Popular Damage

Artist Information

Biography

Popular Damage is a collaborative project between Manchester born Nadine Raihani and Berlin born and raised Stephan Hengst which formed in 2007 in Berlin. The two had crossed paths in Berlin's indie and post-rock scene playing in different acts and initially started Popular Damage as a side project for making electronic pop music, preferably danceable.

In summer 2008, they released the EP Top Hits of the USA, written and produced by Nadine. The track Everybody Got Young got the attention of blogs and indie radio playlists. End of 2008, they put out two unfaithful cover versions of tracks by Tegan and Sara and Digitalism on their Myspace page. These covers (Popular Damage Assimilations) circulated around Berlin, even receiving airplay without being released. In December 2008, the track Taken Away was hand-picked by Digitalism ("..so geil anders und einzgartig!") as one of the winning remixes for their featured Myspace Competition, which drew in over a 1000 entries.

Beginning of 2009, they were very warmly received at SXSW in the USA and described as "A poppier version of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs crossed with Daftpunk!".

In December 2009, they released their latest EP The Royal Fly with remixes by the likes of Fukkk Offf, Double Dragon and Beatshaker & Blender which brought them two European tours with Zoot Woman and Why? and remix enquiries by The XX, Zoot Woman, Miss Platnum and Nena.

The songs you can listen to exclusively here at Sonicbids are an excerpt of Popular Damage's first full legth album that is going to be released in early 2012.

Instrumentation

Nadine
Stephan
Johann

Stuff:
Samplers
Computers
Synths
Vox
Drums
Bass
Guitars

Discography

Dec 2009 - EP "The Royal Fly", Label: AWAL

Jul 2008 - EP "Top Hits of the USA", Label: Electroreptil

Jan 2008 - EP "v.2.1", self distributed

Dez 2007 - EP "v.2.0", self distributed

Aug 2007 - EP "Live against Logic", self distributed


Different radio airplays, e.g. Exclusive on XFM, MotorFM, Radio Fritz, BR Zuendfunk, Everybody Got Young from Top Hits of the USA on MotorFM, Radio Fritz and bigFM, Where The Action Is from v.2.1 on YouFM, Germany; Easy Money from Live against Logic on Radio Fritz, Germany; different college radio airplays.

Remixes for The XX, Nena, Zoot Woman, Digitalism, Miss Platnum, Tegan and Sara.

Links

• MySpace
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Last.fm

Audio

• JFM
  Listen  
• Track-12
  Listen  
• How I Used To Father Them (Demo).mp3
  Listen  
• Exodus
  Listen  
• The Pain
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• Popular Damage - The Royal Fly [+ Show ]
  

  This Anglo-German duo might well have similarities to La Roux, in that they make female vocal-led el...This Anglo-German duo might well have similarities to La Roux, in that they make female vocal-led electro pop, but don't for a minute think this is going to score any lame Brit Award nominations. Both the original, and remixes by the likes of Fukkk Offf, have a much deeper purpose than an epic Student Union fave. With remixes of Digitalism, The XX and Zoot Woman to their name, Popular Damage are likely to score well with all La Roux fans who are sick of hearing her whining.

• Popular Damage - The Royal Fly EP [+ Show ]
  

  In the spirit of now, this EP from the Mancunian newcomers combines electro, pop and rock to produce...In the spirit of now, this EP from the Mancunian newcomers combines electro, pop and rock to produce eight indie-disco friendly cuts that come over like Ellie Goulding singing over some DFA demos. Ace electro-honk act Fukkk Offf provide a suitably sleazy remix.

• New Popular Damage out [+ Show ]
  

  Don’t they have a half-year jubilee?! Yalla yalla! Our Berlin online-pickups Popular Damage shoot ov...Don’t they have a half-year jubilee?! Yalla yalla! Our Berlin online-pickups Popular Damage shoot over 2 new tracks, that make our head bleep bleepy beeps. Lingering in familiar habitat with likeable “I know my stereo” they ease our pulse and fear, proving not being no one-hit-no-hear-never-again-wonder. We just don’t know how they do, but the loops, drums and vocals make our feet dither to midnight.
  
  After that, with a deep breath, they come around the corner with a novel genre for knowing them. “Let me in the flat Pat” is a delight mixture of their rocking electrobusiness smashed out with petite parts, reminding me of better shake my sassy ass. Oh, it seemed the first track repaired my headphones, magical. I missed my lunch, but Popular Damage was that friendly inboxing us a higher-quality version of both tracks. Four to the floor!

• Popular Damage - Top Hits Of The USA [+ Show ]
  

  Am liebsten würde ich mich hinsetzen und alles noch mal ganz langsam von vorne erklärt bekommen. Par...Am liebsten würde ich mich hinsetzen und alles noch mal ganz langsam von vorne erklärt bekommen. Pardon, aber einem alternden Herrn wie mir wird vor lauter Tempo und Farbe und Ungestüm schnell mal schwindelig im MySpace-Musikparadies.
  
  Wie war der Name noch mal, Public Image Ltd.? Ach so, nein, Popular Damage - ganz ohne Limits. Klingt auch gut. Und hat, wie man hört, bereits die vierte EP in nur einem Jahr am Start. Höchste Zeit für eine kleine Notiz auch im Steinzeitmedium Musikzeitschrift. Die Release-Rhythmen sollen ruhig immer wahnwitziger werden, solange nicht auch der Hype-und-schon-wieder-vergessen-Rhythmus genauso Gummi gibt. Bei Popular Damage braucht man sich da keine Sorgen machen, denn trotz Veröffentlichungswut geht das umtriebige Berliner Trio an seine Musik nicht ran wie eine Horde Burn-out-Junkies. Das ist toller Jetzt-Pop mit ausgeklügelten Arrangements, die sich trotzdem fluffig ins Ohr schmiegen und da erst mal hängen bleiben.
  
  Rätselhaft ist nur, warum sich der Titel "Top Hits Of The USA" so überseefixiert gibt, trifft es doch der kleine Sprung über den Ärmelkanal viel besser. Sängerin Nadine Raihani stellt ihren leicht affektiert britischen Akzent ins Spotlight, so schön wie zu besten Stone-Roses-Zeiten. Dazu malen New-Order-Synthies den Hintergrund rosig mit Melancholie aus. Trotzdem ist alles immer tanzbar wie EMF. Damit nähern Popular Damage bunten Electro-Punk endlich wieder der großen Popklassik. Ihr wisst schon, die vom Ende der 80er, als ich mich noch Jungspund schimpfen durfte.

• Popular Damage - The Royal Fly EP [+ Show ]
  

  Bei einem Remixbundle von Fukkk Offf und Beatshaker & Blender sollte unmissverständlich klar sein, i...Bei einem Remixbundle von Fukkk Offf und Beatshaker & Blender sollte unmissverständlich klar sein, in welche Richtung Popular Damage sich orientieren möchten. Was aber nicht zu den Eigenproduktionen passen mag, die zwischen Happy-Laune-Gefiepse und Zartgebratztem hin und her pendelt. Stärken werden dort deutlich, wo einmal nicht auf Breitbandelektronik gesetzt wird, aber diese Phasen haben Seltenheitswert. Der Eindruck bleibt, dass hier ein deutsches Äquivalent zu Crystal Castles, You Love Her Coz She’s Dead und Konsorten angepeilt wird, jedoch schon allein durch eine Mikrofonierung nicht gelingen will, die viel zu distanziert und zerbrechlich hallig dahinschwindet.

Setlist

Basic Requirements

Calendar