Sitting Pretty
UR Chicago talks with Pretty Good Dance Moves about their unconventional approach to techno-pop.
by Marcie Garcia
What ever happened to music that transfixed your mind with hypnotic rhythms, vibrant synths, and enchanting vocals, all while capturing your body with its pulsating bass beats? The modern age fix: Pretty Good Dance Moves, or P.G.D.M. - a trio of musicians that have emerged with a name that sounds more like a promise, and a sound that fits somewhere between Kraftwerk and Zero 7.
Though there beautifully complicated sounds would have you guess that there are plenty behind the magic curtain, surprisingly, there are only three. Jimmy Giannopoulos, Aaron Allietta, and Genevieve Schatz, makes up the indie-tech phenomena of P.G.D.M., but unlike many in the electro-music band category, P.G.D.M. strays from the keypad-friendly pack by using their natural talents with instruments such as synthesizers, vibraphones, mandolin, violin, and Les Paul guitars, while relying less on computers. All three have earned their rock band stripes (Schatz is also the soulful frontwoman for Company of Thieves), so it was only natural to incorporate those talents into their collective music.
“I guess it’s kind of like meshing the background we came from, our instincts tell us to try to make these sounds as man made as we can without resorting to computers,” says Giannopoulos. “We try not to use all laptops and stuff like that when we don't have to mainly because we don't know how to use that modern digital stuff.. We like using Moogs and more analog based instruments that we actually have to play. Or samples like the sound an old camera makes when the film rewinds at the end of the role. I have a friend who has a camera like that and I really want to mic that up and use it somewhere in a tune. That’s the kind of stuff that gives us kicks - you can barely hear it in the recording but it sits way the back taking up space and really makes the tune - at least for us.”
P.G.D.M.’s newly released EEP tells a story of a relationship gone sour, track by telling track. The enriching and sultry vocals of Schatz, and Giannopoulos’ hauntingly smooth counterpart, are the perfect compliment to Allietta’s keyboard virtuosity and instrumental savvy. All band members hold a helpful hand at playing multiple instruments in P.G.D.M. songs while using life experiences to bring forth their oftentimes emotional lyrics.
“When I wrote my parts for those tunes I was kind of just writing a lil' bout me a lil' bout my friends,” explains Giannopoulos. “When you’re out as much as we are, you and your friends can get yourselves in some really rotten situations. It was kind of just rolling off my tongue.
“I write my parts then hand what I have to Genevieve and she goes to town. Aaron plays a big role as well as he kind of raises his hand and says stuff like -you’re not really going to say that are you? Or, hmm I really like that but why don’t you try saying this instead? It's always fun cutting vocal parts in the studio,” he says wryly.
In a short time, P.G.D.M.’s has found its name thrown around in the graces of rather reputable music magazines and metro newspapers. Their "Demons Dancing" video, which stars HBO darling of Flight of the Conchord’s comedienne, Kristen Schaal, was exclusively premiered at SPIN.com in July. The same video was voted the winner in the electronic category in the Famecast Fenom contest that won them an ad in Billboard Magazine and a trip to Austin for the next level of competition in December. Seattle Washington’s KEXP-FM alternative public radio, made P.G.D.M. their song of the day which prompted more than 20,000 MP3 downloads. Even highly respected music snob extra ordinaire, Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times, said the band’s E.P. was an “entrancing mix of organic and electronic sounds.” Not bad for a years work.
“We are pretty surprised,” says Giannopoulos. “We have worked really hard the past year and always try and stay one step a head of ourselves. One day we are trying to convince Sarah Silverman to be in our next video and the next day we are in the studio for 30 hours straight just working on hooks, beats, beats. Stuff like that keeps us busy and we are having a blast.”
And they’ve discovered, along with the thousands of other Indie bands on the rise, that mainstream doesn’t equate to corporate record labels anymore. That line has faded and more bands are finding success on their own terms, like P.G.D.M influences, LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service.
“Well, it’s hard to even grasp what "mainstream" means anymore,” says Giannopolous. “Most of the bands I dig that I consider successful are not on the radio and don’t have music videos on TV, but more on Myspace, YouTube, and songs on ITunes. For us, teaming up with a record label that is down with our style and gets a kick out of your tunes is the way to go - a group that is in it for the ride, as well as the other stuff. Right now, we’re currently working with some pretty awesome folks so I think we will make some significant moves in the not to distant future.”
For now, the world of electro-pop, a term Giannopoulos jokes sounds more like an energy drink than a music genre, will just have to wait a bit longer for P.G.D.M.’s next accomplishment – a full length record to be recorded this winter. Giannopoulos hopes his current home base of Brooklyn, New York (Allietta and Schatz still reside in Chicago) will serve as a catalyst to the band’s latest musical adventure.
“I have always wanted to get into the mix out that way,” says Giannopoulos, who jumps between Chicago and Brooklyn, often. “I love it here but in order to grow musically you need to get out of your comfort zone. NYC is the perfect place to get your mind dirty.”
Hold on to your white Converse shoes.
