The Classic Old Songs Hidden In 7 Epic LCD Soundsystem Tracks
lcd-soundsystem-references
August 31, 2017
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# The Classic Old Songs Hidden In 7 Epic LCD Soundsystem Tracks
LCD Soundsystem doesn't just make music; they make music *about*
music. The group has made a clever kind of
sampling-by-way-of-interpolation their calling card, and many of their
songs reference the rich history of dance music from the '70s to the
present day. Sometimes these references
are less pronounced, and at other times they're almost like covers or
reinterpretations. But no matter how they're presented, they're almost
always delivered with a knowing wink to the listener. Now, on the eve of
the release of the band's new album, *American Dream*{:
style="font-size: 24px;"}, we took a look
at some of the more notable references the group's made over the
years.
## "Losing My Edge" from "Losing My Edge"/"Beat Connection" (DFA 2002)
[YouTube Content][1]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][2]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
This song is pretty much entirely about references. There are shout-outs
to the first [Can][3]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"} show
in Cologne, to [Larry Levan's Paradise Garage][4]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"}, to [Basic Channel][5]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"}, to [Faust][6]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"}, [Manuel Göttsching][7]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"}, [The Swans][8]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"}, [Juan Atkins][9]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"} and to [Daft Punk][10]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"}. In fact, it famously breaks down halfway and
turns into an incredibly memorable name-dropping extravaganza, in which
Murphy emulates [Afrika Bambaataa][11]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener
noreferrer"}'s hype patter in "[Planet Rock][12]" when he drops a
knowing *"Just hit me!"* Less obvious, though, is the rhythm of the song
itself, which recalls the minimalist lo-fi computer rhythm of Killing
Joke's '80s B-side, "[Change][13]".
## "Yeah" from "Yeah" (DFA 2003)
[YouTube Content][14]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][15]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
This is one of the band's most incendiary live songs. There are many
references hidden inside this track, but one of the most immediately
obvious comes in the form of the charging disco rhythm that echoes the
crisp, snappy playing heard in another extended-length dance classic:
The Trammps "[Disco Inferno][16]". This can be heard in the thumping
bassline and in the straight-up Philly-style four-on-the-floor bombast.
## "Disco Infiltrator" from *LCD Soundsystem* (DFA 2005)
[YouTube Content][17]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][18]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
This song may well have officially kicked off James Murphy's Kraftwerk
fixation. "Disco Infiltrator" leads with the funky and strobing synth
line from "[Home Computer][19]". More than just simple
sampling, "Infiltrator" creates a whole new song from a riff, and it
still stands alone as one of the best 12-inch singles from the
early-'00s dance-punk movement.
## "Movement" from *LCD Soundsystem* (DFA 2005)
[YouTube Content][20]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][21]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
This was LCD Soundsystem's Suicide moment. Though there
are no actual direct references, this song brings to mind two other
works almost immediately: the minimalist rhythm is a nod to "[Ghost
Rider][22]" by legendary New York no wave band Suicide, and the vocals
are styled to sound like the ranting and raving of The Fall's Mark E.
Smith on "[Telephone Thing][23]".
## "Thrills" from *LCD Soundsystem* (DFA 2005)
[YouTube Content][24]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][25]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
LCD Soundsystem often lean on synth-pop, no wave and post-punk sources,
so it makes sense then that they'd reference a group that embodies all
three of those things. "Thrills" is their homage to The Normal's
synthwave classic "[Warm Leatherette][26]", and what an homage it is.
The stop-and-go rhythm, the abrasive synthwork and Murphy's own vocals
show that LCD also knows how to get gritty.
## "Get Innocuous!" from *Sound Of Silver* (DFA 2007)
[YouTube Content][27]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][28]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
LCD Soundsystem's second studio album, *Sound Of Silver,* begins with a
fairly obvious reference to [Kraftwerk][29]{: target="_blank"
rel="noopener noreferrer"}'s "[The Robots][30]" on "Get Innocuous!".
Though you might immediately assume we're talking about that hissing
mechanical rhythm that serves as an intro, the truth is that it's
actually the chunky, arped-out bassline. The overall effect is a tip of
the hat to the legendary Düsseldorf outfit in the form of creative
reinterpretation.
## "Freak Out" from "All My Friends" (DFA 2007)
[YouTube Content][31]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][32]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
Anyone who's heard James Murphy DJ knows that the man is extraordinarily
fond of Macho's extended-length mid-'70s disco epic, "[I'm A Man][33]".
