Holy Ghost!

Static On The Wire EP (DFA, 05.2010)

For: Justice, FLASHLIGHTS, Cut Copy, Double Fantasy

Byline: Brooklyn's dynamic disco duo most notable for their stellar remixes drop their long-awaited EP on DFA records.

Indie-dance music, or whatever you want to call it, for how insular and pigeon-holed it is, has its share of certified club bangers—those songs that get the biggest returns from DJs when played in the club. It'd be a waste of our time to rattle off a list here, if you know what I'm talking about you know what I'm talking about. Agreed? If there has been one group that has been setting the dancefloor ablaze with their minstrel-like take on disco-house, diving head-first into minimalist interpretations of Kraut heroes NEU! through the sexed up glitter-jams of Prince it is...Oh man, I totally lost interest in that sentence. Let's start over: Holy Ghost! are two Brooklynites who make beats but are mostly known for their stellar remix work. The remix of Panther's "Goblin City" is transcendental, spiritually edifying, "like looking into the face of God and him telling you that you are his most treasured creation," or something to that effect. They've established themselves as credible remixers of the stars, doing choice cuts for MGMT, Moby, Phoenix, and just about every band to ever be attached to the DFA roster. So to hear these dudes doing their own thing provides some insight onto the group's overall aesthetic: Static On The Wire jives well with their remix history, sporting long droning beats over cheesy 80's influenced synth lines and even cheesier guitar shredding courtesy of John MacLean (of The Juan MacLean). None of the songs are too obtrusive; polite little numbers that would fit in well in any DJ's set (and their July appearance at Fabric in London should prove this). But on the whole, these tunes fail to garner any real satisfying rewards. That is, until "I Will Come Back" drops. That song has a vocal hook that is structurally designed to be remixed into the next century—hot as the center of the sun itself. Holy Ghost!'s music is athletic, has the energy of a jazzercise class, and the steely, locked in gaze of Don Johnson's Miami Vice Ray-Bans. You've been warned, but by the time you catch your reflection in the mirrored shades, it's over.

Indie-dance may have its hits, and Holy Ghost! has remixed probably about half of them, but this time, they're about to add a few of their own.

Ryan H.