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The initial formation of Digitalism took place in a record store in Hamburg, Germany. Jens “Jence” Moelle and İsmail "Isi" Tüfekçi both being music enthusiasts crossed paths in the shop and eventually became fast friends. The owner of the record store invited them to a DJ party and the two obligingly accepted the invitation. With a little lapse in time the two were mixing and recording material on their own. Their sound was edgy and original, filtering garage punk through overloaded house beats.
In some instances it seemed as though you could mistake their sound with Justice or some of Daft Punk’s more aggressive material, but there was always something original persisting at the core of their sound. Unsurprisingly the group signed to the Paris based label Kitsuné, a company co-founded by Daft Punk collaborator Gildas Loaëc.
The group’s debut album “Idealism” was released through this label on 21 May 2007 and was also released through Toshiba EMI in Japan, Astralwerks in North America, and through etcetc and Virgin Records in Australia and New Zealand. “Idealism” did remarkably well in the critical circuits and currently holds a 76 on the critical aggregator site “Metacritic”. The album consists of a total of 15 tracks and 7 additional downloadable bonus tracks. 5 songs on the album such as their reworking of the Cure’s “Fire in Cairo” had previously been released on some of Digitalism’s past EPs. The album also excelled commercially thanks credited to several add placements such as the promos for the video games “Midnight Club: Los Angeles” and “Need for Speed: ProStreet”. “Idealism” entered the US Top Heatseekers at No. 29 and at No.6 on the US Top Electronic Albums.
Digitalism put out the EPs “Pogo” and “Blitz” before releasing their highly anticipated 2011 sophomore release “I Love You Dude”. Though the album did not do quite as well critically or commercially it did feature a high profile collaboration with the Strokes’ singer Julian Casablancas on the track “Forest Gump”. The album also did reasonably well in Australia, charting at No. 9 on the Australian Dance Albums Chart.
The band’s influences ranges from French House sensations Daft Punk to German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk. Film scores are another big inspirational force for the group. Their studio and live set up relies heavily on the MacBook Pro, Korg’s microKorg, KP3, MS-20, ESX-1 and EMX-1 and Roland V-drums and MC-202.
Where electronic music is concerned, it very much seems as if it’s two that’s the magic number; Digitalism, like so many of their contemporaries, are a duo, comprising Jens ‘Jence’ Moelle and Ismail ‘Isi’ Tufekci. Though they’ve managed just two records over the course of a ten year career - 2007’s Idealism and 2011’s aptly-titled I Love You Dude - their live reputation has long since been going before them; like Justice - another two-piece! - they’ve focused on incorporating pop and, in some cases, rock influences into an otherwise straightforward EDM set. On their most recent UK tour, in late 2011 - their first since they cancelled an extensive British jaunt back in 2008 due to illness - they packed sweaty, intimate rooms with a live show that, frankly, was designed for much bigger audiences, like the huge festival throngs they play to in their native Germany. The result was something special for those who bore witness; a live drummer proved that there’s more to the Digitalism live experience than just knob-twiddling, as they ran through a genuinely diverse back catalogue with an almost alarming vigour. Not one to miss if and when they do return; they don’t tour as often as their fans would like.
Joeg_67
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