L.E.S. Artistes
Encyclopedia
"L.E.S. Artistes" is the second single by American artist Santigold, and along with "Creator
", the first to be taken from her self-titled debut Santogold
(see 2008 in music
).
. "It's not a French thing," White stated in an interview with PopJustice
. On MTV
's FNMTV
, Santogold stated that the title literally meant Lower East Side Artists.
A custom edit of the XXXChange Mix appears in "Grid", a Mark Romanek
directed computer animated commercial for Ford Flex
that began running nationally in June 2008.
Lastly, Curtis Santiago
recently did a remix of this song featuring Kevvy Mental of the band Fake Shark - Real Zombie!
for a mix tape produced by Mickey Fax.
The song also appears in the video games Band Hero
and EA Sports
' NHL 08
.
This song was in the book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die
on March 25, 2008, as a joint single with "Creator
". It was released as the b-side to "Creator" through a limited edition 12" vinyl in January 2008, before receiving a full release on May 5. The XXXChange remix was also released. "L.E.S. Artistes" was featured as iTunes
' Discovery Download for the week of April 28. The song has received heavy radio play in the UK and was on Radio 1's B List, and in Philadelphia the song has also received ecstatic play on Maximum Shine's themed radio show "Music Fo' Grown Fo'ks" at WKDU
.
The song was featured on the soundtrack for the video game NHL 08
, which was released in September 2007. The song was also featured on MTV
reality show, The Hills
and has been used twice on 90210. The song appeared in and was featured on the soundtrack of the 2009 movie 17 Again
. The song is also used in the advertisement of Blackberry Pearl 3G models.
Rolling Stone
said that the track sounds like a "Cars
/Strokes
mash-up" and that "the lyrics blast pretentious downtowners, but the taut guitars epitomize New York hipness.". Drowned in Sound
noted that the song is "a slow-burning gem of palm-muted guitar chords." The Denver Post
praised the "understated, Police
-style guitars that drive" the song, calling them "almost hypnotic, especially with White's intoxicating mezzo-soprano yelping along."
Rolling Stone
placed L.E.S. Artistes at #2 on Singles of the Year, McSweeney's
listed as one of its "favorite songs of 2008" , and Pitchfork Media
ranked it #4 at The 100 Best Tracks of 2008 and at #151 on its "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s." Rolling Stone
also ranked it as the #82 song of the 2000s. In October 2011, NME
placed it at number 121 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
to the film The Holy Mountain. Rolling Stone placed the music video at number four on their bi-weekly Hot List. The video received attention after it was praised by Kanye West
on his blog.
The video starts with Santogold in a forest, singing on top of a black horse, while two similar looking women in sunglasses stand at her side and occasionally strike poses. The forest scene ends up with a light snow, following to a scene on a seemingly peaceful street/block. Santogold releases her black horse. People are simultaneously dying, but the gruesome things are replaced with various items: green hot dogs instead of intestines, paint instead of blood, being shot with paintballs rather than bullets. Santogold comes walking down the streets, without dying herself. The video ends with Santogold atop her black horse with her eyes closed.
at number fifty-one on May 4, 2008. The single rose to number thirty-seven and then a week later climbed to its peak of twenty-seven. It entered Billboard
s Hot Modern Rock Tracks at number forty in August 2008, and rose four places the following week.
Lilly Wood and the Prick
also covered the song on their EP Lilly Who and the What?
Creator (song)
"Creator" is the debut single by American artist Santogold , and along with "L.E.S. Artistes", the first to be taken from her then self-titled debut Santogold...
", the first to be taken from her self-titled debut Santogold
Santogold (album)
Santogold is the self-titled debut studio album by American alternative artist Santigold...
(see 2008 in music
2008 in music
2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such...
).
Background
"L.E.S. Artistes" was written after Santi White moved to New York City. The song "is playing on the fact that everyone tries to make things fancy and it's really pretentious" and "about being accosted by the New York scene and the scenesters and hipsters, who are really not artists and are just pretending to be. They're all about just being seen." The title stands for New York's Lower East SideLower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. "It's not a French thing," White stated in an interview with PopJustice
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 and is the work of UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for NME, The Guardian, Attitude and many others....
. On MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's FNMTV
FNMTV
FNMTV is a music video program on MTV focused on premiering new music videos and airing viewers' instantaneous feedback from its website...