Pretty Good Dance Moves - Demons Dancing
by Marcie Garcia
What ever happened to music that transfixed your mind with hypnotic rhythms, vibrant synths, and enchanting vocals, all while capturing your body with its pulsating bass beats? The modern age fix: Pretty Good Dance Moves, or P.G.D.M. - a trio of musicians that have emerged with a name that sounds more like a promise, and a sound that fits somewhere between Kraftwerk and Zero 7.
Though there beautifully complicated sounds would have you guess that there are plenty behind the magic curtain, surprisingly, there are only three. Jimmy Giannopoulos, Aaron Allietta, and Genevieve Schatz, makes up the indie-tech phenomena of P.G.D.M., but unlike many in the electro-music band category, P.G.D.M. strays from the keypad-friendly pack by using their natural talents with instruments such as synthesizers, vibraphones, mandolin, violin, and Les Paul guitars, while relying less on computers. All three have earned their rock band stripes (Schatz is also the soulful frontwoman for Company of Thieves), so it was only natural to incorporate those talents into their collective music.
“I guess it’s kind of like meshing the background we came from, our instincts tell us to try to make these sounds as man made as we can without resorting to computers,” says Giannopoulos. “We try not to use all laptops and stuff like that when we don't have to mainly because we don't know how to use that modern digital stuff.. We like using Moogs and more analog based instruments that we actually have to play. Or samples like the sound an old camera makes when the film rewinds at the end of the role. I have a friend who has a camera like that and I really want to mic that up and use it somewhere in a tune. That’s the kind of stuff that gives us kicks - you can barely hear it in the recording but it sits way the back taking up space and really makes the tune - at least for us.”
P.G.D.M.’s newly released EEP tells a story of a relationship gone sour, track by telling track. The enriching and sultry vocals of Schatz, and Giannopoulos’ hauntingly smooth counterpart, are the perfect compliment to Allietta’s keyboard virtuosity and instrumental savvy. All band members hold a helpful hand at playing multiple instruments in P.G.D.M. songs while using life experiences to bring forth their oftentimes emotional lyrics.
“When I wrote my parts for those tunes I was kind of just writing a lil' bout me a lil' bout my friends,” explains Giannopoulos. “When you’re out as much as we are, you and your friends can get yourselves in some really rotten situations. It was kind of just rolling off my tongue.
“I write my parts then hand what I have to Genevieve and she goes to town. Aaron plays a big role as well as he kind of raises his hand and says stuff like -you’re not really going to say that are you? Or, hmm I really like that but why don’t you try saying this instead? It's always fun cutting vocal parts in the studio,” he says wryly.
In a short time, P.G.D.M.’s has found its name thrown around in the graces of rather reputable music magazines and metro newspapers. Their "Demons Dancing" video, which stars HBO darling of Flight of the Conchord’s comedienne, Kristen Schaal, was exclusively premiered at SPIN.com in July. The same video was voted the winner in the electronic category in the Famecast Fenom contest that won them an ad in Billboard Magazine and a trip to Austin for the next level of competition in December. Seattle Washington’s KEXP-FM alternative public radio, made P.G.D.M. their song of the day which prompted more than 20,000 MP3 downloads. Even highly respected music snob extra ordinaire, Jim DeRogatis of the Chicago Sun-Times, said the band’s E.P. was an “entrancing mix of organic and electronic sounds.” Not bad for a years work.
“We are pretty surprised,” says Giannopoulos. “We have worked really hard the past year and always try and stay one step a head of ourselves. One day we are trying to convince Sarah Silverman to be in our next video and the next day we are in the studio for 30 hours straight just working on hooks, beats, beats. Stuff like that keeps us busy and we are having a blast.”
And they’ve discovered, along with the thousands of other Indie bands on the rise, that mainstream doesn’t equate to corporate record labels anymore. That line has faded and more bands are finding success on their own terms, like P.G.D.M influences, LCD Soundsystem and The Postal Service.
“Well, it’s hard to even grasp what "mainstream" means anymore,” says Giannopolous. “Most of the bands I dig that I consider successful are not on the radio and don’t have music videos on TV, but more on Myspace, YouTube, and songs on ITunes. For us, teaming up with a record label that is down with our style and gets a kick out of your tunes is the way to go - a group that is in it for the ride, as well as the other stuff. Right now, we’re currently working with some pretty awesome folks so I think we will make some significant moves in the not to distant future.”
For now, the world of electro-pop, a term Giannopoulos jokes sounds more like an energy drink than a music genre, will just have to wait a bit longer for P.G.D.M.’s next accomplishment – a full length record to be recorded this winter. Giannopoulos hopes his current home base of Brooklyn, New York (Allietta and Schatz still reside in Chicago) will serve as a catalyst to the band’s latest musical adventure.
“I have always wanted to get into the mix out that way,” says Giannopoulos, who jumps between Chicago and Brooklyn, often. “I love it here but in order to grow musically you need to get out of your comfort zone. NYC is the perfect place to get your mind dirty.”
Hold on to your white Converse shoes.
Pretty Good Dance Moves - Demons Dancing
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