Breaking Artist: Digitalism

Who: Jens Moelle and Ismail Tuefekci, a German electro duo who met as bored coworkers in a Hamburg record shop, began remixing indie-rock records and DJing, then hit the studio to craft their own DIY sound.

Sounds Like: Dancey, glitchy synth-punk in the style of Soulwax, the Klaxons, LCD Soundsystem and Cut/Copy -- clubby tracks that rockers and ravers can embrace.

Three Things You Should Know:
1. Their Hamburg studio is actually a former World War II bunker.
2. Moelle's grandfather was a professional opera singer.
3. Though they're most often compared to Daft Punk and French DJ duo Justice, Digitalism started out as hip-hop DJs.

Get It: Digitalism's debut full-length, Idealism, came out May 21 on Astralwerks. The pair will hit eight clubs across the U.S. for a brief tour in October.

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Song Stories

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Nirvana | 1991

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," named after a brand of deodorant marketed to girls, was Kurt Cobain's attempt to "write the ultimate pop song," he said, using the soft-loud dynamic of his favorite band, the Pixies. Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," the song’s producer, Butch Vig, told Rolling Stone, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In 'Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice." Sadly, by the time of Nirvana's last U.S. tour, in late '93, Cobain was tortured by the obligation to play "Teen Spirit" every night. "There are many other songs that I have written that are as good, if not better," he claimed.

More Song Stories entries »

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