Video: Ratatat, “Falcon Jab”
- story Matthew Schnipper
What’s cool about this new video for LP3 track, “Falcon Jab,” is how we always felt that Ratatat was a faceless Peruvian man playing pan flute while wearing a winter cap who then transforms into a prince holding a phallic rainbow watching a bird soar. It’s rad that E*Vax, one half of the group and director of the video, was reading our minds—probably with some power harnessed by playing guitar while on ayahuasca. Which is how we prefer to listen to Ratatat. Or do most things.
Video: Kid Cudi, “Heaven At Nite”
- story THE FADER
Cudi goes simplistic in this new video for the Ratatat-produced next single from Man on the Moon.
Video: Ratatat, “Shempi”
- story THE FADER
Continuing their theme of manipulating old videos into psychedelic freakouts, Ratatat, who we previously spent some time in a tiny, creaky rowboat with, have taken their digital scissors to ABBA and made the entire band look like our absolute worst nightmare (Not that they weren’t already. JUST KIDDING! More or less). Now that this exists, we’re starting a petition for a new version of Mamma Mia! featuring the music of Ratatat and all the actors wearing upside down masks of their own faces.
Freeload: Ratatat, “Shempi (Zongamin Remix)”
- story THE FADER
If we learned anything during our recent Staycation with Ratatat (watch it above) it’s that they can be interesting even when their sound is obscured by unexpected noises. Zongamin is markedly more musically gifted than a couple of creaky rowboat oars, but hopefully you get the point of our poorly constructed metaphor. His remix changes “Shempi” noticeably, but the strength remains Ratatat’s crazy melody. The remix and the original are available now at Beggars.
Download: Ratatat, “Shempi (Zongamin Remix)” (via Have Fun Club and GvsB)
FADER TV: Staycation with Ratatat
- story THE FADER
In the newest FADER TV series, our online editor invites artists, musicians and minor celebrities to enjoy the great outdoor activities, vanishing leisure spots and storied watering holes of New York City, a city he cannot navigate without the generous help of many of its fine citizens.
Staycation #1: Rowboats in Central Park with Ratatat
Ratatat’s latest album LP3 is out now. The band will be touring throughout the month of September and a little bit of October. Their next single “Shempi” will be released this fall with some remixes on it. We didn’t have time to talk about any of that really, but they were skinny, which made it easier to row. Thanks, fellas.
Freeload: YACHT Remixes Stereolab And Ratatat
- story THE FADER
You know what sucks about blogs? They don’t let you post yourself to another place. Take Jona Bechtolt aka YACHT, for instance. He is probably the most visionary blogger we know (dude was jamming out Flickr videos before we’d discovered you could mute a YouTube player) and keeps us constantly updated on he and Claire’s whereabouts and shenanigans, but he has yet to figure out how to meet us for coffee every morning like we want him to. And we tried to upload ourselves to Oregon where Jona is putting on the Catch That Beat Micro-festival tomorrow but ended up just getting a firewire lodged uncomfortably somewhere that we don’t want to talk about. So what to do? Just Keep Livin’, we guess. And that livin’ will be much easier since Jona sent us these brand new remixes of the ‘Tat’s “Mirando” and Stereolab’s “Self-Portrait With ‘Electric Brain’”, two great songs that he has now made better. Also according to Jona, YACHT has “a special announcement and release coming in a little bit (08/18/08), and some UK club and festival dates we’re doing at the end of the month. England. More here.” So, whether in Oregon or England, enjoy your face time with YACHT. We will sit here and vlog our loneliness.
Download: Stereolab, “Self-Portrait With ‘Electric Mind’ (YACHT Remix)”
Download: Ratatat, “Mirando (YACHT Remix)”
Video: Ratatat, “Flynn”
- story THE FADER
Ratatat have been known to soundtrack a vast array of moments that make up the whirlwind that is our lives (up to and including the period where we could not ever stop adding an extra “at” onto the end of “Ratatat”). Amidst all of their gummy guitar jams and really addictive remixes, the dudes sometimes slow it down, as they do on “Flynn” from LP3. Recently, they have also taken to making videos on what we imagine is an elaborate set-up of VCRs hardwired to Commodore 64s through a half-eaten cheeseburger sitting in an ashtray.
Video/Freeload: Ratatat, “Mirando”
- story THE FADER
If we didn’t think it would steal their thunder we would give you guys the entire new Ratatat album right now—that’s how excited we are about it. But they probably want to do it themselves because they’re artists, so we’ll just give out what they give out and guarantee that there it is Jawn Village on LP3. “Mirando” is the second leak from it and its Predator vs Rambo video was made by E*Vax aka Evan Mast aka a dude from Ratatat.
Download: Ratatat, “Mirando”
Freeload: Ratatat, “Shiller”
- story THE FADER
Anytime some new Ratatat comes out, we put it on the hi-fi and clear out the hallways. Not because it sucks but because we are then forced to run through the office en masse airshredding and growing our beards out. Shit is wild. It’s like if bears could play double-knecked guitars. “Shiller” is the Tat’s new vinyl-only single and it’s going to cause some problems around here. Buy it at Beggars and get the mysteriously LP4 attributed “Mahalo” on the b-side. (from GvsB)
Download: Ratatat, “Shiller”
