Basement Batman
New York City, New York, United States | SELF
Music
Press
I recently got a nice little surprise in my email inbox- a teeny 3 song album from Basement Batman. The name alone caught my attention so I, still half alseep, clicked my way over to Bandcamp.com, downloaded the songs and was promptly a happy, still sleepy girl. The music isn’t easily put into a category- but I love it. Every sentence I write trying to describe it makes me sound more and more like a tool. So fuck it- just take a listen! - 2 Dope Bitches
I recently got a nice little surprise in my email inbox- a teeny 3 song album from Basement Batman. The name alone caught my attention so I, still half alseep, clicked my way over to Bandcamp.com, downloaded the songs and was promptly a happy, still sleepy girl. The music isn’t easily put into a category- but I love it. Every sentence I write trying to describe it makes me sound more and more like a tool. So fuck it- just take a listen! - 2 Dope Bitches
This one, like most of the really great indie music I find, came from the geniuses over at P&P. Basement Batman is an indie pop band from Brooklyn and that is really all I know about them but I was hooked 10 seconds in to this song. I bet you will be too. - Third Ear Out
Based in Bushwick, here’s a band has us wondering whether it’s even possible to produce bad music in Brooklyn these days. Basement Batman are slowly releasing their album via four three-track “episodes” and each new song reveals another new side to this emerging band.
Episode 1 draws on influences ranging from the Beatles to Biggie, Afro-Pop to Aretha Franklin. “On A Streak” features accessible pop vocals over raw, dirty guitar, while “Last Bean” sounds like the result of a happy time-travel accident involving Paul Simon and a vocoder. Their first release ends with “Speakerheart,” a James Brown-meets-Kraftwerk track. Basement Batman are nearly impossible to classify—and we love them all the more for it. - The Owl Mag
Based in Bushwick, here’s a band has us wondering whether it’s even possible to produce bad music in Brooklyn these days. Basement Batman are slowly releasing their album via four three-track “episodes” and each new song reveals another new side to this emerging band.
Episode 1 draws on influences ranging from the Beatles to Biggie, Afro-Pop to Aretha Franklin. “On A Streak” features accessible pop vocals over raw, dirty guitar, while “Last Bean” sounds like the result of a happy time-travel accident involving Paul Simon and a vocoder. Their first release ends with “Speakerheart,” a James Brown-meets-Kraftwerk track. Basement Batman are nearly impossible to classify—and we love them all the more for it. - The Owl Mag
I’m almost certain that everyone’s got a soft spot for anything superhero-related, but Brooklyn natives Ben Martinez, David Muehlenkamp, and Will Whitney took their love for the Dark Knight to another level.
Collectively known as Basement Batman, the trio is about to drop their debut album, Season 1, and in anticipation of its release, they’ve unleashed the final “episode” (get it? Season 1? Episode? Ha.) that accompanies their single, “Chemistry.” Directed by Jay Sprogell, the band’s cool yet controlled sound is captured in the plot-heavy visuals. Give the video a peep below. - Pigeons and Planes
Bushwick residents Basement Batman have seen their star rapidly rising over the past few months. From appearances with Theophilus London at this year's SXSW to a new video for their first single "Chemistry" which premiered on Pigeons & Planes and was featured everywhere from Spinner (as a video of the day selection) to Baeble Music, it's clear that this is a band on a streak. The video, which has been cleared for reposting, can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8SiW0G2TYM.
"We shot it all during this past winter in Bushwick, so there were some very cold early mornings where our patience was tried. But the director Jay Sprogell is a good friend of ours and a riot so it was a fun process," says bassist David Muehlenkamp.
Members Ben Martinez (vocals, guitar, bass, synth), David Muehlenkamp (production, bass, synth, guitar) and Will Whitney (production, drums, synth) grew up together and have been best friends since they were 8 years old. They started making music together in 2005, and after several different incarnations and band members, the trio of long-time friends decided to relocate from their hometown of Washington, DC (you may recognize them from the band they played in on MTV's 2009 season of Real World DC) to Brooklyn, NY and start Basement Batman together.
"We feel really good about this crew. Being such close friends might bring some added bickering, but there's a bond there that we know will never be broken so we're able to deal with things pretty well," says Will. He continues, "Our musical backgrounds are very, very different and the unique influences and experiences contribute greatly to our current sound and recording method. We all do literally a bit of everything. Now more than ever, since we live together we all feed off each other, learn from each other and we're constantly developing our sound."
The band is currently preparing to release their debut album, Season 1, as a full-length. Previously released as four separate "episodes" which featured three songs each, the re-packaged full-length comes complete with extra tracks recorded at Converse's Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn. It will be available digitally via their bandcamp, iTunes and Amazon on July 31st, 2012. "It's funny because we call it Season 1 and have episodes but we don't even own a TV," explains Ben.
The band will celebrate the release of Season 1 with an album release show at the Marlin Room at Webster Hall on Thursday, August 2, 2012. - Fearless Radio
Bushwick residents Basement Batman have seen their star rapidly rising over the past few months. From appearances with Theophilus London at this year's SXSW to a new video for their first single "Chemistry" which premiered on Pigeons & Planes and was featured everywhere from Spinner (as a video of the day selection) to Baeble Music, it's clear that this is a band on a streak. The video, which has been cleared for reposting, can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8SiW0G2TYM.
"We shot it all during this past winter in Bushwick, so there were some very cold early mornings where our patience was tried. But the director Jay Sprogell is a good friend of ours and a riot so it was a fun process," says bassist David Muehlenkamp.
Members Ben Martinez (vocals, guitar, bass, synth), David Muehlenkamp (production, bass, synth, guitar) and Will Whitney (production, drums, synth) grew up together and have been best friends since they were 8 years old. They started making music together in 2005, and after several different incarnations and band members, the trio of long-time friends decided to relocate from their hometown of Washington, DC (you may recognize them from the band they played in on MTV's 2009 season of Real World DC) to Brooklyn, NY and start Basement Batman together.
"We feel really good about this crew. Being such close friends might bring some added bickering, but there's a bond there that we know will never be broken so we're able to deal with things pretty well," says Will. He continues, "Our musical backgrounds are very, very different and the unique influences and experiences contribute greatly to our current sound and recording method. We all do literally a bit of everything. Now more than ever, since we live together we all feed off each other, learn from each other and we're constantly developing our sound."
The band is currently preparing to release their debut album, Season 1, as a full-length. Previously released as four separate "episodes" which featured three songs each, the re-packaged full-length comes complete with extra tracks recorded at Converse's Rubber Tracks studio in Brooklyn. It will be available digitally via their bandcamp, iTunes and Amazon on July 31st, 2012. "It's funny because we call it Season 1 and have episodes but we don't even own a TV," explains Ben.
The band will celebrate the release of Season 1 with an album release show at the Marlin Room at Webster Hall on Thursday, August 2, 2012. - Fearless Radio
Discography
On A Streak (Single)
Chemistry (Single)
Season 1 (Debut Album)
Photos
Bio
We were all friends as young boys. Getting into trouble, trying to be Air Jordan on the court and the Fresh Prince in class. They would listen to Pac and Biggie and I would listen to The Beatles and my dad’s disco tapes. It’s pretty much the same now. We all live together and made these songs in our apartment in Bushwick out of a crappy bass amp, an effects pedal and a Johnson electric guitar. I learned that I was able to show people how I felt through shakin’, chuckin’ and singing, and they learned how to make it bump and rock. We’re not exactly sure what were doing, but we really mean it. Basement Batman was the first name we ever came up with and we like it.
-Ben
Links