What makes that song so effective in clubs is its extraordinarily long
hard rock drum solo. Considering the track has been a fixture in
Murphy's sets for a long time, it makes sense that he would point to it
on "Freak Out!".
## "Dance Yrself Clean" from *This Is Happening* (DFA 2010)
[YouTube Content][34]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
[YouTube Content][35]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}
The first song on *This Is Happening* goes a little deeper than other
LCD cuts. Rather than lifting from or referencing famous artists, the
synth rhythm that leads the song is lifted wholesale from The Pool's
'80s cosmic disco classic "[Jamaica Running][36]". The track is
considered one of the classics from Cosmic, the
pioneering Italian club [that counted Danielle Baldelli as its resident
selector][37] and birthed cosmic disco as we know it today. You can hear
a mix of cosmic disco sounds in [Baldelli's mix for EB.Radio][38]{:
target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}.
**Read more: [Experience LCD Soundsystem In Virtual Reality][39]{:
target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}**
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZUjDMdSwefk?rel=0?rel=0
[2]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/t166M5ESVNk?rel=0
[3]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/artist/can/
[4]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/paradise-garage-movie/
[5]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/20-techno-labels-over-20/
[6]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/minimalist-pioneer-tony-conrad-talks-to-krautrock-band-faust/
[7]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/exploring-the-masterpieces-of-manuel-gottsching-in-ten-records/
[8]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/swans-michael-gira-sounds-off/
[9]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/tv/juan-atkins-slices-dvd-feature/
[10]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/one-daft-punks-mysterious-samples-uncovered/
[11]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/afrika-bambaataa-about-kraftwerk/
[12]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh1AypBaIEk
[13]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t166M5ESVNk
[14]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/pJseqQNQ_zA?rel=0
[15]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/A_sY2rjxq6M?rel=0
[16]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_sY2rjxq6M
[17]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_n1xvMgsUc?rel=0
[18]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/bu55q_3YtOY?rel=0
[19]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu55q_3YtOY
[20]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/TT2izWpGDCo?rel=0
[21]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dn7SBQ6X5HU?rel=0
[22]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn7SBQ6X5HU
[23]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzAOiA4dH_o
[24]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/_eqHoiDk5o8?rel=0
[25]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/S5QErPDNcj4?rel=0
[26]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5QErPDNcj4
[27]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ve9Y-dl40sQ?rel=0
[28]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/VXa9tXcMhXQ?rel=0
[29]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/this-doco-will-teach-you-everything-about-kraftwerk/
[30]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXa9tXcMhXQ
[31]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/ng54rhY5EXw?rel=0
[32]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/WhvOVJn0i6k?rel=0
[33]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhvOVJn0i6k
[34]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/OoA0cTC228M?rel=0
[35]: https://www.youtube.com/embed/H6Bae3R49ew?rel=0
[36]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Bae3R49ew
[37]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/daniele-baldelli-interview-2016/
[38]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/radio/daniele-baldelli-mix-2016/
[39]: http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/watch-lcd-soundsystems-new-virtual-reality-experience/
---
id: 69f6ebf2-c08a-46c4-b2bf-382fa11985db
blueprint: article
title: 'The Classic Old Songs Hidden In 7 Epic LCD Soundsystem Tracks'
date: 2017-08-31T10:23:23+02:00
wp_id: '138936'
slug: lcd-soundsystem-references
teaser_image: legacy/lcd-soundsystem-references/LCDSoundsystem.jpg
contents:
-
type: text
text: |-
<p>LCD Soundsystem doesn’t just make music; they make music <em>about</em> music. The group has made a clever kind of sampling-by-way-of-interpolation their calling card, and many of their songs reference the rich history of dance music from the ’70s to the present day. <span style="font-size: 24px;">Sometimes these references are less pronounced, and at other times they’re almost like covers or reinterpretations. But no matter how they’re presented, they’re almost always delivered with a knowing wink to the listener. Now, on the eve of the release of the band’s new album, </span><em style="font-size: 24px;">American Dream</em><span style="font-size: 24px;">, we took a look at some of the more notable references the group’s made over the years.</span></p><h2>“Losing My Edge” from “Losing My Edge”/”Beat Connection” (DFA 2002)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZUjDMdSwefk?rel=0?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t166M5ESVNk?