Throughout his 30-plus year career, Stephen Malkmus has long-been associated with various types of rock: Indie rock, slacker rock, at times, classic rock. Which is why Groove Denied, his new album (out March 15) that’s rooted deeply in electronic music, feels like a rather sharp left turn.
“It’s been kicking around for three years,” he says of the 10-song album, which follows 2018’s Sparkle Hard. “It’s a different feeling. Colder, industrial, more black and white.”
There are barely any remnants of Malkmus’s work with Pavement or his post-Pavement band the Jicks — but he says the songwriting process isn’t completely different. There are still basic song structure elements that exist in Groove Denied that he’s used in the past.
“[Groove Denied] songs are more how I approach demos,” he says. “I tried to record them better, play them better, mix them better, and make it so I didn’t want to go back to them. They’re existing in a hall of digital mirrors — that’s what was interesting about them.”
Even as this is Malkmus’s first official foray into electronic music, he’s had a long love-affair with the genre, dating back to his days as a student at the University of Virginia in the ‘80s. Here, he breaks down 10 electronic tracks that shaped his life, now and then.
Daft Punk: “Rollin’ and Scratchin’”
“That’s on their first album. It’s so minimal and punk. That album — most people would agree it’s an amazing record and a game changer. The name is cool, they’re French, they’re smart to cover their faces so we don’t have to see them getting old and grey. Because nobody really wants that. That song is brutal minimalism and that appeals to me. It’s cranking that filter.”
Cabaret Voltaire: “Nag Nag Nag”
“They’re a primitive art collective from the early ‘80s. You get the feeling they’re art students influenced by Throbbing Gristle and post punk. That song, when I was in college – we loved Cabaret Voltaire.”
Laurent Garnier: “Acid Eiffel”
“That’s a classic ‘90s rave anthem, as far as I’m concerned. It has that feeling, when the cymbals start hitting, of an MDMA bath. It also has a Pink Floyd feel to it. To me, that’s a master class in populist acid techno. That’s when it was all going off in Europe and becoming a thing.”
Blazej Malinowski: “Profundity”
“He’s a Polish DJ, the kind of DJ you could see in a Boiler Room set. I would call it dark techno. This is a kind that I gravitate towards to. The kick drum is usually a little muffled and it’s setting an ‘infinity vibe’ to it. You’re not expecting some drop. You don’t need everything to crescendo to an orgasm, which a lot of songs tend to do — in rock n’ roll and in techno. If I would try to be a DJ, I think I’d go in that direction.”
Pendant (AKA Huerco S.): “Make Me Know You Sweet”
“A guy turned me on, very recently, to the guy behind this project. This is more ambient music — more in the realm of avant-garde, deconstructed music. Like Brian Eno, where you’re in a world of a chill bath. I think it’s special sounding. I’m a new fan.”
Red Axes: “Na Da”
“Red Axes are two dudes from Israel. When I hear them, I put them more in a Daft Punk / Justice [vein.]. It’s party music. It feels like alcohol is involved. And it has an element of rock to it.”
Cluster: “Umleitung”
“Cluster is a legendary German band from the ‘70s. They’re electronic pioneers. This whole album is great. They started with a more noisy, Krautrock sound. To me this sounds like a YouTube song [“Watering a Flower” by Haruomi Hosono] that evidently Vampire Weekend samples. The song is famous for having very interesting YouTube comments about it. People talk about what it makes them think of. But to me, this song is better than that song. They need to put this up and people need to talk about it and Vampire Weekend needs to sample it!
Squarepusher: “Come On My Selector”
“The video is done by Chris Cunningham and it’s very good. The song is just fucked up and amazing. What can I say? Squarepusher was my favorite from the Warp Records mob. When I heard this, I was like ‘How the fuck do you make this?’ as a techno Luddite.”
Polar Inertia: “Parallel Transport”
“This song is one I often come back to, if I want to feel like I’m going to a dark club and the vibes are menacing. They’re arty guys — they quote French theory and stuff like that, which I would like to. So it’s aspirational, also.”
Genocide Organ: “God Sent Us I”
“I would consider this a part of the noise scene. It’s electronic based, but it’s just aggressive, DIY noise rock which I also like. It’s a classic of its genre. One thing I’ve found interesting during my brief forays into the noise rock scene is how nice and kind the performers are. Then you have this name and sound that is completely disgusting. I guess it’s a precursor to 4Chan or something. You have this image that you’re this hardcore S&M name, but then they’re like ‘Hey! What’s going on? Wanna go get coffee?'”