Can you believe it? DFA Records, the label responsible for bringing us LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, The Juan Maclean, Holy Ghost! and dozens of other bands that you grew up dancing to at parties (and probably still do), is turning 12 years old this year. If that makes you feel old, just think about how the founders--James Murphy and Jonathan Galkin--must feel. It's nice to see they're still pressing vinyl and putting out fresh tunes as their hyper-influential label gracefully edges into adolescence. They're too self-aware not to acknowledge the potentially awkward phase they're about to enter -- too old to be new, too young to be classic.
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One of the things that made DFA so influential was the way it helped create and define a sound, a scene, and a sensibility that seemed to be pervasive in the anxious but disaffected youth of New York City in the early 2000s. The disco-inspired electro punk sound that the label became known for seemed to be coming from a place of frenetic energy that was looking for a release, a sort of collective catharsis that could only be found on the dance floor, surrounded by sweaty bodies. What started out as a bunch of friends throwing parties and producing records together grew into a veritable youth culture movement, and no doubt part of the reason for the record label's success was the close-knit nature of those involved--from the bands to the managers, they were one big dysfunctional family.Though DFA's breakout act, LCD Soundsystem, called it quits in 2011, the legacy of both the band and the label carry on, and James Murphy, LCD's frontman and DFA co-founder, is still an omnipresent force at parties and concert billings the world over. LCD's story was documented in the high energy documentary about the band's last shows in NYC, Shut Up And Play The Hits, which The Creators Project helped produce.Check out our behind-the-scenes Shut Up And Play The Hits extras below: