Before Guetta and Black Eyed Peas successfully married Urban music with Electro, Indie Rockers in the early 2000’s were mixing Garage and Punk with Dance music.  Groups out of New York such as The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem brought attention to the growing underground Dance scene that was the precursor to the massive EDM world takeover that we are in the middle of in 2012.  Sadly, LCD has disbanded and The Rapture are on-again-off-again, but luckily, one NY band has decided to carry the torch and take it even further.  The five member group FIGO is simultaneously a Rock band, production team and DJ crew.  Along with the release of their debut album, Put It All On Black, 2011 was a break out year that saw them touring everywhere, most notably on last summer ‘s traveling Identity Festival along side the likes of Steve Aoki and Avicii.

What seems like overnight success is actually the culmination of grinding for 6+ years.  In 2005 the band Formula One was left a few members short and wondering how to re-imagine their sound.  Inspiration came in the form of Scottish band Primal Scream’s 2000 record XTRMNTR.  FIGO’s Jake Bernstein recalls the impact, “For that moment, it set a new bar for raw aggressiveness with dark, claustrophobic beats and electronic soundscapes. We were already influenced by tracks like “Fool’s Gold” by The Stone Roses and Screamadelica era Primal Scream, Happy Mondays and Prodigy, etc., but the XTRMNTR record threw in heavy, heavy guitars and just brought it all together for us. It was Stooges meets Prodigy and we loved it.”  From that point they moved from the straight up Rock of Formula One to an Electro Dance/Rock hybrid that would be FIGO.  “Our track “Plaza” was the birth of the FIGO sound. It was originally a slow, sludgy, filthy rock ‘n’ roll song, then one day we accidently triggered a drum machine/sampler while we were jamming that song and it all clicked for us. We haven’t looked back since!”

Crossing genres can leave most bands lost in the shuffle when booking agents and radio programmers can’t figure out how to classify the sound.  FIGO have taken it in stride, owning whatever stage they are on whether opening for Foo Fighters or Kaskade.  Let’s face it, Dave Grhol wouldn’t stand a chance in front of all the candy ravers at The Electric Daisy Carnival.  “The crowds are different, to a degree, but at the end of the day, everybody just wants to lose themselves, go mental, get drunk and get laid. When we played Amsterjam Festival with Foo Fighters we were a full on rock band, that was 5 years ago. Now the genres have collided so much that you get similar people at both types of shows.”  This fact has been capitalized on thanks to the groups busy side work as Dance Producers and DJs, a combination that allows them to brand the band’s name from multiple angles.  Their Soundcloud is filled with remixes for artists including VHS Or Beta and Ladytron, channeling the Punk aesthetic they developed as a band into big room Electro floor Bangers and Indie Dance ideal for a Brooklyn house party.  Proof is in the music that they aren’t simply trying to cash in on the latest trend.  “We DJ a lot.  It keeps our name out there – and electronic music is in our blood just like punk. But being able to do tours like Identity Festival and supporting The Faint and Ladytron across the U.S. as DJs have done wonders for us as a band. And vice versa.”

Put It All On Black is a culmination of the varied sounds they encompass: aggressive Punk, synth driven Dance, and straight forward Rock.  Jake states the album title means to make a choice and stick with it, similar to their DIY mission to conquer the stage, studio and DJ booths from Manhattan to Ibiza.  A busy touring schedule lies ahead of them in 2012 plus more studio work.  “Shooting for a new record at the end of this year, before the Mayans say I told you so.” 

DOWNLOAD REMIXES AND DJ SETS ON THE BAND'S SOUNDCLOUD PAGE

http://soundcloud.com/figonyc

PURCHASE PUT IT ALL ON BLACK ON itunes