Hercules & Love Affair scores June U.S. release date

Disco is not dead! On the contrary, it's stronger than ever—as strong as Hercules, in fact—thanks to the dancefloor-igniting sounds of DFA Records DJ act Hercules & Love Affair.

Despite the plurality of the name, Hercules & Love Affair is basically longtime New York City-based DJ/producer Andrew Butler, with guest appearances throughout the self-titled debut by a few colorful pals, including Antony Hegarty (of Antony and the Johnsons), NYC soul-pop singer Nomi, and downtown DJ/promoter/jeweler Kim Ann Foxman.

The band's moniker stems from the Greek myth of Hercules and his supposed affair with another man. "There's an image where he just wanders the island looking for his lost love who's been dragged into the sea by nymphs," Butler told The Guardian. "The Hercules love affair represents the strongest man at his most vulnerable."

The self-titled disc was released overseas in March, debuting in the Top 40 in the U.K., but so far Americans have had to make do with a tantalizing 9.1 Pitchfork review and the five tracks streaming at the Hercules & Love Affair MySpace page (including the already-huge "Blind," which combines Antony's unique, soaring vocals with glistening house beats to mesmerizing effect).

That's about to change, though, with last week's announcement that Mute will oversee the U.S. release of Hercules & Love Affair, due on June 24. Before then, the band (sans Antony) will tear up the clubs in England and hit some European festivals (see tour dates below). Try to man up until those American dates are announced, and watch the somewhat confounding, toga-party video for "Blind" here:

H&LA tour dates:

May
23 - Brighton, England @ The Parlure Spiegeltent
24 - Manchester, England @ Warehouse
25 - Bristol, England @ Thekla (Dot to Dot Festival)
26 - Newcastle, England @ Evolution (Baltic Stage)
28 - Nottingham, England @ Rescue Rooms
29 - Liverpool, England @ Sound City @ Barfly
30 - Glasgow, Scotland @ Classic Grand
31 - Leeds, England @ Wax on Lotherton Hall


June
3 - London, England @ Soho Revue
4 - London, England @ Soho Revue
5 - London, England @ Heaven
20 - Barcelona, Spain @ Sonar Festival

July
18 - Berlin, Germany @ Melt Festival
19 - Dorset, England @ Camp Bestival

Related links:
HerculesAndLoveAffair.com
Hercules & Love Affair on MySpace
EMI: Download "Hercules Theme" from Hercules & Love Affair

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