Industrial funk disco masters hit on all cylinders on their latest release.
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult are as important to electronic dance music as the Ramones are to punk. Band mates Groovie Mann and Buzz McCoy have been getting it done for almost 30 years now, and an entire genre has sprung up around their mix of beats, humor, and insanity.
They haven’t lost any of their awesome on their last offering, Spooky Tricks. The Good Men Project’s James Stafford caught up with the band ahead of their appearance at Hermosa Beach, California’s Saint Rocke on May 29.
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Good Men Project: You’re 13 albums and 27 years in. Internet aside, what’s the biggest change you’ve seen in the music world?
Thrill Kill Kult: The biggest change is no change. It’s just a big circle. It’s all a loop. Look, vinyl’s back! But seriously, I think the major labels now are just sleazy period. They’re only looking to make a big buck for their shareholders. No more artist development. You’re either a big hit or you’re gone. They need to sell you on so many levels. Can they act? Can they model? Who can we pair them up with? I guess that’s what’s different, though it always existed on some level, now it’s out of control. Did you watch the BMA’s? I almost threw up!
The title track of the new album, Spooky Tricks, reminds me a bit of Soft Cell’s “Sex Dwarf.” Is that influence in there, or do I need to get out more?
Hmm. I can’t think how “Sex Dwarf” goes right now, though I have heard the name. I never listened to Soft Cell much. Perhaps it seeped in subconsciously. But probably you need to just get out more. Who doesn’t?
You guys are covering a lot of ground and playing a lot of dates over the next two months. One night you’re in New York, the next in Cleveland. Any favorite places to play?
Our hometown, Chicago,of course. Our new home in L.A. and Texas! I guess San Fran too, cuz of all the pervs!
Tell us a little about Spooky Tricks.
Eleven new stories of secret desires, seductions, sex, drugs and disco, as told by the TKK. A Harlequin romance novel for the depraved! I think it’s a good representation of where we come from and where we’re going. A nice blend of the old and the new. It’s in the now for us. And hopefully timeless, as we like to think our albums will remain.
DJ Toxic Rainbow is opening for you guys on this tour, and his remix of “Room on the Moon” closes the new album. How’d you guys connect?
He was the winner of a Beatport.com remix contest, remixing our classic track “Kooler Than Jesus.” It turned out he had been a fan since the age of 14 and we had all met previously years ago when we invited he and his friends on our tour bus for a visit. They were too young to attend the show at that time. We really dig his work. It’s kind of all over the place. He likes to explore different avenues and genres. A lot like TKK, but his sound is totally his own.
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For concert dates and more info, visit My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult’s website. Spooky Tricks is available wherever bad ass music is sold.