COSMOPOLiTAN

Cosmopolitan: the next punk robot dance match. What’s going on these days with that rare ol’ ballsy electronic music? We can go all the way back to the days of Wax Traxx records to track down the roots of brutal techno; emphasize industrial landmarks as Ministry’s “Mind is a terrible thing to taste”, or such influential titans as Pigface, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM or pioneers Foetus. Aggressive club electronics have set already a long trail, but since the industrial music scene dismiss, very few...

Cosmopolitan: the next punk robot dance match. What’s going on these days with that rare ol’ ballsy electronic music? We can go all the way back to the days of Wax Traxx records to track down the roots of brutal techno; emphasize industrial landmarks as Ministry’s “Mind is a terrible thing to taste”, or such influential titans as Pigface, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM or pioneers Foetus. Aggressive club electronics have set already a long trail, but since the industrial music scene dismiss, very few like Nine Inch Nails had continued the tradition (maybe not even NIN if you pay attention to their latest efforts’ lack of power). Electro has taken industrial music’s place, so being introduced to a band that would make Revolting Cocks proud and The Faint blush these days, is as surprising as to find out that they’re sprung from a place not known for their hard-techno purveyors rather than it’s listeners. That’s Mexico City’s Cosmopolitan. A dance punk trio able to both make the long-haired rocker head-bang ‘till the vertebrae pops and the mirror ball spinner burn several pairs of dancehall soles. The boys are bold enough to cite such influences as Kraftwerk, Air, Daft Punk, Fugazi, Atari Teenage Riot, New Order, Prodigy, Depeche.Mode, Devo, Primal Scream, Pulp, The Chemical Brothers, Le Tigre, The Bloodbrothers, among others, but it’s fair to point out that Cosmopolitan have a commercial or generally accessible sound: they are unremittingly intense, abrasive, pounding, and repetitive, and not always guitar-oriented (samples, synthesizers, and tape effects are a primary focus just as often as guitars and distorted vocals in their composition goals). With just a couple songs under their arm, handed out to folks here and there, the band is gaining more and more attention, just in time for their upcoming release of a rare-in-itself collection of songs (on indie label SourPop Records), that will gather 5 band’s originals and 5 club mixes performed by DJ’s from Canada, France, Germany and Mexico.