Crystal Fighters 'Xtatic Truth' [Kitsuné]
Crystal Fighters ‘Xtatic Truth’ [Kitsuné]
-BBC Radio 1 single of the week
-Mixmag single of the month
-NME top song to hear this week
Crystal Fighters juxtapose the eerie flavour of traditional Basque folk music with churning basslines and catchy energetic vocals, resulting in a jubilant and uplifting sound unlike any other.
They offer raved-up, percussive folktronica, veering from Fischerspooner-style euphoria to Animal Collective-toned delicacy, underpinned by a progressive contemporary London bass sound. Though their distinctive production techniques take in all this and more, Crystal Fighters draw a broader and more profound influence from the energy and wild liberty of the 80s Spanish/Basque ‘anti-todo’ youth movement and the songs of bands such as Eskorbuto, Sinistro Total and Golpes Bajos.
The Crystal Fighters story is as engaging as their music ~
‘Crystal Fighters’ is the name of an unfinished opera written by singer Laure’s deceased grandfather during his final months of insanity. She came across it while clearing out the reclusive old man’s remote abode in the Basque countryside, and quickly became obsessed with the scrawls contained within it. Captivated by its seemingly prophetic contents, the band took on the name which all, in their way, attempt to expand upon the wild and deranged spirit of the old man’s writings.
2009 has already been an immense year for Crystal Fighters. XTATIC TRUTH was released on the uber hip Kitsune label in June with feverish response worldwide. Xtatic Truth was chosen as “Single Of The Week” on BBC Radio 1 by Nick Grimshaw – a monumental feat for a band’s first single, and the single also received high praises across the indie and dance publications such as NME and Mixmag awarding Xtatic Truth “Single Of The Week”. Xtatic Truth was also featured on the Kitsune Maison 7 – Lucky One compilation, establishing Crystal Fighters to be one of the hottest and most promising new acts in the world.
Crystal Fighters have also been busy in the studio remixing, with their remix of Magic Wands “Black Magic” on Young & Lost peaking at #1 track to download in NME. Other remixes in the pipeline for this year include CSS, Master Shortie, and MIT.
Crystal Fighters’ live shows have become legendary described to be unrelentingly raw, intense, and passionate, headlining the Kitsune Maison party in Paris, Durrr, The Great Escape, Stag & Dagger, Dollop, Vice, Cargo, Matter to name a few, and this year sees the band spread global with shows already booked in Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Zurich, and Amsterdam.
All this follows the already impressive 2008 which saw the group take London by storm, being featured in all the cutting edge underground press – eg Dazed & Confused, FACT, Clash, Mixmag, iDJ magazine, and a Radio 1 Live Session for Rob da Bank. 2008 was rounded up with their ubiquitous online hit ‘I Love London’ voted in Mixmag’s Top 100 Records for 2008, the only unreleased record in the 100, crashing in ahead of the likes of Toddla T and Bloc Party.
Crystal Fighters are currently in the studio writing their debut album, and the second single “I Love London” will be released via KITSUNE later in the year.
EP1 - Original, MayBB (Benny Benassi), Magistrates, Renaissance Man, Last Japan
EP2 - Lvis 1990, Micromattic, Arcade, Tomoki & Nono, Radioproof
Crystal Fighters ‘Xtatic Truth’ [Kitsuné] video
as featured on BBC Sound
Magic Wands ‘Black Magic’ (CRYSTAL FIGHTERS REMIX)
CRYSTAL FIGHTERS 1 HOUR RADIO MIX FOR KITSUNE, BROADCAST ON RADIO LE MOUV ON 20/06/09
Gianni Rossi - Gutterballs
Phoenix - Listomania (Holy Ghost Loves Paris Remixomania)
Beni - My Love Sees You
Renaissance Man - Spraycan (Sharkslayer’s Respect to Nassau Remix)
Siriusmo - High Toghether… Read More
Autokratz - Always More (Goshi Goshi Remix)
Captain Funk - Stereo Funk (Fukkk Off Remix)
Patrick Wolf - Hard Times (Jack Beatz Remix)
Crystal Fighters - Xtatic Truth (Arcade Remix)
Crystal Fighters - Xtatic Truth (Renaissance Man Remix)
Giuseppe - White Waves
Magic Wands - Black Magic (Crystal Fighters Remix)
MayBB - Touring in NY (short tour edit)
Kelley Polar - Rosenband (Magic Tim’s Instrumental version)
Harvard Bass - 81 (Renaissance Man Remix)
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Bournemouth
Datarock - Give it Up (Kissy Sellout Remix)
Steve Angello - Gypsy (Alvaro Remix)
Laidback Luke - Generation Noize (Riva Starr Rechunk)
James Braun - Spanish Fly
Minimorph - Spanglish
Chuckie - Let the Bass Kick
Michael Cleis - La Mezcla
Popof - Serenity (Noob Remix)
Crystal Fighters - With You (Acapella)
Juan Luis Guerra - Vale La Pena
Golpes Bajos - Fiesta De Los Maniquies
