White hipster ass has been a hot commodity for the past couple years–just think of all the dance-oriented rock bands competing to get it moving. Last year D.C. avant-rock group El Guapo rebooted itself in the funkier form of SUPERSYSTEM, just as the market for guitar-and-drum-machine dance punk reached its saturation point, and Always Never Again (Touch and Go) got lost in the crush when it came out in April. Retro-styled PiL-heads still pull more heat in the press, but Supersystem fucks with dancehall, electro, and Ethiopiques funk in ways that are more compelling to both the brain and the booty. D.C.’s punk and go-go scenes measure success by the amount of sweat in the air, and Supersystem steps to the game with tempos cranked, beats set to polyrhythm, and songs dosed with call-and-response vocals that beg for crowd participation. Given the hunger for globe-trotting dance jams that followed M.I.A.’s breakout, they should finally start attracting a crowd to participate.
