Gatekeeper YouTube Mix

Gatekeeper are our favorite duo to come out of Chicago since Larry Appleton and Balki Bartokomous. Informed in equal measures by Chicago house and techno, concepts taken from Western European electronica and avantgarde, and an affinity for VHS slasher films, their music celebrates the phantasmagoric and macabre in danceable fashion. You can check out their debut ‘Optimus Maximus’ that came out towards the end of last year on Kompakt here. 

They’ve graciously put together the above YouTube playlist for us, comprised of ten videos that besides being awesome in every respect also provide some insight into their world of references and influences. Truthfully, these are some straight up YouTube gems, containing moments of studied avantgarde alongside bits that I personally find hilarious. My recommendation is to kick back for half an hour and enjoy them in consecutive flow. Personal highlights are the ridiculously tight EBM-funk of DAF, the metaphysical R&B-techno of Model 500, and snippet of a new Gatekeeper track called Giza to be featured on an upcoming EP, set to a backdrop of Blade-raving.

The guys were also good enough to provide some notes of their own on the videos:

1. The Coliseum Halifax. Lightshow 1 (1990)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_96nLlrGzaY

Personal hero Jean Michel Jarre’s eerie pre-show staduim lighting tests. YES!

2. 1983 TOYOTA CELICA Ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be7yeJEuQhw
Not sure what Grace Jones is doing but we love the haunted Japanese synth-pop jazz fusion stuff playing in the background.  

3. DAF - Greif nach den Sternen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_uyhGfDJd0
We kinda wish this is what people were talking about when they said ‘minimal techno’… 

4. Storm Column (2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7x8Vc4V52U
Here’s a music video we tried making out of some tornado footage and Klaus Schulze.

5. Polly Gone (1988)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VdHrA8SKSg
This one looks like a deleted scene from Lawnmower Man. We’re really into the awkward 3D cyber horror MIDI vibes

6. The Yamaha DX100 Synthesizer Commercial

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qb7x2hObU70
This is basically a DX-7 lite. As you can see from the commercial, it has all of Gatekeeper’s favorite presets.

7. Model 500 - The flow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4d87BvQRuI
We really need wireless microphone headsets. Model 500 is so cool.

8. X Files title slam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vw3PXRG0s
Mark Snow title blaster. WE WANNA BELIEVE

9. Tangerine Dream - Poland