HOLY GHOST! mix it up at Silo in Solana Beach Jul 12
In support of their latest recording “Work For Hire,” DJ duo Holy Ghost! have been taking over the dance floor with their all-vinyl DJ sets. They will be heading out on a handful of new tour dates keeping the disco alive with a stop at Silo in Solana Beach Jul. 11.
Over the past eight years, Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel have gone from being DFA records’ rising sons to triple-threats: indefatigable DJs, inventive musicians and go-to producers recruited for remixes. Trying to pin a specific sound to this musically adventurous group — whose dance-floor prowess frequently elicits the words “disco,” “synth,” and “pop” — would be a disservice to the sundry projects they take on.
The new album injects new life into the work of everyone from Cut Copy (“Hearts on Fire”) to Blood Orange (“You’re Not Good Enough”) to Katy Perry (“Unconditionally”).
Concert Guide Live spoke with the pair on their new album, the makings of a good mix and their latest little tour.
CONCERT GUIDE LIVE: Do you consider yourself more DJ’s or a band?
HOLY GHOST!: The two things are totally different for us. We love DJing and also love playing our own music with our band. It’s kind of fun to go back and forth between the two ways of performing and not be stuck as one thing.
CGL: How does your background in hip-hop play into the music you make now?
HG: Well, we grew up making hip-hop, like a lot of producers who were teenagers in the late 90’s. But even then we were digging through old records to find samples and coming across all sorts of amazing disco, electronic and library records that would later influence what we do today.
CGL: How did Holy Ghost! form?
HG: Our old band ended, and this one began. We’ve been playing music together in different configurations since we were about 10.
CGL: When doing a remix album, how did you choose what songs to include?
HG: We picked our favorite remixes and tried to license back as many of them as we could. In the end we got all of our favorite work on there.
CGL: Where did the band’s name come from?
HG: The Bar Kay’s song ” Holy Ghost” – we needed a name, that song came on, Nick was like, “Well, what about that?”
CGL: What is the most random and/or craziest experience the group has encountered on tour?
HG: Haha, I don’t know. We have toured a lot, but for the most part we are really boring on the road. There’s a lot of fun to be had but a lot of the time you’re just in transit, playing a show or trying to get some sleep in a van.
CGL: What, if any, upcoming projects is the duo currently working on? Any surprises for fans to look out for?
HG: We’re back in the studio in NYC, so hopefully we’ll have something to share soon.