Vintage disco: Franz Ferdinand return to the dancefloor
- Text by HUCK HQ
It’s strange to think that Franz Ferdinand’s self-titled debut was released all the way back in 2004. Back then, their electrifying, funk-infused indie was a shock to a worn-out system – reinvigorating a music scene that had previously been obsessed by thrashing guitars and mardy, mop-haired pin-ups.
Nearly 15 years later, and the Glaswegian five-piece are still going strong. Their fifth studio album, Always Ascending, was released earlier this month and – like its predecessors – has proven to be a reliably solid collection of mechanical, synth-driven art pop.
To celebrate the release, drummer Paul Thomson shared an exclusive mix of the record’s influences for Huck. “This is a selection of tracks all pulled from records I purchased on tour in the US last April, from Tallahassee where our bus broke down on day one, as luck would have it, right next to a record store – to Baltimore, my favourite city for buying records,” he says of the collection. “It’s a scatty kind of a trip but it reflects that tour pretty well. Please enjoy.”
Gwen Guthrie – “Getting Hot”
Inflagranti feat. Ayakamay – “Kachi Kachi”
Renato – “Alo Alo”
Abel Paz – “Tokyo N20”
Warp 9 – “Light Years Away”
Nancy Martin – “Can’t Believe (instrumental)”
Madteo – “Voracious Culturaliser”
FYI Chris – “Xenomorph”
Destiny’s Child – “Bills Bills Bills (Accapella)”
Zigg Gonzalez – “High Jackin’”
DJ Sotafett & Jaako Eino Kalevi – “Drippin’ for a Tripp (Main Bar mix)”
The Johnson Spiritual Singers – “I Believe there’s a Heaven Somewhere.”
Franz Ferdinand’s Always Ascending is out now, and they play London’s Brixton Academy this coming Saturday. For a full list of tour dates, check out their website.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
Grainy, yearning memories of Europe’s ’90s free rave heyday
Never Alone — A new photobook from Cheyenne Clementi and Valentina Morandi presents pictures they made over seven years while touring the continent as part of the Tekno Mobil Squad soundsystem crew. It archives parties, people and a lifestyle largely consigned to the past.
Written by: Isaac Muk
As Hanoi’s nightlife faces raids & repression, its underground scene modulates
Spaces Between the Beats — Tensions between nightlife and authorities have grown in recent times, as police target venues and their patrons with increasingly frequent drug testing and searches. With clubs becoming hostile spaces as a result, Hanoi’s electronic music community is finding new spaces and forms of expression, reports Martin Guttridge-Hewitt.
Written by: Martin Guttridge-Hewitt
American Football: The One With The Feelings
Many moons — The Midwest emo architects transformed a college experiment into a coming-of-age soundtrack. 25 years on, their latest iteration sees them bottle the same magic for the ups and downs of middle life.
Written by: Tracy Kawalik
Joe James: “I will never be absent in my children’s lives because I know it doesn’t feel nice”
Hard Feelings — As the silky MC prepares to release his debut album ‘The Ends Never Ends’, he joins our column on fatherhood and masculinity to discuss leaving his childhood home at 16, the manosphere and his risk-embracing approach to life.
Written by: Robert Kazandjian
Sepia splashed memories of Britain’s ’90s squatting and free party scene
Bygones — Moving into a Hackney squat at the age of 19, Tom Hunter spent years living on London’s edges, while documenting the vibrant, creative community and culture that it enabled. Huck’s art director Sam White chats to him about the freedom that existed, the collectivism and what’s been lost over the decades since.
Written by: Samuel White
Analogue Appreciation: mary in the junkyard
Role Model Hermit — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s art rock fabulists mary in the junkyard.
Written by: mary in the junkyard
