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Ratatat ( ) is a Brooklyn-based electronic rock duo consisting of Mike Stroud (Electric guitar, melodica, , percussion) and Record producer Evan Mast (bass guitar, synthesizers, percussion).
Ratatat debuted in 2003 with the release of the single "Seventeen Years" on Mast's and his brother Eric's (E*Rock) record label Audio Dregs in the US and Rex Records in the UK. Mike Stroud had been a touring member of Ben Kweller's band, but he "had enough" by 2003 and, after two years of touring, left the band after appearing on their second album, On My Way (released in 2004). Having signed for XL Recordings, Ratatat released their self-titled debut album, Ratatat and the single "Germany to Germany". The album was written and recorded in Mast's Crown Heights, Brooklyn apartment on his laptop. It is entirely instrumental with the exception of vocal excerpts at the beginning and end of select tracks.
In the following year, Ratatat supported the band Interpol on their tour. Also in 2004, Ratatat released Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1 in co-operation with Audio Dregs, a compilation of remixed tracks by other artists, thereby garnering the attention of Rolling Stone.
On October 6, 2006, Ratatat became the first band to perform a public show inside the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
On October 10, 2006, a new demo album from Ratatat titled 9 Beats was leaked online. This set of tracks does not appear on any official discography listings. 9 Beats was not an official album, the tracks consist of short instrumental electronic musical pieces and demos for their next mixtape. In 2007, this release was followed by their second volume of remixed tracks, Ratatat Remixes Vol. 2.
From June 2007 until October 2008, Ratatat had Martin Bonventre accompany them on their European tour and fall shows in America as the pianist/synthesizer player. Bonventre drew much attention due to his erratic dance movements on stage. The reason for him leaving the performance is unknown.
In 2008, it was rumored that they would be signed by Star Trak Entertainment as the understudies of The Neptunes.
Ratatat contributed two songs to , the debut album by alternative rapper Kid Cudi released September 15, 2009, "Alive (Nightmare)" and "Pursuit of Happiness", the latter of which also featured MGMT. Cudi and Ratatat performed "Pursuit of Happiness" together on Late Show with David Letterman on September 11, 2009.
In 2010, Ratatat supported Vampire Weekend on their UK tour at The Brighton Centre and Alexandra Palace. Meanwhile, their song Neckbrace was used in the ski film "The Way I See It" by Matchstick Productions. In 2011, their track "Mirando" was used in Prada SS2011 ad campaign.
In August 2011, Ratatat was featured in the song "Red Alert" on CSS's new album La Liberación.
On September 29, 2012, past collaborator Kid Cudi confirmed that Ratatat would be featured and producing on his upcoming third studio album Indicud, however the collaboration didn't make the final cut after Kid Cudi decided to produce the whole album by himself, with the exception of an additional production by Hit-Boy on the track "Red Eye" featuring Haim.
In May 2013 they entered the Singlecharts after the Austrian network provider A1 used "Loud Pipes" for a radio-advertisement.
In May 2015, the band announced that their fifth album, Magnifique, would be released on July 17, 2015, and feature a cover of the 1971 Phil Cordell single "I Will Return".Evan Minsker, "Ratatat Announce New Album Magnifique," Pitchfork Media, May 19, 2015.
The first single from the album, the track "Cream on Chrome", was voted number 52 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2015 held in January 2016. This is their second appearance on the annual countdown run by the Australian radio station, after featuring on Kid Cudi's "Pursuit of Happiness", which polled 33rd in the 2009 countdown.
Ratatat has toured with acts such as Björk, Daft Punk, Vampire Weekend, Mouse on Mars, Franz Ferdinand, CSS, the Faint, Super Furry Animals, Clinic, Panther, and the Killers.
| + List of albums, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:10em;" | Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details ! scope="col" colspan="10" | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
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| + List of remix albums ! scope="col" style="width:11em;" | Title ! scope="col" style="width:16em;" | Album details |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
| 2005 | Shout Out Louds | "The Comeback" (Big Slippa Remix by Ratatat) |
| 2006 | The Knife | "We Share Our Mothers' Health" (Ratatat Remix) |
| Biz Markie | "Vapors" (Remix by Ratatat) | |
| 2007 | Television Personalities | "You Kept Me Waiting Too Long" (Ratatat Remix) |
| 2008 | Björk | "Wanderlust" (Ratatat Remix) |
| The Notorious B.I.G. | "Party and Bullshit" (Ratatat Remix) |
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