Metro Area

With a stripped-down kit of analogue synths and vintage drum machines, Metro Area masterminded a sound that’s minimalist in form yet sumptuous in texture. In the process, they helped kick off the nu-disco movement of the early 2000s. New Jersey native Morgan Geist had already been making richly funky techno for a few years when he teamed up with Brooklyn’s Darshan Jesrani on the inaugural Metro Area 12-inch in 1999. The record’s bright chords and slinky drum programming paid homage to the electronic boogie of the early ’80s, and the duo extended their exploration of the classic sound across three more EPs, which were collected on their eponymous debut album in 2002. That record was an instant hit on underground dance floors from New York to Berlin; its crate-digging reference points confirmed Metro Area’s tastemaker instincts, while its sheer musicianship has made Metro Area an enduring favourite over the years. Further EPs appeared throughout the 2000s and the two have subsequently remained active in similarly retro-influenced projects like Jesrani’s Funn City and Geist’s The Galleria, Jersey Devil Social Club and Storm Queen.