LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy Builds Actual Sound System, Trashes EDM DJs
It appears that after his many years of LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy is ready to build an actual sound system. Murphy (whose DFA Records label recently celebrated its 12th anniversary) will be in charge of the rig at the Manchester International Festival and is DJ-ing the the event's club night called Despacio.
Murphy told the Guardian that the overpowered rigs that have become a staple of EDM sound ""Tinny, sad, hyper-aggressive."
"They don't sound beautiful," he said. "If you play certain dance music, great. But if you play jazz or AC/DC, they sound terrible."
Like other noted EDM-bashers Daft Punk, Murphy is taking on the culture with a nod to the past, namely the old-school hi-fi systems of bygone clubs.
t's a simple, floor-standing series of giant stacks, comfortably doing full, smooth sound," explains Murphy. "It's pretty wide-open, pretty raw."
"It's a simple, floor-standing series of giant stacks, comfortably doing full, smooth sound," explains Murphy. "It's pretty wide-open, pretty raw."
The Guardian claims that speakers will be arranged in a circle, allowing listeners to immerse themselves in sound.
Murphy claims that his throwback setup and DJ style isn't about some rose-tinted stroll down memory lane, but rather an act of dissent against a DJ culture that has grown lazy.
"If you have a program that helps you mix every song, why would you ever not mix?" he said. "I played at this thing the other day... there were people there that seemed almost too excited, like I had done something very creative or crazy. I was like, 'It was literally a bunch of fucking songs, dude'. I don't think I did anything exceptional. But what it wasn't was the guy with a computer playing a seamless, pre-programmed festival set, with no adjustments for the crowd, who, at the moment they're supposed to get excited, throw their hands in the air, but in between look kind of listless. That, to me, is really sad."