Dim Mak’s Top 3 Non-EDM Releases
It’s currently regarded as one of the most important labels in dance music, but Dim Mak Records’ origins lie far outside the electro crashes and bass bombs on which many artists of its current roster have a firm grip. Here are few of the label’s most notable non-EDM releases since its inception, all of which Steve Aoki had a firm hand in making happen.
- The Kills – “Black Rooster” EP (2002): It’s hard to believe that the much of the label’s early notoriety stemmed from the success of The Kills’ lo-fi indie-rock offerings. While a few of the tracks later ended up on the U.K. band’s debut LP, their original splash helped put Dim Mak Records on the map.
- Bloc Party – Silent Alarm (2005): It was nigh-impossible to go anywhere in 2005 without hearing “Banquet,” which makes Aoki’s involvement with the album (and the band’s preceding EP) even more interesting. For this release, the label teamed up with Atlantic Records.
- Little Boots – Working Girl (2015): Little Boots’ twinkling synth-pop style is the furthest you can get from Botnek’s slimy electro synths or Angger Dimas’ pounding bass, but her latest effort has found itself a fitting home on the Hollywood-based label. There’s no shortage of dance undercurrents, but the laidback, Lumidee-meets-LCD Soundsystem jam “Better in the Morning” is just about the purest form of pop one could create.
– C.C.
