Photography by Noel Spirandelli

New York-based experimental band Gang Gang Dance are often described as “neo-primitive” or “neo-tribal”, but then again, so was starkly edged modern art. These descriptors apply only insofar as the band’s music can be trance-inducing. Indeed, despite the fact that members Lizzi Bougatsos, Brian DeGraw, Tim Dewitt, Josh Diamond, and Nathan Maddox have all the loud beats of a rock and roll band and all the good looks expected of rock stars, there’s something about watching them that makes the eyes roll back and the mind glaze over.
     Though make no mistake, they are not the live equivalent of your high school rave mix. Theirs is a trance for the robot set: for people on the go in a high-tech society, to whom the electronic drone that envelops lead singer Lizzi Bougatsos’ voice is a natural language. These are people who can’t help but connect to and be lulled by the band’s aggressive mixing and their stroboscopic waxing and waning of reverb that works like the blades of a fan spinning so fast as to give the illusion of stasis. Each of the group’s more highly orchestrated song elements tends to be punctuated by these cascading jam breaks.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.