Holy Ghost!

  • Brooklyn, NY
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  • 2007
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About Holy Ghost!

Known for their 2008 hit "Hold On" and Moby, MGMT and Cut Copy remixes, critically-heralded Brooklyn duo Holy Ghost! features electro magicians Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel. Protégées of Tim Goldsworthy and James Murphy (founders of DFA Records), Holy Ghost! bring their melodic, throwback style and love for old-school synthesizers to their infectious new single, "I Will Come Back," out on Green Label Sound.

Friends since childhood, the pair met in second grade and grew up just blocks apart on New York City's Upper West Side. Frankel's father was a long-time USA Today crime reporter who used to bring him along to mafia hangouts, while Millhiser's parents developed real estate and held down various other posts. "When I was born, my dad was an audio engineer for ABC Sports," he says, "and he also had his own barge ship in France."

In high school Frankel played keyboards and Millhiser played drums in rap act Automato, which performed everywhere from CBGB to Coney Island High. As seniors they signed to Capital Records. Soon thereafter, they met producers Goldsworthy and Murphy during the making of Automato's 2004 self-titled debut album, which The Guardian called: "The first essential hip hop album of the year."

Automato splintered the following year, but Millhiser and Frankel forged on together. "We originally thought we were going to keep making rap stuff," Millhiser says, "but, not knowing any rappers, we had to figure something else out. Alex stepped up to the plate and started singing."

They collaborated on the disco-tinged "Hold On" and presented it to Goldsworthy and Murphy, who immediately fell for it. Ready to sign the duo to juggernaut DFA Records label -- alongside buzz acts like LCD Soundsystem, Cut Copy and The Juan Maclean -- they first demanded a moniker. Holy Ghost! comes from a cut by the Bar-Kays of the same title, Millhiser explains. "I was looking up its lyrics on-line, and the first line of the song is, 'Your love, it's got the Holy Ghost!" he says. "The line had an exclamation point, so that's where the exclamation point in our name comes from."

Millhiser and Frankel add that the collaboration indulges their love for analog sounds and passions for old-time Roland organs and Wurlitzer electronic pianos. "We're big gearheads, and have been since we were in high school," Frankel says. "We make our music before our lyrics, and we usually start with sound and drums. When we're both nodding our heads, it's like, 'Now, let's make it into a song.'"

"We've both tried to make music with the computer," Millhiser says. "We just can't do it. I wish we could! I'd be a much richer man."

The act has already earned rave reviews on the strength of their remixes and "Hold On," which caused taste-making blog Hipster Runoff to speculate they could have a hit as big as Justice's smash "D.A.N.C.E." "I feel like they have the preceding reputation, bubbling cauldron of hype, and the skills and resources necessary to write a transcendent electro-hit," the site enthused.

Expect a similar response to Green Label Sound single "I Will Come Back," which will also be featured on Holy Ghost!'s highly-anticipated debut album due out early next year. A surging, five and a half-minute dance floor epic, it's a space journey that features the angelic voices of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus. The track pays homage to pioneering dance group New Order through its "Bizarre Love Triangle"-like drum fills. The video, too, is a tribute to New Order; it's a remake of the English group's 1983 song "Confusion." Getting legendary producer Arthur Baker to reprise his role was their biggest coup, says Millhiser.

"We were going to have James [Murphy] play the Arthur Baker character," he remembers, "but one night we were out at a bar and we ran into Baker. Alex told him about the video, and he said, 'I want to play myself.' We couldn't really say no!"

Already filling venues across the world and backed by Green Label Sound, the time is right for Holy Ghost! to take over dance floors worldwide. "I Will Come Back" will have listeners doing exactly that.
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Music

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  • Hold My Breath
    holy-ghost
    Video
    Hold My Breath
  • I Wanted To Tell Her (feat. Nancy Whang and Juan Maclean)
    holy-ghost
    Video
    I Wanted To Tell Her (feat. Nancy Whang and Juan Maclean)
  • First Take: Holy Ghost!
    holy-ghost
    Video
    First Take: Holy Ghost!
  • Hold My Breath (Live)
    holy-ghost
    Video
    Hold My Breath (Live)
  • Wait & See
    holy-ghost
    Video
    Wait & See
  • I Will Come Back
    holy-ghost
    Video
    I Will Come Back

