Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 Mixer Philippe Zdar & Boom Bass Enlist Beastie Boy Mike D & Cat Power for "Action"-packed Cassius Comeback Single (Ed Banger)

"I did bring a couple bottles of wine to the studio and then, started writing my part and went from there," Beastie Boys founding member Mike "D" Diamond recently told Pitchfork during a brief yet informative interview surrounding French Electronic duo Cassius' frantic Mike D & Cat Power-featuring apparent as-yet-unannounced album single, "Action." "The song came with this world liberation theme and then, I came with a modern-day relationship theme, and somehow the two went together. It's kind of like toast and Vegemite go together only in Australia," Diamond characteristically continued. Philippe Zdar & Boom Bass had only scheduled studio time with Cat Power frontwoman Chan Marshall during a recent visit to New York, although, after meeting up with Mike D for lunch, the "Action"-packed collaboration progressed from there like a snowball rolling downhill; "suddenly, we were having a coffee and we said, 'why don't we ask Mike if we wants to rap on the track. And then, he arrived in the studio and after one minute in the studio – and Chan was doing our vocals – he said, 'I think I like this thing.' They talked together and it was done in three hours," Zdar recounted to Pitchfork. Despite the fact that Cassius haven't released an album since 15 Again (2006), Zdar and Boom Bass have separately produced music for the likes of Phoenix, Bloc Party frontman Kele, Chromeo, The Rapture, Kindness, Two Door Cinema Club, and Drake. Philippe Zdar additionally contributed mixing work to Cat Power's Sun and what would ultimately become The Beastie Boys' final album, Hot Sauce Committee Part Two. Cassius' "I Love U So" was prominently sampled throughout Kanye & Jay Z's ill-fated collaborative album Watch The Throne, especially across Mr. Hudson-assisted House-tinged "Why I Love You."


"Action" is "in a sense capturing that era of a Compass Point record that gets played in The Loft in New York City, but today," Mike D passionately explained to Pitchfork staff writer Marc Hogan; "I'm really kind of a little bit romantic for the lost era. "There's a lot of us that are... we feel like it's this magic era that happened before us. And it wasn't even necessarily Disco. It was a promise of how creative a DJ could be with Funk, Soul, Italo to make this experience. It was the beginning of the DJ as a headliner." Not withstanding "Action"'s sheer aspect of infectiousness and likelihood of becoming an early contender for Song of Summer 2016, I've had a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around how to approach an "Action"-centric write-up for this very site (which has now come to fruition) since its initial viral release late last week. However, once Cassius suddenly unveiled their campy TOILETPAPER-directed Mike D & Cat Power-less "Action" music video Thursday afternoon, I immediately figured I would have no trouble whipping up an equally fun-loving, elaborate companion write-up of my own. With that said, I think I've done enough mindless rambling... "Action" kicks off with Philippe Zdar & Boom Bass entering what appears to be just another boardwalk arcade-mounted Smile-N-Wait photo booth, which unexpectedly transports Cassius to a volcano-laden island retreat, via a mysterious Pulp Fiction-reminiscent glowing trunk. From that point on, what ensues next, for nearly the duration of five minutes, can only be described as something akin to Channing Tatum's highly danceable unicorns and rainbows-filled "good" acid trip from 22 Jump Street. While it's currently unclear if "Action" will effectively re-appear within or when exactly it will materialize into consumable form, Cassius are apparently working on their long-awaited follow-up to 15 Again at their own Paris-based motorbass RECORDING STUDIO.