, Santogold stated that the title literally meant Lower East Side Artists.
A custom edit of the XXXChange Mix appears in "Grid", a Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek
Mark Romanek is an American filmmaker, whose directing work includes feature films, music videos and commercials.He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2002 film One Hour Photo starring Robin Williams...
directed computer animated commercial for Ford Flex
Ford Flex
The Ford Flex is a full-size crossover manufactured by Ford Motor Company. Its styling is based on the Ford Fairlane concept unveiled at the 2005 North American International Auto Show. The production vehicle made its debut at the 2007 New York International Auto Show. Sales of the Flex began in...
that began running nationally in June 2008.
Lastly, Curtis Santiago
Curtis Santiago
Curtis Santiago is a Canadian dance rock musician, originally from Sherwood Park, Alberta, now based in Toronto. He was previously signed to Finger Lickin' Records....
recently did a remix of this song featuring Kevvy Mental of the band Fake Shark - Real Zombie!
Fake Shark - Real Zombie!
Fake Shark – Real Zombie! is a Canadian dance punk band. Formed in 2005, their musical style combines elements of IDM and post-hardcore. The name is a reference to Lucio Fulci's film Zombi 2, where a real shark and a zombie engage in combat.-History:...
for a mix tape produced by Mickey Fax.
The song also appears in the video games Band Hero
Band Hero
Band Hero is a spinoff video game as part of the Guitar Hero series of music video games, released by Activision on November 3, 2009, for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS consoles...
and EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...
' NHL 08
NHL 08
-Soundtrack:-Easter Eggs:* Wells Greeno-McNeil is the name of a child for the Make-A-Wish Foundation whose wish was to have his name and likeness in a videogame.* The default created player names are of the game's developers....
.
This song was in the book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die
Release and reception
The single's first commercial release was via the US iTunes StoreITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on March 25, 2008, as a joint single with "Creator
Creator (song)
"Creator" is the debut single by American artist Santogold , and along with "L.E.S. Artistes", the first to be taken from her then self-titled debut Santogold...
". It was released as the b-side to "Creator" through a limited edition 12" vinyl in January 2008, before receiving a full release on May 5. The XXXChange remix was also released. "L.E.S. Artistes" was featured as iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
' Discovery Download for the week of April 28. The song has received heavy radio play in the UK and was on Radio 1's B List, and in Philadelphia the song has also received ecstatic play on Maximum Shine's themed radio show "Music Fo' Grown Fo'ks" at WKDU
WKDU
WKDU is an award winning non-commercial college radio station located in Philadelphia, USA, broadcasting on 91.7 FM. It is owned and operated by Drexel University students, with several Drexel alumni among its on-air staff. It is the only free-format non-commercial FM station in Philadelphia...
.
The song was featured on the soundtrack for the video game NHL 08
NHL 08
-Soundtrack:-Easter Eggs:* Wells Greeno-McNeil is the name of a child for the Make-A-Wish Foundation whose wish was to have his name and likeness in a videogame.* The default created player names are of the game's developers....
, which was released in September 2007. The song was also featured on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
reality show, The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
and has been used twice on 90210. The song appeared in and was featured on the soundtrack of the 2009 movie 17 Again
17 Again (film)
17 Again: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on April 21, 2009 by New Line Records.-Track listing:# "On My Own" by Vincent and The Villains# "Can't Say No" by The Helio Sequence# "L.E.S...
. The song is also used in the advertisement of Blackberry Pearl 3G models.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
said that the track sounds like a "Cars
The Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
/Strokes
The Strokes
The Strokes are an American indie rock band formed in 1999 in New York City. Consisting of Julian Casablancas , Nick Valensi , Albert Hammond, Jr. , Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti ....
mash-up" and that "the lyrics blast pretentious downtowners, but the taut guitars epitomize New York hipness.". Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
noted that the song is "a slow-burning gem of palm-muted guitar chords." The Denver Post
The Denver Post
-Ownership:The Post is the flagship newspaper of MediaNews Group Inc., founded in 1983 by William Dean Singleton and Richard Scudder. MediaNews is today one of the nation's largest newspaper chains, publisher of 61 daily newspapers and more than 120 non-daily publications in 13 states. MediaNews...
praised the "understated, Police
The Police
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For the vast majority of their history, the band consisted of Sting , Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland...
