CHIRP: The Chicago Independent Radio Project

Mike Scales writes

Artist Spotlight: Ratatat

For an instrumental band like Brooklyn’s guitar and synth-driven beatslayers Ratatat, it can be hard breaking onto the scene and reaching that comfortable level of indie stardom. Yet, with three slammin’ full-lengths and several singles released internationally, some supernatural remixing abilities and a knack for the worldwide tour circuit, members Evan Mast and Mike Stroud have made it all seem somewhat effortless.

CHIRP’s Mike Scales caught up for a quick Q&A with Ratatat days before they melted our face off at the Hideout Block Party.

Ratatat’s latest album LP3, a fully-accomplished statement wrought with swirling psychedelic guitars over thumping, danceable beats and moody atmospheric passages, reminds us why the TV, film and videogame industries jumped at the chance to exploit their back catalogue and folks like Bjork, Daft Punk and Interpol had no qualms about bringing the talented Brookylnites out on tour to rev up their respective crowds. CHIRP recently chatted it up with bass and synth master Evan Mast to get the skinny on touring Europe, the making of LP3 and one tiny little rumor that Ratatat would neither confirm nor deny.

CHIRP: So Ratatat has just gotten back from another European trek. How was the experience for you this time around?

Evan Mast: It was good, man, really fun! We went to a couple new cities we hadn’t been to before and played some cool festivals like Pantiero in Cannes, France and this one in Spain called OLA that was really fun. We’ve always done better in the States than anywhere else, but now we’re seeing more people coming out to shows over there. We did some great shows in France and Germany. It’s been a slow build, but it definitely gets better every time we go overseas.

CHIRP: You have just 10 days before you head out again on a full U.S. tour. Any plans for rest and relaxation?

Mast: No, not really. I was hoping to go upstate for a day or two, but I’m not sure if I’ll have time. We have a bunch of things to take care of. There’s a lot of band-related errands to run, preparing a new set for the tour… We’ll be pretty busy.

CHIRP: The new album seems to be your most accomplished effort with as much attention paid to these beat-less passages as you have the big, driving songs Ratatat is known for. It also seems like your catchiest material. Was this the direction you planned to head in while writing LP3?

Mast: Well, the song “Shempi” is probably the most, like, straight-forward dance track that we’ve ever done. I think the record as a whole has kind of a broader range. There’s stuff like “Shempi” then there’s the kind of weird beat-less parts. But, to be honest, we didn’t really plan it out. We just kind of went into the studio this time and started making stuff without any written ideas. We’d just get an idea and sort of run with it and tried to see it all the way through and finish the song. I feel like we were definitely more open with new ideas on this record.

CHIRP: Speaking of new ideas, there’s a certain trend going on with a few high-profile instrumental bands – namely Battles, Don Caballero and Hella: the inclusion of vocals and lyrics. What do you make of this madness??

Mast: (Laughs) We do like the sound of vocals as another instrument, you can do some interesting things with it, but I don’t want to get into writing lyrics at any point.

CHIRP: Lastly, it’s rumored on Wikipedia that Ratatat may sign to fellow beat-junkies the Neptune’s label Star Trak Entertainment. Is there any truth to this?

Mast: (Laughs) Uh… The stock response is “no comment” on that one…

CHIRP: Hmm, Ok then. I guess we’ll have to leave it at that.