Customer Reviews

Dfa Compilation

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Collecting the 2002 vinyl-only singles released by the DFA, the brilliant 'Compilation #1' gathers 8 tracks that showcase why DFA Records may very well be one of the most groundbreaking musical entities of the 21st century. Not so much in the sense that what they are doing is treading new waters, but that they have adapted so well in their own way to the musical trends of the new millenium. In this so-called "digital age" of music consumption the artists on the DFA label have strategically released (and continue to) 12" singles --mainly available through underground indie shops-- to build up cred instead of rushing a long-player out the door to get their 15-minutes. This has resulted in unmatched quality-over-quantity output, and it's a refreshing change.

The only questionable move on Comp #1 is the inclusion of LCD Soundsystem's decidedly weaker second A-side, "Give It Up", over the astonishing first B-side "Beat Connection". It was perhaps included to attempt to show as much variation as possible, but even its B-side, "Tired" would have been better suited on here. That aside, everything else is absolutely essential, from the schizophrenic electro-pulses of the Juan Maclean's "By the Time I Get to Venus" to Black Dice's scraping "Cone Toaster". The moaning, melodic "Silent Morning" is a nice counterpart to the Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers", clearly the most well known track here, and the first big step for the DFA. The fact that it was readily available before its inclusion on 'Compilation #1' doesn't detract from its cowbell-clatter goodness. The generally agreed upon favourite here is clearly LCD Soundsystem's tongue-in-cheek "Losing My Edge", which is as brilliant now as it was four years ago, and nothing more needs to be covered. The real secret weapons on the disc, however, are the Juan Maclean's "You Can't Have It Both Ways" and Black Dice's "Endless Happiness". The former being one of the best underground dance tracks in recent memory, and the latter single-handedly making a case to stop creating albums on laptops and embrace the warm, full-bodied sound of analogue recording. Truthfully, Black Dice is not for everyone, and their work is definitely "love it or hate it". That said, for many DFA proponents, particularly the ones who appreciate Black Dice's sonic vision, "Endless Happiness" is quite likely high on their list of Best Things Ever.

The songs have been discussed and disected, and still three years after the fact, this collection remains a critical piece of the DFA catalogue. If you primarily collect the vinyls this is still a nice way to have the early singles together for a quick runthrough, and if you're strictly into the CDs this is definitely the place to find "Cone Toaster" and the two fantastic Juan Maclean tracks.

This has been my favorite record of 2004. The Rapture's House of Jealous Lovers is an obvious highlight, but there are no weak spots (amazing for a compilation), and Losing My Edge is hilarious, espcially to an aging hipster like me. This is what's happening now, and I can't wait for #2, which is supposed to be due before the end of the year.

DFA is the most important acronym associated with music production, one could hope to ever hear about in regards to the music of the early 21st century. That is to say, if you enjoy quality popular electronic rock disco-punk fused sound,
then DFA comp 1# is the holy grail of the new "ought wave" you've been looking for. The DFA is based in New York, and work mainly as a collective of music producers that create sounds and ideas for bands such as: the Rapture, Radio4, Black Dice, Automato, Juan Maclean, etc. Not to mention the awesome reproductions/remixes of N.E.R.D.'s "She Wants to Move", and Junior Senior's "Shake your Coconuts" pop classics of 2004. Originally, created by Tim Goldsworthy and James Murphy, the DFA collective have worked with the likes of U.N.K.L.E., David Holmes,Primal Scream, BS-2000, and Les Savy Fav among many others. The DFA Compilation 1# showcases the bands on their label(DFA records), and the success they had with creating new progessive independent electronic poprock.
I was lucky enough to see LCD SOUNDSYSTEM (one of the bands on the compilation) play at Coachella, and they were the best band that played the entire festival.
I am shocked that according to AMAZON, I am one of the first persons to review this amazing album.

"***** (Five stars)", mc sucka dj