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Bio

When vocalist Tahita Bulmer and guitarist Andy Spence started making some dance-o-tronic indie tracks in 2005, it would have been difficult to predict how quickly they would storm the musical barriers. With their effervescent single "Ice Cream," however -- bouncing along atop something much more modern and interesting than your run-of-the-mill 80s-obsessed nu-wavers or siren-blasting new ravers -- the London combo created a soundtrack of the year, and a song that continued to animate parties for years to come. Again defying the odds, the band -- now a five-piece -- put out a great album on Modular last fall, showing the smart, fun singles were by no means a fluke. Fantastic Playroom is a must-have record, and New Young Pony Club is a party to go.

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Interview with Andy Spence

Were there bands or artists who made a huge difference in how you thought about music?
Prince totally changed my view of music because he seemed to have no rules but his own in making great pop music. We have a similar outlook on things. Punk is pretty important, too, because it proved that anyone could do this -- not just the people with rich parents who learnt their scales.

What's the best show you guys saw this year?
Daft Punk. And LCD Soundsystem always rock it.

Do you have a pre-show ritual for your own shows?
We like to sacrifice a small animal as an offering to the gods of dance. Or just drink lots of vodka. Tahita is usually comatose before a gig and we have to lift her on to stage to get her going. She's got a drink tech to make sure she doesn't sober up in the gig.

At what point during working on a song do you know it's good?
Every song seems good when we're making it, or we try to make it good before we finish it. But it's only in hindsight you can see something's extra special. Sometimes the song just comes together as one vocal and music on same day. Sometimes it's something I've pieced together from various bits of music and leftover vocals. We don't have one standard way of writing. In fact we actively try to change our approach as much as possible.

What provides the charge for you that bands used to get from, say, hearing themselves on their favorite radio station?
Personally I get as much a kick out of getting a great fan message as I do from a great review or hearing a song on the radio. The live gigs are always the best, though. When 10,000 people you've never met turn up and all sing along to your songs it can't be beaten.

What's the best record for setting the mood in the bedroom?
Dreams by The Whitest Boy Alive.