SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS 002: HOLY GHOST!

The 1978 Bar-Kays' song that Holy Ghost! took their name from is built around a dense groove. In the stretches of repeated synth and drum patterns you can hear the precursors to an electro sound that would explode in the 80s, disappear for a decade, and return with a wave of French producers who reminded us that cheesiness is catchiness in its purest sense. Holy Ghost!'s psychedelic production calls on soul, disco, electropop, and new wave, linking its feel with the likes of Justice, Daft Punk, and Phoenix. Go figure—they started as a hip hop group.

Alex Frankel and and Nick Millhiser grew up together on Manhattan's Upper West Side, both encouraged to be musical from a young age. With the best era of hip hop as their grail, Alex, Nick, and their friends formed a live hip hop band called Automato, a project that led them to their first record deal before any of them had graduated from high school. James Murphy produced the band's first release in the days immediately preceding his rise to legendary status as frontman and central musician for LCD Soundsystem. Automato disbanded within a year of its debut. Alex and Nick's friendship with Murphy kept them active in the community surrounding his then-burgeoning label, DFA records.

Before long, the duo was again collaborating on original material. In 2007, Murphy remixed their track "Hold On," bringing Holy Ghost! International attention and placing them high in demand at clubs worldwide. Alex and Nick rolled out remixes for MGMT, Cut Copy, Phoenix, Moby, and LCD Soundsystem. Following a host of dancefloor ready singles, Holy Ghost! dropped the Static On A Wire EP on DFA in 2010. The duo assembled a band that year, translating their studio sound into a live band that toured with LCD Soundsystem.

2011 saw the band's first full-length, a self-titled collection of new tracks and rehashed versions of some of the numbers that brought them notoriety. Their habit of marathon track releases continues with their most recent single, "Hold My Breath," marking the kick off of their current North American tour.