Kat Says: “I Time Traveled Back To 2007 And Brought You Some Daft Footage”
The latest Daft concert video from London inspired me to finally upload my videos from Lollapalooza!
Are you enjoying Kat Scrawls? Do you think your friends would enjoy it? Please consider joining the paid subscription tier to support my work, or sharing this newsletter with a friend who likes good tunes and silly essays. As always, please feel free to respond to this email and share your thoughts with me—or “like” it, leave a comment, and Tweet it or something. Just spread the love and holler back, I’m always here for you ;)
Hey Friends!
It’s been a long time. I shouldn’t have left you without a dope beat to step to—but the video below should more than makeup for it because this is, without a doubt, the best footage of Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 live show that I’ve yet seen on the internet!
Recorded during the duo’s July 16th concert at Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London, this hour-and-a-half presentation offers what that recently-released Lollapalooza footage did not; i.e., satisfying straight-on shots of the stage.
It’s cool that someone leaked that Lolla footage, as that’s the second Daft Punk show I was actually at, and I love the chance to relive my own favorite memory. Unfortunately for me, watching it felt like one giant edge-fest because it was mostly awkward partial shots of the stage and a lot of people’s faces.
I think it was the video being shown on the side-stage screens, which is better than nothing, but it wasn’t at all what I remember in my mind. That’s the catch: I have actual memories of this show, and in some weird way, I’m wary of watching too much other footage because I don’t want to accidentally rewrite my own memories. I don’t want to remember some clip on the Internet. I want to remember what happened.
Trust me, this video from London is a lot better.
My buddy Zach has been visiting from NYC for the last couple of weeks, and we capped a relatively quiet Saturday evening by throwing this on my TV and going totally ape. It was all I could do not to throw my couch pillows around the living room.
Further Reading: Kat Says: “The Prime Time of Your Life, Now, Live It—Again”
I know it makes me a baby, but I cry every time I listen to Alive 2007. I frequently refer to this as my “post-traumatic joy disorder.” My life changed forever 17 years ago, and now I just have to go on living my life, watching the best high I’ll ever ride recede in the distance of time.
But what if I could bring myself back to that place? And what if I could bring you with me?
Alright, I can’t actually time travel (and there is a lot of science that posits one would only actually be able to time travel into the future, in which case one could only render oneself a bit oblivious and confused and annoyed, so maybe time travel is just kind of out)—but I can dig into the recesses of my archives and share something no one has seen since some hallway at a house party in Tallahassee circa 2007!
Ladies and gentlemen, freaks and geeks, humans and robots; I present to you:
MY OWN DAFT PUNK FOOTAGE.
Shot on Friday, Aug. 3, in Grant Park, Chicago, the above 10 minutes and 23 seconds is every megabyte of recording I gathered during my second Daft Punk concert experience. I already knew what I was in for because I’d seen them in November 2006 at Bang! Festival in Miami, and my life had already been changed. I made a pilgrimage to Lolla with my then-boyfriend (“Moonage Daydream”) to catch the show again, because I refused to miss any chance to relive that energy.
My footage looks pretty damn good for a mid-2000s potato (the Gen Z kids love that aesthetic, right?). Pour one out for my 2000-whatever Canon powershot. I took that thing with me everywhere, because even though I’d yet to consider myself a true music journalist, I already felt this uncontrollable urge to document every concert I went to. I just knew history would want to see this shit, and in this case, I’m totally right!
Less than a year after this concert, I was robbed of my Canon powershot in a late-night mugging, walking home in some less-than-savory street of Tallahassee after getting shit-house drunk at a house party where my friend Manley (hi Manley!) was DJing. I was like, literally angry crying on the sidewalk before it happened, so I was an easy target. The Canon had videos of Radiohead’s In Rainbows tour on it that I’ll never recover, but at least I’d already saved this.
I’m not ashamed to admit, watching these videos over again brought tears to my eyes (see: PTJD). Not only is this footage exactly the sort of satisfying, straight-on shot I’ve yearned for, it is actually *my memory*. This is it! This is what I lived! I can watch it over and over again, and it will only bring me closer to that magical moment when it felt like every person around me was acting out the “One More Time” video, dancing and jumping and screaming while watching the best band on Earth.
My only regret is that I didn’t film more, because I wish I could sit and relive the whole thing again—but as my buddy Zach said, “‘Oh, I wish I spent more time staring at my phone when I was at the best concert ever,’ shut the fuuuuck up.”
***Post Script***
You want a bonus video? I also uploaded my videos from the first Justice concert I ever saw. This was shot on that same camera eight months after Lolla, on March 6, 2008. Justice was headlining the MySpace bus tour. DJ Mehdi was there, too, but I only took an awkward photo of him and don’t have any video, which is too bad because his set was amazing.
The camera is a little shaky because the crowd became one giant moshpit as soon as they hit the stage. Our friend Max had to leave and sit in the car because he was super uncomfy. It was a choice, but respect to setting boundaries, I guess.
