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Cut Copy may be the best of the bunch, but a whole slew of knob-twiddling Melburnian electro-rock acts are hot on their heels and worth checking out. Here’s a few bringing the dance floor thunder from down under:
Midnight Juggernauts
Widely know as the BFFs of French dance music monarchs Justice, this electro-synth rock trio of Vincenzi Vendetta, Andrew Juggernaut and Daniel Stricker are currently riding high on the just-dropped Dystopia, an 80s-inspired concoction that sounds something like the Robocop soundtrack scored by Can.
www.myspace.com/midnightjuggernauts
The Presets
These labelmates of Cut Copy are actually Syndey-based, but let’s not nitpick. Julian Hamilton and Kim Moyes first turned heads with their hard-thumping debut Beams, and now they’re back with the equally heavy Apacalypso, which, it should be noted, has the involvement of fellow countryman Mel Gibson.
Muscles
Not as juiced up as his name and debut album title, Guns Babes Lemonade, might suggest. Muscles (also on Modular) is an electro-pop crooner with a distinctive Antipodean element to his vocals. Because of his lyrical storytelling approach, he’s been called the Aussie Mike Skinner.
Miami Horror
The only connection Miami Horror has with the schlocky sci-fi cop movie it’s named after is that one is Italian and the other loves Italian disco. MH is definitely the weirdest of the lot, but possibly the most cutting-edge, as his cinematic remixes have shown. An album/EP is reportedly in the works.