Electric Guest

Electric Guest

Asa Taccone of Electric Guest performing at Montreux Jazz Festival
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, US
Genres Indie pop, indie rock, indietronica, dream pop, electronic rock
Years active 2011 (2011)–present
Labels Downtown/Because/Dew Process
Website www.electricguestmusic.com
Members Asa Taccone
Matthew Compton
Todd Dahlhoff
Tory Dahlhoff

Electric Guest is a Los Angeles-based band formed in 2011. The group comprises Asa Taccone and Matthew "Cornbread" Compton. Brothers Todd and Tory Dahlhoff play bass and keyboards/guitar, respectively, in the touring version of the band. On April 24, 2012, the band released their debut album, Mondo.

History

Asa Taccone met Michael Compton after renting a room, previously inhabited by Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, in a large house of mostly musician tenants.[1] Compton was a session drummer, and the two artists began to collaborate.[2] Burton heard demos of their work and, over the span of a year, urged Taccone to make an album.[2]

Taccone recalled an older woman once calling him “an electric guest of the universe," and used the quote as an inspiration for their band name.[1]

They performed their single "This Head I Hold" on an April 2012 taping of the Late Show with David Letterman and have made other television appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Conan in the United States. In the UK, they have done studio performances for Lauren Laverne, Dermot O'Leary, and Rob da Bank on BBC sessions. While they have performed live on television they have also had their music featured in popular US television shows such as Teen Wolf, HBO's award winning Girls and Suits.

Electric Guest debuted their album Mondo on April 2012. The album is very much influenced on retro grooves from the '70s and '80s. As reviewed by Rolling Stone magazine, the sound of Mondo is a “Beck-ian journey into L.A. slacker soul, full of hooky neon jams that ponder fame's fraught highway and the emptiness of modern life.”[3]

Burton co-produced Electric Guest's debut album Mondo after a year of exchanging advice and music with Asa Taccone, who happened to be a friend's younger brother.[4] Taccone then moved to Los Angeles by taking the room Burton was moving out of. Their relationship continued, and ultimately blossomed into their collaboration on Mondo.[5] Besides the album and singles, there has also been a popular cover of Little Dragon's 'Ritual Union' which was done for the "Like a Version" sessions for Triple J in Australia.[6] Nu:Logic also did a remix of "This Head I Hold" on UFK Drum&Bass[7]

Both men have been influenced by distinct genres. Compton has noted Melody of Certain Damaged Lemons and Vu de l'extérieur as favorites, and said he grew up mostly listening to indie artists.[1] Taccone grew up on hip/hop and soul,[1] citing Souls Of Mischief's 93 'til Infinity album, E-40, and Mac Dre as influences.[8] The band is notable for its pop sound that features Motown sensibilities with Taccone's falsettos.[1]

Music videos

The band has released three music videos, the first for their single "This Head I Hold," the second for their song "American Daydream," as well as one for their song "The Bait."[9][10][11]

Reception

They were featured as one of twelve on MTV's list of Artists to Watch in 2012 as well as NME's Radar Band of the Week in February 2013.[12] The Guardian said the band "specialise in soulful, funked-up pop so insidiously catchy you suspect it was designed as a homage to – even a pastiche of – the originators of the form."[13]

Tour

Their Mondo tour debuted in 2012, selling out shows. Along with Taccone and Compton, keyboardist Todd Dahloff and his brother, guitarist Tory Dahloff, join the duo on tour.[2] One tour review reads, “Real, raw, good emotion was a pumping from these fellows.”.[14] In 2012 and 2013 they toured through France several times, with the last tour ending with a sold out headliner at Le Trianon venue in Paris. The UK also has a large fan base with several tours that have gone through; the most recent tour ending with a headlining sold out show at the Scala in London.

Electric Guest earned a month-long residency at the Echo in Echo Park, Los Angeles.[13] They have made domestic festival appearances at SXSW,[15] Bonnaroo Music Festival,[15] Sasquatch,[1] and the Outside Lands. Internationally, they have performed at the Montreux, Splendour in the Grass in Australia,[2] and the Leeds Festival in the UK, as well as the Festival Printemps de Bourges, Eurockeennes, and We Love Green (all in France). In 2013, they appeared on Austin City Limits and the First City Fest. They also played at Berlin's Fashion Week as well as Cannes Film Festival.

Members

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
FRA
[16]		 US
Heat.
[17]		 US
Ind.
[18]
Mondo 32 11 49

Extended plays

2012: "This Head I Hold"

2013: "Good America"

Singles

Year Single Charts Album
FRA
[19]
2012 "American Daydream" — Mondo
2012 "This Head I Hold" 37
2012 "Holiday" — —
2013 "The Jerk" —
2013 "Back on Me" —

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gotch, Kristin (May 7, 2012), "An Interview with Electric Guest". PopMatters. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Shedden, Iain (June 16, 2012), "Nice and cheesy". The Australian :10
  3. ↑ Hermes, Will (7 May 2012). "Electric Guest Mondo Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Tittiger, Annie (October 29, 2012), "7 Questions for Asa Taccone". Mondern Luxury. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  5. ↑ Rolling Stone staff (April 11, 2012), "Danger Mouse Reveals Why He Produced Electric Guest's Debut Album". Rolling Stone.Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  6. ↑
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Kauffman, Alexia (May 3, 2012), "Q&A with Electric Guest". We Love DC. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  9. ↑ Aaron Hymes (Director) (January 4, 2012). Electric Guest - This Head I Hold (Music video). YouTube. Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  10. ↑ Jorma Taccone (Director) (January 24, 2012). Electric Guest - American Daydream (Music video). YouTube. Retrieved 2012-05-20.
  11. ↑ Jonas&François (Director), Jules Dieng (Producer) (January 17, 2013). Electric Guest - Bait (Music video). YouTube. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  12. ↑ "Radar Band Of The Week - No. 123: Electric Guest". IPC Media Entertainment Network. 2013-02-15. Retrieved 2013-06-12.
  13. 1 2 Lester, Paul (March 7, 2012), "Electric Guest (No 1,223)". The Guardian. Retrieved February 25, 2016.
  14. ↑ (May 8, 2012), "Dynamic Show Review | Electric Guest | 5.2.12". The Soul Dynamic tumblr. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  15. 1 2 Drever, Andrew (July 27, 2012), "Sticks and stones a low note". The Age.
  16. ↑ . SNEP http://acharts.co/album/70495. Retrieved March 16, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ↑ . Billboard http://www.billboard.com/artist/301589/electric-guest/chart?f=324. Retrieved March 16, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ↑ . Billboard http://www.billboard.com/artist/301589/electric-guest/chart. Retrieved March 16, 2016. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  19. ↑ "LesCharts.com: Electric Guest page". LesCharts.com. eMedia Jungen. Retrieved February 19, 2016.

External links

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