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>This song is pretty much entirely about references. There are shout-outs to the first <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/artist/can/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can</a> show in Cologne, to <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/paradise-garage-movie/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Larry Levan’s Paradise Garage</a>, to <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/20-techno-labels-over-20/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Basic Channel</a>, to <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/minimalist-pioneer-tony-conrad-talks-to-krautrock-band-faust/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Faust</a>, <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/exploring-the-masterpieces-of-manuel-gottsching-in-ten-records/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Manuel Göttsching</a>, <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/swans-michael-gira-sounds-off/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Swans</a>, <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/tv/juan-atkins-slices-dvd-feature/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Juan Atkins</a> and to <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/one-daft-punks-mysterious-samples-uncovered/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Daft Punk</a>. In fact, it famously breaks down halfway and turns into an incredibly memorable name-dropping extravaganza, in which Murphy emulates <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/afrika-bambaataa-about-kraftwerk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Afrika Bambaataa</a>‘s hype patter in “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh1AypBaIEk">Planet Rock</a>” when he drops a knowing <em>“Just hit me!”</em> Less obvious, though, is the rhythm of the song itself, which recalls the minimalist lo-fi computer rhythm of Killing Joke’s ’80s B-side, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t166M5ESVNk">Change</a>“.</p><h2>“Yeah” from “Yeah” (DFA 2003)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pJseqQNQ_zA?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A_sY2rjxq6M?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>This is one of the band’s most incendiary live songs. There are many references hidden inside this track, but one of the most immediately obvious comes in the form of the charging disco rhythm that echoes the crisp, snappy playing heard in another extended-length dance classic: The Trammps “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_sY2rjxq6M">Disco Inferno</a>“. This can be heard in the thumping bassline and in the straight-up Philly-style four-on-the-floor bombast.</p><h2>“Disco Infiltrator” from <i>LCD Soundsystem</i> (DFA 2005)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_n1xvMgsUc?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bu55q_3YtOY?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>This song may well have officially kicked off James Murphy’s Kraftwerk fixation. “Disco Infiltrator” leads with the funky and strobing synth line from “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu55q_3YtOY">Home Computer</a>“. <span class="s1">More than just simple sampling, “Infiltrator” creates a whole new song from a riff, and it still stands alone as one of the best 12-inch singles from the early-’00s dance-punk movement.</span></p><h2>“Movement” from <i>LCD Soundsystem</i> (DFA 2005)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TT2izWpGDCo?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dn7SBQ6X5HU?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>This was LCD Soundsystem’s Suicide moment. Though<span class="s1"> there are no actual direct references, this song brings to mind two other works almost immediately: the minimalist rhythm is a nod to “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn7SBQ6X5HU">Ghost Rider</a>” by legendary New York no wave band Suicide, and the vocals are styled to sound like the ranting and raving of The Fall’s Mark E. Smith on “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzAOiA4dH_o">Telephone Thing</a>“.</span></p><h2>“Thrills” from <i>LCD Soundsystem</i> (DFA 2005)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_eqHoiDk5o8?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S5QErPDNcj4?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>LCD Soundsystem often lean on synth-pop, no wave and post-punk sources, so it makes sense then that they’d reference a group that embodies all three of those things. “Thrills” is their homage to The Normal’s synthwave classic “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5QErPDNcj4">Warm Leatherette</a>“, and what an homage it is. The stop-and-go rhythm, the abrasive synthwork and Murphy’s own vocals show that LCD also knows how to get gritty.</p><h2>“Get Innocuous!” from <i>Sound Of Silver</i> (DFA 2007)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ve9Y-dl40sQ?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VXa9tXcMhXQ?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>LCD Soundsystem’s second studio album, <em>Sound Of Silver,</em> begins with a fairly obvious reference to <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/this-doco-will-teach-you-everything-about-kraftwerk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kraftwerk</a>‘s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXa9tXcMhXQ">The Robots</a>” on “Get Innocuous!”