New York-based duo Holy Ghost! — Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser — developed a sound that meshes synth pop, disco and a range of electronic music genres and sub-genres that made them an international dance floor and festival staple. Along with their own original material, which they released through DFA and West End, the duo have been in-demand remixers, remixing the work of acts like LCD Soundsystem, Phoenix and Cut Copy. Interestingly, Holy Ghost!’s Frankel has also done remixes for the likes of U.S. Girls, Naeem, Neon Indian and Moby.
Frankel steps out into the limelight as a solo artist again with his latest single “Still Got It” which was released through CASUAL, a new label founded by Jen Pearce, CEO of music licensing and consulting company Low Profile and Justin Spindler, CEO of Out of Office Management. (Ed Banger also is distributing the track.)As for the single, “Still Got It” is a euphoric, 80s-inspired banger centered around shimmering synth arpeggios, handclaps, soulful backing vocals from the New York-based gospel group East Coast Inspirational Singers paired with Frankel’s plaintive vocals. Interestingly, the song finds Frankel and company finding joy in resilience, celebrating that personal spark each of us has that fortifies a sense of optimism even in hardship — all while suggesting that the listener should enjoy this moment because nothing else is guaranteed. And soon we’ll be able to dance to this banger — in a club with other adults.
“I played the demo for Thibaut( Breakbot) one night at Bernie’s Restaurant while we were outside on a smoke break (back when, you know… people still ate dinner out) and on the spot he demanded we go try it on the audience at his gig that night,” Frankel says of the song’s origins. “The response was great and after that, I knew I had to finish it. I called the East Coast Inspirational Singers, my favorite gospel group in NYC and they came by to help me get it there.”
Directed by Pierre Dixsaut and François Prost, the recently released visual for “Still Got It” is centered around stop motion animation of Frankel dancing in front of photos of French club exteriors from Prost’s book After Party, making the video a virtual dance party on the streets.