Interviews & Exclusives

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  • Makin' Beats
    holy-ghost
    video
    Makin' Beats
  • I Wanted To Tell You
    holy-ghost
    video
    I Wanted To Tell You
  • Sorry Mom!
    holy-ghost
    video
    Sorry Mom!
  • 120 Revisited
    holy-ghost
    video
    120 Revisited
  • WEIRD VIBES Episode 3: Fathers, Sons & Holy Ghost! (2011)
    holy-ghost
    video
    WEIRD VIBES Episode 3: Fathers, Sons & Holy Ghost! (2011)
  • Weird Vibes Episode 3 Preview: Holy Ghost!
    holy-ghost
    video
    Weird Vibes Episode 3 Preview: Holy Ghost!
  • Holy Ghost! On Their Upcoming 'Experimental Pop' Album
    holy-ghost
    video
    Holy Ghost! On Their Upcoming 'Experimental Pop' Album
  • Holy Ghost! On Doing Dance Remixes
    holy-ghost
    video
    Holy Ghost! On Doing Dance Remixes
  • Holy Ghost! On Their Single 'I Will Come Back'
    holy-ghost
    video
    Holy Ghost! On Their Single 'I Will Come Back'
  • Holy Ghost! On Their Writing Process
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    video
    Holy Ghost! On Their Writing Process

Photos

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  • Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost! with James Montgomery at the 2013 Hangout Music Festival on May 18, 2013 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
    Holy Ghost!
    Nick Millhiser and Alex Frankel of Holy Ghost! with James Montgomery at the 2013 Hangout Music Festival on May 18, 2013 in Gulf Shores, Alabama.
    Sarah Ward
  • Holy Ghost!
  • Holy Ghost!
    Getty Images
  • Holy Ghost!
    Getty Images
  • Holy Ghost!
    Courtesy of Green Label Sound
  • Holy Ghost!
    Ruvan Wijesooriya

