Quintessence of Dance-Punk

nobody@vox.com(Burl Veneer) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 19:26:36 -0700

"Postpunk revival" or "dance-punk" is enjoying some staying power as a genre, but what is it, exactly? You could try to define it, or you could take my favored approach, i.e. "I know it when I hear it." It all boils down to trying to sound like "To Hell With Poverty" by Gang of Four:

Gang Of Four - To Hell With Poverty (TV Live)

I always assumed that Gang of Four was named after Chinese Communists, but I've been wrong all this time, according to Wikipedia:

In fact the term "Gang of Four" refers to the "big four" Structuralist theorists: Claude Lévi-Strauss, Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, and Jacques Lacan, not to be confused with the Maoist Gang of Four in China.

You learn something new every day. I'm content to let Structural theory trickle down to me via rock bands; I've tried reading the stuff but can't get through more than... well, I can't get through any. Back to dance-punk, even better than emulating Gang of Four would be to sound like Medium Medium's "Hungry, So Angry"--

medium medium hangry so angry

What both songs have in common is a killer bassline, and in fact they can serve as my first two "Postpunk Bassline Hall of Fame" entries. To give credit where it's due, that's Dave Allen in Gang of Four, and Alan Turton in Medium Medium. I'll give Turton the edge for the top slot. Dave Allen will appear again in the Bassline Hall of Fame; see if you can guess for what song. Medium Medium has even reformed, 20-odd years after breaking up, to play very occasional gigs and record a new album. Word is that the album is finished and in search of a label; the anticipation is palpable at Burl Veneer's Music Blog. In other words, I can't wait! Meanwhile I'm wading through a spate of new and newish dance-punk releases, trying to separate the cream from the chaff, or something like that. I'll report my findings soon.

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Quintessence of Dance-Punk