James Murphy Says Commercial Dance Music ‘Makes Me Want to Vomit’
Former LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy called today’s commercial dance music “repellent” and said that “it makes me want to vomit” in an interview Thursday.
Speaking at a Red Bull Music Academy session in Norway (via Music Week), Murphy derided the state of current dance music. “I just don’t like it. It’s not for me, but it’s also not designed for me,” he said. “I’m old and it’s very maximalist and I’m not a maximalist guy. I’m sure there’s great stuff happening, but it’s just not reaching me and it probably shouldn’t. I’m not excited about new stuff that much.”
Premiere: LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Shut Up and Play the Hits’ Poster and Clip
But, like much of what Murphy says, the producer’s cynicism is couched in a vision of optimism. “This past month I’ve been really hoping that there’s two people DJing to a room full of 150 people that think what I did was stupid and are making something awesome and having a great time,” he said. “I won’t hear it until they do a shitty sell out track and I never hear what’s great about them, but that’s what I’m hoping.”
Murphy will be revisiting his excellent, non-vomit-inducing own band in April, three years after LCD Soundsystem played their final show at Madison Square Garden. Earlier this week, the band announced that they’ll be issuing their last show on vinyl as part of a five-LP set for Record Store Day on April 19th. The Long Goodbye: LCD Soundsystem Live at Madison Square Garden will be released digitally on May 20th.
When Rolling Stone spoke to Murphy about the film last year, the producer explained the major differences between working on the concert’s film version — 2012’s Shut Up and Play the Hits — and the upcoming album.
“The film is mixed for your eye and the record is mixed for your ears,” Murphy said. “The film is mixed digitally, because you have to watch it in a theater and make little adjustments all the way through for a four-hour film, whereas the record is just mixed analog to tape, the way I normally do. But it took forever, because I’m not really on a label anymore. We had to do artwork, and I was away, and I had to get clearances for everything.”
Here’s hoping Murphy will still have time amidst all his projects to make the New York subway more melodic and harmonious.