GOD DAMN IT, DUDES. 2007 WAS THE BEST YEAR EVER.
Alright, I’m done. That’s your newsletter this week. You’re welcome.
Alsooo
If you’re interested in more Daft Punk content, you should give a follow to my buddy Gabriel Szatan’s substack. He’s working on a book right now called After Daft, and he’s chronicling his progress and sharing outtakes and interviews in his newsletter. It’s neat! The book is also available for preorder.
While we’re on the subject of French Touch and my friend Zach, you should read his interview with Alan Braxe published to Resident Advisor back in April. It opens with Braxe talking up the Ed Banger XX party in London as “one of the best parties [he’d] been to in [his] life,” and you can read about my trip to that party, too ;)
Absolutely Necessary
(This is the part where I share songs that are so good, they’re absolutely necessary to listen to. That’s it. That’s the bar.)
I made two Spotify playlists for this section that you can follow: one weekly playlist updated with just the new stuff every week, and one cumulative playlist that will host every song I pick ever (until Spotify tells me it's full). Check them out! I made them for you—and me, but mostly you.
The playlists are updated, but since today’s newsletter wasn’t the length of The Bible, I’ll highlight five of this week’s tracks below :)
Skrillex & Boys Noize - “Fine Day Anthem”
Since this newsletter is all about my old rave days, why not highlight a track that represents that time? "It's A Fine Day" is a tune from Opus III, and while it was originally released in 1992, it was definitely still in heavy rotation when I was going to raves in 2005—or at least some version of it. This vocal is forever etched in my brain. Fun fact: It’s actually itself a rework of a recorded poem by Mancunian poet Edward Barton circa 1983. This version from Skrillex and Boys Noize is a certified banger. You might recognize it from the Skrill-Fred-Four Tet Coachella set.
Skream - “Waiheke Island” Feat. Prospa
Humble brag alert: Skream sent me the new Skreamizm album, and my buddy Zach and I let it ride while we drove through rural south Florida. It’s a vibe, and this tune stuck out to me in particular. I didn’t know then it was slated as the next single, but I can hear why! It’s a bright and sunny lil slice of electro-pop that sees Skream get with fellow English duo Prospa.
From the official press release: “The first time I met the Prospa guys we bonded instantly, it was on tour in New Zealand - I love them and they’re like my little brothers to me.” Skream explains. “We made ‘Waiheke Island’ over there as we had some down time between gigs. As we hit it off so well, the track came together rapidly. I think with the fun energy and personality of the track, we made a belter that's perfect for good times with your best pals.”
I don’t know the release date for the new Skreamism yet, but I’ll let you know when I do!
LP Giobbi - “Giodisco”
S/O my girl LP Giobbi. She is on one helluva roll right now. If you haven’t listened to her debut LP Light Places, catch the fuck up. It’s a really groovy play through that showcases her talents as a songwriter and instrumentalist, but “Giodisco” takes her back to the dance floor. It’s actually got a lot of French Touch vibes. The bassline fucks, for sure. And, it marks her debut on Defected Records, so good for her.
San Holo - “Tiny Flowers”
What does EDM stand for? WRONG! It’s not electronic dance music. It’s Existential Dance Music, which is the name of San Holo’s forthcoming third album, continuing his journey to mine his inner thoughts in pursuit of music that builds connection.
“Music has always been a way for me to express feelings that I can’t describe with just words,” he says in the official press release. “Words alone rarely capture something’s pure essence and music seems to get a lot closer to capturing those feelings. Life is so existential by nature; We’re all looking for meaning in this world, and I’m fascinated by our personal journey of finding purpose. At the end of the day, we all wanna see the light and feel connected to our true selves and the world around us; We want to feel at peace. Existential Dance Music is all about this journey through life. Our journey to light. The lows, the highs, the hellos, the goodbyes…”
I have also heard this album, and “Tiny Flowers” was a real standout for me. Who doesn’t love a bit of melodic sad boy drum’n’bass?
Pino D'Angiò - “Ma Quale Idea” (Myd Remix)
And finally, to cap this whole French Touch theme, some French Touch! What defines French Touch? It’s a style of (obvi French) electronic music that digs up incredible samples and then just repeats those motherfuckers until you reach dance floor nirvana. This one is basically a rip of a 1981 Italian classic that Myd hit with a bunch of hard-hitting drums and groove sauce. The effect is fantastic. Love a song that slows down in the middle and then slaps you in the face with funk.
Okay! That’s it. I should hopefully be back later this week or next with the second installment of Kat Drawls: A Kat Scrawls Podcast. If you’re not subscribed to the paid tier, consider joining and supporting me financially. The podcast is exclusive to paying customers, but there’s clearly lots of fun free stuff for you if you don’t feel ready to make that commitment. I get it. Commitment is crazy! But jic.
THANK YOU. LOVE YOU. GOOD NIGHT.
Thanks for tuning into my newsletter. Listen to the playlists on Spotify. One is updated weekly with all the songs from each edition. The other is cumulative with all the updates ever!