Hot Press Meets The Dead Prezidents

DJ duo The Dead Prezidents – the name comes from their trademark Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan masks – will be bringing a selection of slamming dance grooves to Indiependence, where they will no doubt get up to their usual onstage hi-jinks as well.
The Dead Prezidents feel that their lively stage presence is adding a dash of colour to the dance scene, where the one-bloke-and-a-laptop format has become increasingly prevalent.
“We don’t like the surly DJ behind the decks, playing the music he likes and no one else does,” Richard ventures. “We alter our sets depending on the venue. Like, the set we played at Sea Sessions will probably be a lot different to the set we’ll play at Indiependence, cos it’s probably a different crowd. We’re open to
doing that.  
 “When you’re doing a set that’s an hour or an hour-and-a-half, just standing behind the decks can get a little bit tedious for ourselves and the audience, so there’s a bit of crowd interaction. In our samples, we have presidential speeches, and we’ve altered some lyrics and things like that so people know it’s us playing.
“But we don’t talk at gigs or anything, I don’t think it’s that necessary. Usually it’s just kind of muffled on a microphone, with people saying, ‘Put your hands in the air’, and it’s kind of bollocks really.”
Since starting off at the end of 2011 (after presumably meeting at a Republican party convention), The Dead Prezidents have gone from strength to strength, playing numerous clubs and festivals and releasing their own music. Plans are afoot for a new single later this year, titled – with characteristic bluntness – ‘Fuckin’ Shake It’.
The Prezidents’ use of alter egos has echoes of Daft Punk, and I wonder how they feel ‘Fuckin’ Shake It’ stacks up alongside ‘Get Lucky’?
 “‘Get Lucky’ is for the bedroom, ‘Fuckin’ Shake It’ is for other places,” says Richard. “We’re fans of Daft Punk and everything they’ve done. ‘Fuckin’ Shake It’ is pure dirt. It’s an anthemic song, a put-your-hands-in-the-air kind of tune. We’ve played it at a few of our gigs, and people who might not even be into our kind of music can’t help but be inspired to jump up and down in the air.”
The Dead Prezidents’ long-term goal is releasing an album, which they’ve given the working title The Brown House.
 “Our studio is covered in brown,” Mr. Nixon includes. “Brown carpets and padding and all that. So instead of The White House, we have The Brown House. That’s just the way it worked out. It’s no reference to us being shit or anything like that.”