Shocking Pinks

In early 2004, Christchurch, New Zealand’s Nick Harte releases Dance the Dance Electric, his first album as Shocking Pinks on a small part-time record label Pinacolada Records. Buzz about the record makes its way to the offices of Pitchfork in America, who issue a glowing review, still to this day one of their highest album reviews of any New Zealand artist ever

Describing the record as “cavorting from unabashed disco revivalism to scuzzed-out new-wave to reggae-tinged psychedelia in a mottled kaleidoscope of brazen idealism.” The review gushed about the album, though one line would make a profound difference in Nick Hartes life.

At the end of the first paragraph, Pitchfork issue a bold statement stating that the album “far outshines most of the bilge spawned from James Murphy's Chernobyl-like fallout.” In reference to the extremely popular, at the time, New York label DFA Records. Well, word of this spread to DFA and they as you would expect took a listen to the record.

DFA were as taken with the record as Pitchfork and courted Nick, eventually signing him to their roster and releasing his later material worldwide, gaining him significant profile in the process.

Ten years later, cult album, Dance the Dance Electric will be finally be available physically again as well as digitally for the very first time as it gets the full reissue treatment as the band tour the world for the first time. (China, Europe, UK, NZ, Australia and North America).