When asked about their influences, electronic artists used to trot out the same few names: Kraftwerk, Can, and the occasional Detroit house pioneer.
This narrow range of influencers were cited until relatively recently: electronic music was so new for, perversely, so long, that the original shapers of the genre had a lingering effect on those who followed.
But now virtually all music is electronic, and artists can name influences willy-nilly; the more obscure the better, yeah?
So it feels kind of pointless to even try and figure out who or what has made Deklun the band they are today, even though – pleasingly – their slightly primitive and direct sound seems to hark back a little further than their contemporaries.
The Hero makes no pretences of coolness, and no nods to now. In an environment where most artists seem to take yesterday’s hit remix as a starting point, it’s refreshing to hear music that has the nous to look a little further back.
Sure, it’s a simple song, but that’s how electronic music was. Here’s a long, lingering glance to dance music’s past – no nostalgia trip, just an appreciation of what can be done with the basics.
MORE: www.deklun.com