The Soft Pink Truth

Drew Daniel's the Soft Pink Truth grew from a dare. While Daniel was performing in Paris with Martin Schmidt as Matmos, Matthew Herbert challenged him to make a house record. Daniel responded with 2001's Soft Pink Missy 12", which Herbert released on his Soundslike label. Daniel went beyond the dare and kept the project going — a smart decision given the strength of the debut. The second 12", Promofunk, didn't come until late 2002, but the wait was well worth it; it included a delirious, infectious update of Vanity 6's "Make Up" (featuring vocals from Blevin Blectum), and "Gender Studies," a dancefloor-bound clinic in sample stitching. Early 2003 saw the release of the full-length Do You Party?, which collected the eight tracks from the previous releases and added three additional tracks. The Acting Crazy 12" came later that year, including a new production and remixes from Herbert, Safety Scissors, and Brooks. Late in 2004, Do You Want New Wave or Do You Want the Soft Pink Truth found Daniel reimagining punk and hardcore songs from the '70s and '80s — as well as a Carol Channing song — as dance music. Though Daniel provided Soft Pink Truth remixes for artists such as Grizzly Bear during the 2000s and 2010s, it wasn't until 2014 that he returned with the project's third full-length album. Why Do the Heathen Rage? gave the Soft Pink Truth treatment to death metal, and included collaborations with members of Locrian, Wye Oak and Antony Hegarty.