Praise for Ancient Heat
“Frankly, Ancient Heat has done more to keep the mirror ball spinning in modern clubs than a young John Travolta and revival screenings of Saturday Night Fever ever could. The 10-piece ensemble’s contemporary form of disco doesn’t just take a cue from the synth-warped ’70s but brazenly manifests it, bringing with it skip-step drumming, powerhouse choruses and brass solos that are almost as tantalizing as the band’s appropriate choices in performance attire. And if the eerie, funk-infused grooves and spacy unpredictability glimpsed from the title track of the forthcoming Come To Me Slowly are any indication, they’re not stopping the show just because the lights begin to dim.”
-Brandon Widder, Willamette Week (read the article on the Willamette Week site here)
Unlike other Portland dance acts, Ancient Heat isn’t simply influenced by disco music: This nine-piece ensemble is a living embodiment of the much-maligned genre. And to ensure the authenticity of its sound, the group has analyzed the deep cuts from the 1970s and early ’80s and, in some cases, worked out covers of its favorites for live shows and this new EP[…]It’s as close as any current band is ever going to get to uprooting legendary New York night club the Paradise Garage and transporting it to these modern times.
-Robert Hamm, Willamette Week (read the entire album review here)
“Rumblings of a band with 9 members who captured the fun and swagger of disco without being overtly referential or cheesy started to fall on Portland ears a couple years ago, and since then Ancient Heat have built a name for themselves by making music not quite like anyone else in this city.”
-Aaron Sharpsteen, SSG Music (read the entire article here)
“[Ancient Heat] still espouses the gospel of the discothèque with amazing efficacy thanks to their jaw-dropping live shows. There has always been something a little wacky about disco that revival acts don’t always capture. But Ancient Heat own their eccentricities like a sexualized Polyphonic Spree. Breanne Antonius’ and Krista Wangner’s vampy vocals float atop pulsating beats and synths and, of course, horns. Even with its silly chorus, their flagship track, “Oh… You Bad,” is among the most dance-fueling songs I’ve ever heard. The swoon-worthy trumpet solo toward the end transcends any amount of dancehall gimmickry.”
-Rebecca Wilson, Portland Mercury (read the entire article here)
“Ancient Heat conjures a polyrhythmic potion, mixing a pinch of Chic with just a dash of LCD-a unique concoction that goes down great…”
-Ryan Tobias, Bus Project Foundation”
“Ancient Heat’s real strength comes from their mesmerizing live show, in which the mighty army of musicians dons all-white, slightly outlandish matching getups, looking like a cross between ABBA and the Children of God-which, actually, is the perfect way to describe their far-out disco.”
-Ned Lannamann, Portland Mercury (read the entire article here)
“The lead track, “Oh…You Bad” is euphoria condensed in a five-minute chunk, a roughly fluttering bit of dance floor heat that builds and builds to a sweaty crescendo followed by a chorus that will refuse to detach itself from your memory for days afterward. Ancient Heat will get their hooks in you, too, but don’t let it alarm you…just follow your feet”
-Robert Ham, Neighborhood Notes (read the entire article here)
“A few weeks ago I had the immense pleasure to see Ancient Heat play at Mississippi Studios in Portland, where they blew my mind with a disco re-imagining of the theme from Lucio Fulci’s Zombi 2 (not to mention a killer stage presence)….Here are just two things you need to know about Ancient Heat before you read the interview:
1. Ancinet Heat is a disco band.
2. They kick total fucking ass.”
-Cameron Pierce, Bizarro Central (read the entire article here)
“The nine-piece Portland outfit isn’t a retro or tribute act, but it integrates many of the hallmarks of disco-pulsing futuristic synths, skip-step drumming, the occasional sax solo, sexy female vocals-into a slightly updated dance-music sound on it’s original tunes.”
-Casey Jarman, Willamette Week (read the entire review here)
“9-piece live disco group Ancient Heat have an eerie yet funky onstage presence, dressed in identical clothes like some kind of house cult house band”
-Arya Imig, Willamette Week