The hype surrounding Mighty Mouse has been steadily building for some time now, their remixes have become instant trademarks of unwavering quality, taking a song far beyond what the original artist could have envisioned, while their own productions have a mature musicality which elevate them far beyond the 'nu-disco' tag so many people attempt to brand them with.
Ever since I heard their gorgeously Balearic mix of Bent's 'Always' in the summer of 2009 I've been engrossed in their animated, psychedelic and often eccentric soundscapes. Sometimes I've even bought a Mighty Mouse production without listening to it first, purely for the surprise of discovering what sound, vibe, style & atmosphere they've opted to create. Now, with 2011 quickly approaching they've released their first full length artist album, a concept record entitled 'Song With No Word'.
As the title suggests, the album is fully instrumental, each track simply granted it's own 'movement', a place within a hierarchy of flowing grooves and basslines. The whole point of the album is to listen to it as a body of work, it's intended to create an atmosphere, take you away, let your mind run free and over an hour of uninterrupted listening I find the sounds emanating from my speakers to be weird, wonderful and in some cases, inspired. It's a journey from start to finish, the cosmic exploration of 'Movement 2' melting ever so smoothly into the quite tense introduction of 3, the jazz fusion of 'Movement 5' creating visions of smoky late night speak-easies in New York while the sparkling climax of 10 sees you gently returning to earth after floating with the clouds.
Ultimately this would be best listened to in the dark on some chemically enhanced trip, but obviously since we don't condone that sort of behaviour I'd try listening to it while wandering the streets of Paris or thrashing out post-apocalyptic art with your last thread of sanity while making love to the world's most famous super model. The point is, Mighty Mouse have created an experience, it's up to you how you use it.
Mighty Mouse - ‘Song With No Word’ – Limited Edition CD and Vinyl
Out now on History / Disco Circus Records
Check out and download (click black arrow to the right of player) 'Movement 5', plus the latest Mighty Mouse mixtape below:
Mighty Mouse 'Movement 5' (Radio Edit) by Mighty Mouse
DECEMBER 2010 MIXTAPE: Feel Good, Live Good by MIGHTY MOUSE by Mighty Mouse
1. apiento & co 'she walks' (original mix)
2. count jackula 'africa' (golden bug remix)
3. jay shepheard & tad wily 'a sopot connection'
4. blamma blamma 'beyond 17' (mighty mouse lost in space instrumental)
5. floorman 'ossum boogie'
6. kindness 'swinging party'
7. morgan geist 'most of all'
8. mighty mouse 'smiling faces' (vocal version)
9. arcade fire 'the sprawl' (mighty mouse dj edit)
10. zola jesus 'poor animal' (mighty mouse's not so official edit type thingy)
11. chilly gonzalez 'you can dance' (cosmonaut grecho remix)
12. florence & the machine 'you've got the love' (the xx remix)
13. dwight trash 'san salvador'
14. alternative car park 'please don't leave me joanna'
15. the aikiu 'just can't sleep' (mighty mouse instrumental)
16. bob holroyd 'african drug' (four tet remix)
17. boy naughty 'miss quenada'
Finally, as part of this Mighty Mouse mega-post we caught up with the intergalactic sound sculptors as they give us further insight into 'Song With No Word':
S: It seems that as a production duo the last two or so years have really seen you establish an ever-growing and admiring fan base, but for people that don’t know, can you start by painting a picture of Mighty Mouse? How the project began, the origins of your sound, the people & things that have inspired you?
MM: Well to be honest, Mighty Mouse has always been more than a production duo. From the start Natalie (our singer) has always been a part of us, she just hasn’t been as involved until the beginning of this year when we starting writing tracks for the main album coming next year. It all started with a remix, we’d all been friends for years and the first year of Mighty Mouse we spent remixing and working out what our sound would be and how we work together. We’re still working that one out and have allot of fun in the process. Musically we’re inspired by so much, but there is definitely a disco/80’s/psychedelic influence in the music we’re doing.
S: Having followed your productions for a few years it would appear that your style, and approach to remixes in particular can vary wildly, from your rather euphoric mix of Bent to the bouncy fun of Gorillaz. What do you think defines a Mighty Mouse production & do you have a favourite sound in particular?
MM: That’s a tough question, I think we never really wanted to be pigeon holed and we always approach a remix individually and think about the song and how we want to interpret it. What we probably like the most about the music we make is that we don’t have any rules, something we try to put across in our mix compilations ‘Disco Circus’. No rules, and complete musical freedom.
S: Your debut artist album ‘Song With No Word’ is comprised of ten tracks, each a different ‘movement’. Can you tell us about the concept of the album and what you want to achieve with it?
MM: It actually started with ‘Disco Circus (Volume 1). We needed a track to fit in the mix and couldn’t find what we were looking for. That’s when Movement 3 came about and we decided to make an EP, so we made Movements 1, 2 and 4 too. We made them all as a single piece so musically they flow into each other. The EP was received really well and we had allot of fun making them. We always said we'd make more Movements so as we’ve been writing our main album with Natalie we made Movements 5 to 10. We probably wouldn’t get another chance to write this kind of album where it’s not focused on singles though so now is the perfect time to get it out. The concept is that it’s meant to be listened to as a whole.
S: Although your sound is a lot broader than the nu-disco tag some people associate with it, the wider genre is definitely going from strength to strength. Are there any peers who you particularly admire or up and coming producers we should be listening out for?
MM: We’re really into what Janelle Monae is doing right now, Four Tet probably made our favourite album of 2010 too, The XX are amazing too.
S: Finally, you’ve been earmarked as one of the most exciting prospects for 2011, what do you have planned for the new year? Do you have intentions to develop a live show for example?
MM: Wow that’s very flattering thank you! In 2011 we’ll be releasing our main album with Natalie this time and we go on the road with the full live show. We can’t wait.
Neither can we...
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