpts at the beginning and end of selected tracks. The group debuted by releasing the single Seventeen Years on Evan and his brother's record label Audio Dregs in the US and Rex Records in the UK. Seventeen Years was released again on Evan and his brother E*Rock's record label Audio Dregs. They then signed for XL Recordings, releasing their debut album and the single Germany to Germany. Ratatat occasionally remixes others for collected release on Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1 (which garnered the attention of Rolling Stone), as well as the later second volume, both of which were self-released in co-operation with Audio Dregs.

Ratatat performing in 2004

Both musicians have had experience with other projects, such as Mast's E*vax and King Pang and Stroud's stage work with B4-4, Joe Satriani and Manowar. Stroud has also recorded with Ben Kweller on On My Way. Ratatat has toured with bands such as Björk, Daft Punk, Mouse on Mars, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, CSS, The Faint, Super Furry Animals, Clinic, Panther and The Killers. In 2006 they supported Mogwai in Japan.

On October 6, 2006 Ratatat became the first band to perform a public show inside the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

On October 10, 2006 a new demo album from Ratatat entitled 9 Beats was leaked online. This set of tracks does not appear on any official discography listings. The tracks consist of short instrumental electronic musical pieces and demos for their next mixtape.[2] This release was followed by another remix album, Ratatat Remixes Vol 2..

It has been rumored that they will be signed by Star Trak as the understudies of the Neptunes.[3][4]

Mast has most recently collaborated with former Shudder to Think vocalist Craig Wedren on a record for a Tokyo independent label, Mold Recordings and said to be finishing a follow up solo album for Audio Dregs.

From June 2007 until October 2008, Ratatat had Martin Bonventre accompany them on their European tour and Fall shows in America as the pianist/synthesizer player. He drew much attention due to his enormous afro and crazy, erratic dance movements on stage. The reason for his leaving the performance is unknown.

Ratatat's live performances bear strong similarities to the performances of the psychedelic rock bands out of San Francisco in the 60s, with energetic light shows, swirling colors projected onto a screen, and random clips of movies thrown in.

The official site has been updated showing the videos of the three first singles of their most recent album LP3, which was released on July 8, 2008. Shiller, Shempi then Mirando have all been released (or announced) on 7" or 12" singles, Shiller being first released with a special b-side Mahalo.[5]

According to his blog, Kid Cudi is planning to work on a collaboration album with Ratatat in the future[6].

[edit] Discography

Studio albums

Album Date Label
Ratatat April 20, 2004 XL Recordings
Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1 2004 Self-released
Classics August 22, 2006 XL Recordings
Ratatat Remixes Vol. 2 2007 Self-released
LP3 July 8, 2008 XL Recordings
LP4 TBA XL Recordings

Singles

Song Album Date Label
"Seventeen Years" Ratatat 2003 Rex Records/Audio Dregs
"Germany to Germany" Ratatat October 4, 2004 XL Recordings
"Wildcat" Classics July 25, 2006 XL Recordings
"Lex" Classics October 30, 2006 XL Recordings
"Loud Pipes" Classics 2007 XL Recordings
"Shiller" LP3 May 6, 2008 XL Recordings
"Mirando" (video clip) LP3 June 2008 XL Recordings
"Shempi" LP3 September 23, 2008 XL Recordings
"Mirando" (physical single) LP3 February 3, 2009 XL Recordings

Remixes

Artist Title Year
Shout Out Louds "The Comeback" (Big Slippa Remix by Ratatat) 2005
The Knife "We Share Our Mothers' Health" (Ratatat Remix) 2006
Television Personalities "You Kept Me Waiting Too Long" (Ratatat Remix) 2007
Björk "Wanderlust" (Ratatat Remix) 2008
Animal Collective "Mirando" (Animal Collective Remix) 2009
YACHT "Mirando" (YACHT Remix) 2009

[edit] In popular culture

 Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2008)
  • "Beat #6" (From 9 Beats) was used in CSI Season 8 episode 14 (Drops Out) aired 24 April 2008.
  • The song "Seventeen Years" was used in the J. J. Abrams movie Cloverfield (2008). It has been in a Hummer television commercial, on British television show Soccer AM's "Crossbar Challenge" segment and in a ski movie called Shanghai Six. It was also was used in Keith Hufnagel's video part in DVS Shoe Company's skateboard movie, "Skate More"
  • The song "Lex" has been featured in a Zune commercial.
  • In February 2007, Cartoon Network aired a commercial for My Gym Partner Is a Monkey in which "Wildcat" played in the background. An episode of the same show contained over two minutes of the song, edited slightly with a few parts cut out.
  • In 2007, "Loud Pipes" was used in the soundtrack of 989 SportsMLB 07 - The Show.
  • "Lex" was used in Standard Films 2007 production "Catch the Vapors" for a segment featuring snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo.
  • The song "Wildcat" was featured in Mack Dawg Production's 2007 snowboard video Picture This.
  • The film Knocked Up (2007) plays "Tropicana" during the various gestation time lapse scenes within the story.
  • The film Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008) has "Kennedy" playing in a club scene.
  • The website GOOD Magazine used the song "Gettysburg" in an animated video about nuclear weapon proliferation.[7]
  • Numerous Ratatat works have been featured in excerpts on public radio. Most regularly El Pico on This American Life. The song "Swisha" was used as interlude music on NPR's All Things Considered, September 10, 2008
  • "Wildcat" was played in background to the Printemps-Ete 2007 catwalk of Chanel.
  • "Gettysburg" was used in a Nylon.com short video profiling the Marc by Marc Jacobs show during New York Fashion Week on February 5, 2008.
  • The song "Lex" was also used during the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2008 fashion show. The Louis Vuitton set was mixed by Daft Punk which "Lex" was mixed with Daft Punk's "Technologic".
  • The song "Wildcat" was played in the background of a 2008 Rhapsody commercial.
  • The song "Gettysburg" was featured in Naptime Films 2008 snowboard video Workplay.
  • The song "Three" From the album 9 beats was used in the show Entourage in season 5.
  • The song "Desert Eagle" was used in the opening to the Season 2 - Episode 2 of the NBC show Chuck.
  • The song "Wildcat" was used in the Loaded Carving Systems video for Orangatang 4President wheels.
  • The song "Lex" was used in Britain to advertise the Channel 4 program Renaissance.
  • The song "Lapland" is used for the overture of the radio show "Les chemins de la connaissance" on France Culture.
  • The song "Dura" was used in CSI Season 9, Episode 7 "Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda" while Nick Stokes was processing the mailbox.
  • The songs 1"Seventeen Years" and 2"Mirando" were used in CSI Miami 7 , Episode 19 " Target Specific" First when Calleigh investigates the crime, and second when Eric investigates tool crimes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Leckart, Steven. "Have laptop will travel". MSNBC. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14473088/. Retrieved on 2006-08-25. 
  2. ^ Rob. "Ratatat 9 Beats Hits Hard". Bittersweet Blog. http://banagale.com/new-ratatat-9-beats-hits-hard.htm. Retrieved on 2006-12-07. 
  3. ^ Gintowt, Richard (August 27, 2008), Ratatat, http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008-08-27/music/ratatat/, retrieved on 2009-04-09 
  4. ^ Samuel (July 03, 2008). "Ratatat: frequency bad-asses on LP3". http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/3477935. Retrieved on 2009-04-09. 
  5. ^ Beggars Group USA - Releases
  6. ^ http://www.kidcudi.com/news/?p=688
  7. ^ YouTube - GOOD Magazine: Nuclear Weapons

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ratatat
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