1. Arab On RadarSoak The Saddle
I was in college at the time, I think it was the year that record came out and I was really blown away by it. I was really into dissonance and I love their use of dissonance. I like really visceral music that can get you to dance even if it’s not in the ‘paradigm of dance music’ and I feel like this record does that. The first time I saw them I thought the show was amazing. People were dancing so hard to this non-dance music and it wasn’t moshing. I think the thing about it is that a lot of dance music is sexual while this record is creepy. I really like how it used human movement in a completely different way, and I try to go in the exact opposite way and be as non-sexual with my dance music as possible and have it be based more on fun. I think it’d be hard to hear the musical influence, but if you think about the mood and the effect of the music, that’s the root of the inspiration.
They were the first band that I ever saw that brought their own lights and it just completely changed the room, it was a total DIY show. They had all these crazy amps and these yellow lights that were back-lighting their gear and under-lighting their band members. I love the production on the album. I love how in-your-face it is. I think Weasel Walter [who produced Soak The Saddle] is amazing, I think he’s a great musician and such a keen producer. I still listen to the record at least a couple of times a year and it still holds as strong and sounds just as fresh.
