Brooklyn-based duo Ratatat have returned from a five-year break with a bang.
They are set to hit Australia shores in December in support of their new album, 'Magnifique'. The longplayer marks the fifth, full-length record for the pair, musicians Evan Mast and Mike Stroud.
Blending electronic music with their signature, guitar-driven sound, the album is a further extension of the trademark style that has garnered them international success. Following on from 2010's 'LP4', 'Magnifique' is the rocktronica duo's first release after taking a five year hiatus from touring.
Speaking with multi-instrumentalist/ producer Evan Mast, he describes the band's relaxed attitude towards recording during this time. “A lot of that time was spent working on the record, but previously we'd been making records and then doing a year or two of touring following each album. So we kind of just needed a break, a more extended break, so that was basically it.
“We recorded it in a bunch of different studios. We did it first in Long Island, then in Jamaica and then we did a bunch of stuff in Brooklyn in our own studio and some stuff in upstate New York. We wanted it broken-up – we'd get together and record for a couple of weeks and then take a break for a couple months and then get back to it. We had a lot more time to over-think what we were doing,” he says, laughing.
While continuing Ratatat's trend of straddling the line between electronic music and rock, 'Magnifique' sees a change in the band's songwriting process, starting with an emphasis on melody rather than beat. “I've always been really interested in melody, but I think on 'LP4' we were doing a lot more with production.
“For this one we went into an actual studio and had access to all these instruments and studio equipment and stuff, so we were super excited about having all these things we liked to play with. We were just trying different things, there was a different energy.”
Their return to touring has led to a huge 2015 for the band including a set at Coachella. “This past year has been crazy, we've been playing lots of festivals around here. Our career's been really incremental, it started out very small and every tour it would be a little bit bigger then a little bit bigger, and then six months later we'd play a big festival and just think 'this is fantastic', which is great, you can appreciate every step of the way.
“To go from playing shit shows to a show with 10,000 people who are engaged and big fans of a song with no words, that's really exciting to me.”
December sees Ratatat embark on an Australian tour before their first ever tour of India. “I'm excited about playing in India. I've never been – to be playing a show there is cool! I'm hanging out for an extra week after the show and my girlfriend is meeting me there, it's gonna be super fun.
“Then we finish touring in January. I would love to get back into the the studio and start working on stuff, that's the thing I miss most.”
Written by Brendan MacLean
Ratatat Tour Dates
Wed 2 Dec - The Tivoli (Brisbane)Thur 3 Dec - The Metro (Sydney)
Sat 5 Dec - Fairgrounds (Berry)
Sun 6 Dec - 170 Russell (Melbourne)