-style guitars that drive" the song, calling them "almost hypnotic, especially with White's intoxicating mezzo-soprano yelping along."
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
placed L.E.S. Artistes at #2 on Singles of the Year, McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
listed as one of its "favorite songs of 2008" , and Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked it #4 at The 100 Best Tracks of 2008 and at #151 on its "Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
also ranked it as the #82 song of the 2000s. In October 2011, NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
placed it at number 121 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
Music video
The music video, directed by Nima Nourizadeh, is a homageHomage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to the film The Holy Mountain. Rolling Stone placed the music video at number four on their bi-weekly Hot List. The video received attention after it was praised by Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
on his blog.
The video starts with Santogold in a forest, singing on top of a black horse, while two similar looking women in sunglasses stand at her side and occasionally strike poses. The forest scene ends up with a light snow, following to a scene on a seemingly peaceful street/block. Santogold releases her black horse. People are simultaneously dying, but the gruesome things are replaced with various items: green hot dogs instead of intestines, paint instead of blood, being shot with paintballs rather than bullets. Santogold comes walking down the streets, without dying herself. The video ends with Santogold atop her black horse with her eyes closed.
Track listing
- U.S. digital download
- Creator – 3:32
- L.E.S. Artistes – 3:43
- U.S. digital EP
- L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24
- L.E.S. Artistes (XXXChange Remix) – 4:20
- L.E.S. Artistes (Switch Remix) – 5:15
- L.E.S. Artistes (Instrumental) – 3:45
- UK CD single (ATUK078CD)
- L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24
- L.E.S. Artistes (Video) – 3:24
- UK 7" vinyl (ATUK078)
- L.E.S. Artistes – 3:24
- Your Voice – 4:00
- UK digital EP
- L.E.S. Artistes (Switch Remix) – 5:15
- L.E.S. Artistes (XXXChange Remix) – 4:20
- L.E.S. Artistes (Herve Edit) – 6:08
Official versions and remixes
- Original Version — 3:43
- Album Version/Radio Edit — 3:24
- Instrumental — 3:45
- Grahm Zilla Remix — 4:26
- HervéHervé (DJ)Joshua Harvey, otherwise known as Hervé, is a DJ/producer from the UK. Hervé is known for rave-orientated productions and DJ sets.Along with Sinden and Kid Sister, his track "Beeper" reached number 1 on the dance chart in April 2008....
Edit — 6:08 - Switch Remix — 5:15
- XXXChangeXxxchangeAlex Brady Epton, better known as XXXChange, is a Brooklyn-based musician, record producer, remixer and DJ. He is mostly known for his work with the musical group Spank Rock, whose debut album YoYoYoYoYo he produced.-2006:*Spank Rock - "YoYoYoYoYo"...
Remix — 4:20 - XXXChange Remix feat. MavadoMavado (singer)David Constantine Brooks , better known by his stage name Mavado, is a Jamaican musician, actor, DJ and music producer.- Biography :...
— 3:50 (appears on Top RankingTop RankingTop Ranking: A Diplo Dub is a mixtape by American artist Santigold and Philadelphia-based DJ Diplo, released on July 15, 2008.-General information:...
)
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | ||
| United Kingdom | Regular | |
| digital maxi single |
Chart positions
"L.E.S. Artistes" entered the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number fifty-one on May 4, 2008. The single rose to number thirty-seven and then a week later climbed to its peak of twenty-seven. It entered Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Hot Modern Rock Tracks at number forty in August 2008, and rose four places the following week.
| Chart (2008) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Ultratip Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
15 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
27 |
| U.S. Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Hot Modern Rock Tracks |
36 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 87 |
Other versions
- British girl group Girls Can't CatchGirls Can't CatchGirls Can't Catch were a British girl group. Their debut single "Keep Your Head Up" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 26. Their second single "Echo" was released on 18 January 2010, debuting at number 19 on the UK Top 40 singles chart. The band was dropped by their record company, Polydor...
covered the song for their cancelled 2010 debut album.
Lilly Wood and the Prick
Lilly Wood and the Prick
Lilly Wood and the Prick is a French band created in 2006 by Nili Hadida and Benjamin Cotto. On march 1, 2011, they won the victoires de la musique in the category "revelation of the public"- Singles :* 2010 : "Down the drain"* 2011 : "This is a love song"...
also covered the song on their EP Lilly Who and the What?