. Though you might immediately assume we’re talking about that hissing mechanical rhythm that serves as an intro, the truth is that it’s actually the chunky, arped-out bassline. The overall effect is a tip of the hat to the legendary Düsseldorf outfit in the form of creative reinterpretation.</p><h2>“Freak Out” from “All My Friends” (DFA 2007)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ng54rhY5EXw?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WhvOVJn0i6k?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>Anyone who’s heard James Murphy DJ knows that the man is extraordinarily fond of Macho’s extended-length mid-’70s disco epic, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhvOVJn0i6k">I’m A Man</a>“. What makes that song so effective in clubs is its extraordinarily long hard rock drum solo. Considering the track has been a fixture in Murphy’s sets for a long time, it makes sense that he would point to it on “Freak Out!”.</p><h2>“Dance Yrself Clean” from <i>This Is Happening</i> (DFA 2010)</h2><div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OoA0cTC228M?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
<div style="width: 48%; display: inline-block;"><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H6Bae3R49ew?rel=0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Content</a></p></div>
</div><p>The first song on <em>This Is Happening</em> goes a little deeper than other LCD cuts. Rather than lifting from or referencing famous artists, the synth rhythm that leads the song is lifted wholesale from The Pool’s ’80s cosmic disco classic “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Bae3R49ew">Jamaica Running</a>“. The track is considered one of the classics from Cosmic,<span class="s1"> the pioneering Italian club <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/daniele-baldelli-interview-2016/">that counted Danielle Baldelli as its resident selector</a> and birthed cosmic disco as we know it today. You can hear a mix of cosmic disco sounds in <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/radio/daniele-baldelli-mix-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Baldelli’s mix for EB.Radio</a>.</span></p><p><strong>Read more: <a href="http://www.electronicbeats.net/the-feed/watch-lcd-soundsystems-new-virtual-reality-experience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Experience LCD Soundsystem In Virtual Reality</a></strong></p>
---
Chunk #1 (Position: 0)
# The Classic Old Songs Hidden In 7 Epic LCD Soundsystem Tracks LCD Soundsystem doesn't just make music; they make music *about* music. The group has made a clever kind of sampling-by-way-of-interpolation their calling card, and many of their songs reference the rich history of dance music ...
Chunk #2 (Position: 1)
But no matter how they're presented, they're almost always delivered with a knowing wink to the listener. Now, on the eve of the release of the band's new album, *American Dream*{: style="font-size: 24px;"}, we took a look at some of the more notable references the group's made ove...
Chunk #3 (Position: 2)
Now, on the eve of the release of the band's new album, *American Dream*{: style="font-size: 24px;"}, we took a look at some of the more notable references the group's made over the years. ## "Losing My Edge" from "Losing My Edge"/"Beat Connection" (DFA 2002) [YouTube Content][1]{: target="...
Chunk #4 (Position: 3)
There are shout-outs to the first [Can][3]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"} show in Cologne, to [Larry Levan's Paradise Garage][4]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}, to [Basic Channel][5]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}, to [Faust][6]{: target="_blank" rel="noo...
Chunk #5 (Position: 4)
In fact, it famously breaks down halfway and turns into an incredibly memorable name-dropping extravaganza, in which Murphy emulates [Afrika Bambaataa][11]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"}'s hype patter in "[Planet Rock][12]" when he drops a knowing *"Just hit me!"* Less obvious, thou...
Chunk #6 (Position: 5)
There are many references hidden inside this track, but one of the most immediately obvious comes in the form of the charging disco rhythm that echoes the crisp, snappy playing heard in another extended-length dance classic: The Trammps "[Disco Inferno][16]". This can be heard in the thumping bas...
Chunk #7 (Position: 6)
## "Disco Infiltrator" from *LCD Soundsystem* (DFA 2005) [YouTube Content][17]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"} [YouTube Content][18]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"} This song may well have officially kicked off James Murphy's Kraftwerk fixation. "Disco Infiltrator" le...
Chunk #8 (Position: 7)
Though there are no actual direct references, this song brings to mind two other works almost immediately: the minimalist rhythm is a nod to "[Ghost Rider][22]" by legendary New York no wave band Suicide, and the vocals are styled to sound like the ranting and raving of The Fall's Mark E. Sm...
Chunk #9 (Position: 8)
"Thrills" is their homage to The Normal's synthwave classic "[Warm Leatherette][26]", and what an homage it is. The stop-and-go rhythm, the abrasive synthwork and Murphy's own vocals show that LCD also knows how to get gritty. ## "Get Innocuous!" from *Sound Of Silver* (DFA 2007) [YouTube Conten...
Chunk #10 (Position: 9)
## "Get Innocuous!" from *Sound Of Silver* (DFA 2007) [YouTube Content][27]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"} [YouTube Content][28]{: target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"} LCD Soundsystem's second studio album, *Sound Of Silver,* begins with a fairly obvious reference to [...
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