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Sunday night, The Black Ghosts had a late start at Turntable Lab for the release party for their new self-titled album. There was an amiable crowd hanging around in anticipation though, checking out the dj store's collection of street art and photography books, tee shirts and spinning equipment. They were also drinking free Sparks and pocketing free "mixtape" cds from the band.
The Black Ghosts are a duo from London, on Fatboy Slim's label Country Fried overseas and on L.A. label IAMSOUND (Sunny Day Sets Fire) on the homefront. Apparently deciding against the Scream-like ghost masks one might expect to see from the name, Theo Keating (aka DJ Touché) and Simon William Lord (formerly of Simian, precursor to Simian Mobile Disco) appeared as two unassuming guys in tee shirts. Not being familiar with Simian, of which Lord was the vocalist, I was under the mistaken impression that The Black Ghosts utilized different singers, (maybe since Damon Albarn guests on single "The Repetition Kills You"), so once they started spinning and I heard vocals, I assumed at first that they were sampled. Then I got a better view around some peoples' heads and realized Lord was holding the mike and doing it himself, with echo effects. It's always that much more interesting to watch djs sing live and bop around, than to stare at them turning knobs, so The Black Ghosts sounded and looked great.
Lord has a light, slick voice that sometimes, recorded, could almost pass for a woman with a deeper voice. The songs are slightly darker-edged but not always as melancholy or gothic as the group's bio may suggest (both their childhoods apparently dealt with the macabre). That first song in the set, "Until It Comes Again", and "Some Way Through This" on the myspace kind of fit the bill, but the single, "Repetition", is a really fun track that definitely got everyone's feet moving at the show. "It's Your Touch" on myspace is also pure fun disco, so perhaps the true melancholy is in the lyrics.
The Black Ghosts then went into my favorite, the funky, retro-esque "I Want Nothing", but then it suddenly became obvious that Turntable Lab was attempting to wrap things up already. Apparently, the late start had shortened the group's time considerably, but people hung around, shaking their hands, and stood outside chatting. The whole event, short as it was, had a nice vibe to it. Here is the cool animated video for "I Want Nothing" from myspace. Enjoy!
Images by Josh Gilpatrick for LAist and via The Black Ghosts' website
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Props on the Black Ghosts love...
I'm really digging their new mixtape...