Ratatat
Mike Stroud and Evan Mast (2008)
Background information
Origin	New York City
Genre(s)	House, Electronic, Alternative, Post-rock
Instrument(s)	Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer
Years active	2001 - present
Label(s)	XL Recordings, Rex Records
Website	Official website
Members
Evan Mast, Mike Stroud

Ratatat is a New York City electronic music duo consisting of guitarist Mike Stroud and synthesizer driver and producer Evan Mast.

History

Mike Stroud and Evan Mast first met as Skidmore College students, but they did not work together until they recorded several songs under the name Cherry in 2001. Their 2004 debut, Ratatat, was written and recorded in Mast's Crown Heights, Brooklyn apartment on Stroud's PowerBook.^[1] This album is entirely instrumental, except for occasional excerpts of dialog at the beginning and end of some tracks. The group started out releasing their debut single Seventeen Years on Evan and his brother's record Audio Dregs label in the US and Rex Records in the UK. They released that single again on Evan and his brother E*Rock's record label Audio Dregs. They then signed for XL Recordings, releasing their debut album and the single Germany to Germany. Ratatat occasionally remixes others for collected release on Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1 (which garnered the attention of Rolling Stone), as well as the later second volume, both of which were self-released in co-operation with Audio Dregs.

Ratatat performing in 2004

Both musicians have had experience with other projects, such as Mast's E*vax and King Pang and Stroud's stage work with B4-4, Joe Satriani and Manowar. Stroud has also recorded with Ben Kweller on On My Way. Ratatat has toured with bands such as Björk, Daft Punk, Mouse on Mars, Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, CSS, The Faint, Super Furry Animals, Clinic, Panther and The Killers. In 2006 they supported Mogwai in Japan.

On October 6th, 2006 Ratatat became the first band ever to perform a show inside the Guggenheim museum in New York City.

On October 10, 2006 a new demo album from Ratatat entitled 9 Beats was leaked online. This set of tracks does not appear on any official discography listings. The tracks consist of short instrumental electronic musical pieces and demos for their next mixtape.^[2] This release was followed by another remix album, Ratatat Remixes Vol 2..

It has been rumored that they will be signed by Star Trak as the understudies of the Neptunes.

Mast has most recently collaborated with former Shudder to Think vocalist Craig Wedren on a record for a Tokyo independent label, Mold Recordings and said to be finishing a follow up solo album for Audio Dregs.

The official site has been updated showing that a new single, Shiller, is now available for purchase (only on 7"). The duo's most recent album, LP3, was released on July 8, 2008. ^[3]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Remixes

In popular culture

Lists of miscellaneous information should be avoided. Please relocate any relevant information into appropriate sections or articles. (September 2008)

• In 2005, the song "Seventeen Years" was used in Keith Hufnagel's part DVS footwear's skateboard video "Skate More".
• "Beat #6" (From 9 Beats) was used in CSI Season 8 episode 14 (Drops Out) aired 24th April 2008.
• The song "Seventeen Years" was used in the J. J. Abrams movie Cloverfield (2008). It has been in a Hummer television commercial, on British television show Soccer AM's "Crossbar Challenge" segment and in a ski movie called Shanghai Six.
• The song "Lex" has been featured in a Zune commercial.
• In February 2007, Cartoon Network aired a commercial for My Gym Partner Is a Monkey in which "Wildcat" played in the background. An episode of the same show contained over two minutes of the song, edited slightly with a few parts cut out.
• In 2007, "Loud Pipes" was used in the soundtrack of 989 SportsMLB 07 - The Show.
• "Lex" was used in Standard Films 2007 production "Catch the Vapors" for a segment featuring snowboarder Kazuhiro Kokubo.
• The song "Wildcat" was featured in Mack Dawg Production's 2007 snowboard video Picture This.
• The film Knocked Up (2007) played "Tropicana" during the various gestation time lapse scenes within the story.
• The website GOOD Magazine used the song "Gettysburg" in an animated video about nuclear weapon proliferation.^[4]
• Numerous Ratatat works have been featured in excerpts on public radio. Most regularly El Pico on This American Life
• "Wildcat" was played in background to the Printemps-Ete 2007 catwalk of Chanel.
• "Gettysburg" was used in a Nylon.com short video profiling the Marc by Marc Jacobs show during New York Fashion Week on February 5, 2008.
• The song "Lex" was also used during the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2008 fashion show. The Louis Vuitton set was mixed by Daft Punk which "Lex" was mixed with Daft Punk's "Technologic".
• The song "Wildcat" was played in the background of a 2008 Rhapsody comercial.
• The song "Gettysburg" was featured in Natime Films 2008 snowboard video Workplay.
• The song "Swisha" was used as interlude music on NPR's All Things Considered, September 10, 2008
• The song "Three" From the album 9 beats was used in the show Entourage in season 5.
• The song "Desert Eagle" was used in Season 2 - Episode 2 of the NBC show Chuck.
• The song "Wildcat" was used in the Loaded Carving Systems video for Orangatang 4President wheels.
• The song "Lex" was used in Britain to advertise the Channel 4 program Renaissance

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Ratatat

• Official site
• Radio Interview. November 2006 - 3SYN 90.7FM Melbourne, Australia
• Fader Magazine interview
• Rehearsal Space: Ratatat
• Official Ratatat Myspace page
• Ratatat at All Music Guide
• Audio interview with Ratatat on public radio program The Sound of Young America
• Ratatat Interview with Audiojunkies
• Ratatat Interview