Acolyte

In a world of indie bands dipping a cautious toe into dance music's occasionally baffling computer world, Delphic are post-dance futurist nostalgics from Manchester who have managed to take repetitive beats and crisp electronics out of the underground to emerge as one of the UK's most exciting new bands. Their debut record, Acolyte, now sees its long awaited US release on Dangerbird Records. Delphic is comprised of Richard Boardman, Matthew Cocksedge and James Cook who have been together for only a year. They make their music on laptops before figuring out how to play it live, throwing guitars, bass and drums over the electronics to result in their unique sound, then take to the stage and stitch their songs together into one continuous euphoric DJ set-like onslaught. Produced with the Berlin-based Techno émigré Ewan Pearson, Acolyte was recorded mostly in Pearson's Berlin studio, the city's flourishing techno scene bleeding into the crisp grooves but never to the detriment of the band's emotive songwriting. Whether on the explosively percussive 'Clarion Call,' the lost longing of 'Submission,' the sheer contagiousness of 'Halcyon' or the epic scope of the title track, Delphic consistently demonstrate that their ability to write massive songs is equal to their ability to build bangin' beats. 'With a lot of dance albums, you search out the singles but the rest is all a bit samey and boring,' says Matt. 'We wrote the album as a whole and weren't afraid to lower the tempos and concentrate on the songs.'