LMFAO – ‘Party Rock Anthem’

Guest post by Mark Di Stefano.



A-Trak is to Chromeo what will.i.am is to LMFAO.

Modular is to The Presets what David Guetta is to LMFAO.

Harry Potter is to Voldemort what Kourtney Kardashian is to LMFAO.

What I’m saying is, the existence of one is necessary for the other… and if you’re even to scratch the bright, glittery surface of LMFAO, you need to understand and immerse yourself in the low-pop culture currently showering shit all over the kids from above.

In a previous post on this blog, the ‘Seidler brothers two’ had some terse words for this “band”, and I’d like to add some. LMFAO is a horrendous excuse for a music act. I’d hazard a guess, and say before they rose to fame with ‘Miami Bitch’, there were thousands of garage band tracks that didn’t quite incorporate the right amount of over-processed drum and bass. But once they found the right formula, it was all systems go for the pair, whose real names are Stefan and Skyler Gordy and are actually the son and nephew of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy (the man who put The Jackson 5, The Supremes and Smokey Robinson on the map). The resemblance ends right about there.

Since then, they have worked with will.i.am, Fergie and David Guetta, and then Fergie and David Guetta, followed by – you guessed it- will.i.am. All the big ones. But it comes down to this; if you put LMFAO in a time capsule, and our grandchildren open it in 2050, they’ll understand our low-pop culture. Because that’s what LMFAO is: the ultimate low-pop culture act of this new decade. Our future critiquers and critics (I can imagine David’s and Jonno’s sons penning an interactive music blog) will be able to look to Arcade Fire, Coen Brothers and The Wire, and instantly understand our era’s high-pop. But to understand Jersey Shore, The Hangover and glittery, tights-as pants, they’ll need LMFAO (and this beautiful train-wreck of video).

The song is based around a rip-off of Rick Ross’ reprise “every day I’m hustling”… what angers me more than anything, is that’s what I’ve been doing since 2006 – using it as a phrase to sing to every day life i.e. when watching porn – “every day I’m buffering”. But again, only a first, hesitant, glance at this song and video shows it’s a blatant commodification of low-pop. Their reprise, “every day I’m shuffling”, is a call to own and put a price on the dance that’s taken over a new generation of Ministry Of Sound-buyers and Fuzzy festival attendees. Also, take a look at their tee-shirts and google the phrase, and you’ll be thrown into a whole portal of shuffling exploitation.

Ultimately, I can completely understand why this song has been number one on the ARIA/iTunes chart for the past month: it’s got a catchy drum/bass line, synths that blast in from the heavens, a Step Up-style video, and like every BEP song that owns dancefloors, the lyrics exalt the easily digestible concept of P.A.R.T.Y-ing. The act is forgettable. The song is forgettable. But not since ‘Like a G6’ (er, that wasn’t that long ago, Mark – Ed) has there been a more perfect mirror for where low-western art is at.

Indulge your future old person.

LMFAO – ‘Party Rock Anthem’

Mark Di Stefano is our resident electro-trash flaneur and has previously written on the possible future importance of The Black Eyed Peas (here) and extolled the virtues of Hot Chip (there). We are not linking you to any more LMFAO songs.