THE RAPTURE
GOLD CHAINS
Currently regarded as one of the finest new acts to emerge from America in the past ten years, The Rapture are set to bring their iconoclastic blend of punk-house-funk-disco to Birmingham. Following a series of highly acclaimed lo-fi singles, EPs and 12″s on respected indie rock and dance labels like Sub Pop, Gold Standard Labs, Output Recordings and DFA, the band have signed a new worldwide deal with ??Vertigo???/// Mercury Records to release their highly anticipated debut album, ‘Echoes’ on 8th September 2003.
The album will be preceded by the release of their seminal classic, ‘House Of Jealous Lovers’ on August 25th, which will be available commercially for the first time, since its limited and highly acclaimed vinyl outing last year. Heralded by club kids, loved by rock fans and embraced by the international music community, the Rapture have found favour from DJ Hell to the Sex Pistols, from Beck to Daft Punk. Their sound is a hybrid of a classic rock’n’roll Molotov, angular guitars and punk rushes, twisted funk and bass pounding electronic experimentalism. The Rapture are a vital, fresh and the only really unique genre-bending force in 2003. The release of ‘House…’ will follow a highly limited edition 12″ version of album standout ‘Killing.’
GOLD CHAINS:
“Blam! Bodyslamming thunderbeats send you spinning, diabolical elektro-bass knocks you flat, then a devil-dog rapper spits blood, piss and shit and spunk all over your face.
“I’ve got my bass degree, its my phD/ I come from Mental Hard Beat University…”
Gold chains, aka Topher LaFata from San Francisco, has rocked the mic with techno vandal KID606 but he’s clearly bursting with his own ideas. “Hypno babes rules my pants!” he roars oddly, over grimy ragga dub distortion grooves: I’m the bedroom commander/king of love!”
Surfing a toxic sludge wave of steroid pumped laptop funk, beatbox scuzz, porno-rap, bruising dubtronica, rasping punk-metal guitars, Armenian goatherd bagpipes and even a drone-rocking sterolab sample. Lafata is hiphoping mad to the max. He raps about trading rhymes for arms in Chechnya and “kicking it with JC” in ancient Palestine – genius.”
NME Single of the week