Feature: WhoMadeWho [Podcast]

More than anything, WhoMadeWho are a band channeling a singular energy. From their live performances to their songwriting to their DJ sets and beyond, they’re a restless, constantly evolving entity with a diverse range of critically acclaimed releases on a varied succession of labels like Gomma, Get Physical and Kompakt.

Quite a few music journalists have tried to label and pigeonhole WhoMadeWho over the years and most have missed the transformative mark. And while the notion that great music always defies categorization is often a hackneyed cliché, in this particular case, it’s actually completely and utterly true. On the face of it, ‘experimental dance band’ might make a fitting description. But walk into one their full-on live assaults, and you’ll quickly realize that having your ears penetrated by the ‘two-headed vocal monster’ that is Tomas and Jeppe with Tomas on drums is a mind-altering experience that’s less about genres and all about vibe.

And the WhoMadeWho vibe is a powerful, yet elusive beast. Among other things, it’s forming as an experimental side project and suddenly realizing you’re playing sold-out shows in the world’s most respected venues; it’s a heady journey in the rock and roll-meets-electronic music tradition that’s seen them play everywhere from Melt Festival and Sonar to Roskilde and the legendary Robot Heart parties; it’s having your sound remixed by the globe’s discerning dance music mafia with heavyweights like Tale Of Us, Hot Chip and Maceo Plex stepping up and rising to the occasion; it’s running the cultural gamut from pop to techno to indie, hinting at new genres along the way; it’s being an insider-band that all the greats band are fanning out over; and it’s touring non-stop together for 10 years, lighting dance floors on fire in all corners and capitals, while still finding a way to sound preposterously fresh – like they just formed yesterday, all hopped up on new, creative energy. This might have something to do with the fact that Tomas, Jeppe and Tomas actually like each other. Unlike a lot of other bands, the pressures of touring hasn’t killed their enthusiasm. Quite the opposite. In the words of Høffding: “We still really like and respect each other. There’s a lot of energy in the room when we’re together. We basically have great chemistry, and most nights these two lunatics would be my first call party-mates.” That energy is central to WhoMadeWho’s creativity. Moreover, that energy and the interaction with their audience is the potent combination that fuels their legendary live performances, as Kjellberg confirms: “We seriously need the interaction with our audience in our life!”

WhoMadeWho are that rare thing, a band with their own sound. It sounds as if they won’t cool off or settle down anytime soon.

https://soundcloud.com/progressiveastronaut/progressive-astronaut-podcast-045-whomadewho-20-07-2018

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiEUn_-zUiQ&t=19s

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