News

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  • Holy Ghost!
    Hangout Fest, Day Two: Kendrick Lamar, Dream Dates And Supermodels On Slides
    MTV News
    May 19, 2013
    MTV is on the ground at Hangout 2013, and here's a look back at everything that went down on Saturday.
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Hangout Fest, Day Two: Kendrick Lamar, Dream Dates And Supermodels On Slides
    MTV News
    May 19, 2013
    MTV is on the ground at Hangout 2013, and here's a look back at everything that went down on Saturday.
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    The Shins Enlist Jessie Baylin at Hangout Music Festival
    MTV Hive
    May 18, 2013
    Check out more Hangout Fest 2013 GIFs in our gallery. Towards the end of the Shins ' Hangout Music Festival set, lead Shin James Mercer came cle...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Watch the Hangout Music Festival 2013 Live
    MTV Hive
    May 17, 2013
    [uma_snippet id="1707507"] Welcome to an exclusive live stream of Hangout Music Festival 2013 , coming straight to you from Gulf Shores, Alabama. ...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Hangout Fest 2013: Find Out When Your Favorite Bands Will Play!
    MTV News
    May 17, 2013
    Find out the who, what, when and where of this summer's hottest music festival.
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Hangout Fest 2013: Find Out When Your Favorite Bands Will Play!
    MTV News
    May 17, 2013
    Find out the who, what, when and where of this summer's hottest music festival.
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Stream Our Hangout Music Festival 2013 Spotify Playlist
    MTV Hive
    May 16, 2013
    The Hangout Music Festival is set to take over Gulf Shores, Alabama tomorrow with five fully loaded stages and an excellent, eclectic lineup. Whethe...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    The Daily Geek: Gorgeous 'Man of Steel' Posters, The Rhino Gets Pantsed, And More
    MTV Geek
    May 14, 2013
    Welcome to MTV Geek's daily round-up of all things GEEK from the weird, wild world of the web! Got a cool link? Share it with us on Twitter at twitte...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Chromeo Tour With Holy Ghost!
    www.pitchfork.com
    -27 Istanbul, Turkey - Otto Santral 07-02 Belfort, France - Eurockeennes Festival 07-06 Montreux, Switzerland - Montreux Jazz Festival 07-08 Novi Sad,...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Awesome LCD Soundsystem Video Alert: "Drunk Girls (Holy Ghost! Remix)"
    www.pitchfork.com
    Back in April, DFA disco duo Holy Ghost! remixed "Drunk Girls", the then-new single from their labelmates LCD Soundsystem. Now that Holy Ghost! remix ...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Holy Ghost! Reveal Album Feat. Michael McDonald
    www.pitchfork.com
    's Luke Jenner, Penguin Prison's Chris Glover, and yacht rock legend Michael McDonald (whose contribution we told you about a while back). On February...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Holy Ghost! Announce Tour, Debut Album Details
    prefixmag.com
    : 9:30 Club 03.31 - Philadelphia, PA: The Trocadero 04.01 - New York, NY: Terminal 5 04.02 - New York, NY: Terminal 5 04.04 - Boston, MA: House of Blu...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Video: Holy Ghost!: "Wait and See"
    www.pitchfork.com
    While you watch the wistfully retro clip for Holy Ghost!'s "Wait and See", from their recently released self-titled debut LP, you might notice that th...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Popping Up: Holy Ghost!
    idolator.com
    album that was produced by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy and his DFA Records co-founder Tim Goldsworthy. "Our manager played basketball with [Bikini ...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Watch the Video for Holy Ghost!'s Ministry Cover "I Wanted to Tell Her"
    www.pitchfork.com
    New York dance pop duo Holy Ghost! have filmed a shamelessly retro video to accompany their BNT'd cover of Ministry's "I Wanted to Tell Her" (via MTV ...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Holy Ghost! Releases New Single “It Gets Dark”
    Paste
    NYC pop duo Holy Ghost! has been channeling disco sensibilities since their debut LP was released last year. Now the Paste Best of What's Next artists...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Watch: DFA Records Documentary Featuring James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem, the Rapture, Holy Ghost!, YACHT, Marc Maron, More
    pitchfork.com
    Red Bull Music Academy has released a short film about DFA Records, "Too Old to Be New, Too New to Be Classic". It features interviews with DFA founde...
    Read More
  • Holy Ghost!
    Watch/Listen: Holy Ghost!: "Dumb Disco Ideas"
    pitchfork.com
    Photo by Harry McNally DFA duo Holy Ghost! are gearing up to release a new album called Dynamics, their first since 2011's self-titled debut. It doesn...
    Read More

Tour Dates

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  • May 19 Sunday
    Santa Ana, CA, US The Observatory
    Buy Ticket
  • May 20 Monday
    West Hollywood, CA, US Troubadour
    Buy Ticket
  • May 22 Wednesday
    San Francisco, CA, US The Independent
    Buy Ticket
  • May 24 Friday
    George, WA, US Gorge Amphitheatre
    Buy Ticket
  • May 24 Friday
    Portland, OR, US Doug Fir Lounge
    Buy Ticket
  • May 26 Sunday
    Vancouver, BC, Canada Five Sixty
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 7 Friday
    New York, NY, US Randall's Island
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 13 Thursday
    Manchester, TN, US Great Stage Park
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 13 Thursday
    Manchester, TN, US Great Stage Park
    Buy Ticket
  • Jun 27 Thursday
    Rothbury, MI, US Double JJ Ranch & Golf Resort
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 19 Friday
    Austin, TX, US Austin Music Hall
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 21 Sunday
    Atlanta, GA, US Chastain Park Amphitheatre
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 24 Wednesday
    Brooklyn, NY, US Williamsburg Waterfront
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 26 Friday
    Philadelphia, PA, US The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 28 Sunday
    Columbia, MD, US Merriweather Post Pavilion
    Buy Ticket
  • Jul 31 Wednesday
    Boston, MA, US Bank of America Pavilion
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 2 Friday
    Montreal, QC, Canada Osheaga Music and Arts Festival
    Buy Ticket
  • Aug 24 Saturday
    Los Angeles, CA, US Los Angeles State Historic Park
    Buy Ticket

Discography

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  • Holy Ghost! (2011)
    Holy Ghost!
    Holy Ghost! (2011)
    DFA
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