Pink Skull

Genre-bending electronica outfit Pink Skull originated chiefly as the vision of Philadelphia-based DJ and producer Julian Grefe, a veteran presence across the city's punk and dance communities, together with assorted associates and collaborators—chief among them Justin "JG" Geller—before expanding into a complete performing ensemble. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, Grefe played in the emo-punk group the Trans Megetti and the experimental S PRCSS, the latter supplying the surname he adopted for his DJ projects, while also releasing downtempo and drum'n'bass material, occasionally credited to EDK. When electroclash and dance-punk surfaced in the early 2000s and began bridging the once-separate realms of indie rock and club music, Grefe stood at the vanguard, fostering Philadelphia's emerging indie dance scene and assembling the initial pair of installments in the RVNG INTL mix series.

Pink Skull itself took shape in 2003 when Grefe joined forces with fellow DJs Ian Kelly (DJ Diabolic) and Geller, the latter previously one half of the drum'n'bass project GFS and subsequently one third of Moqita. Their debut outing, the house-oriented Blast Yr AKK EP that included a Roxy Music cover, surfaced in 2004 via Grefe's own Tone Arm imprint. Subsequent years brought sustained DJ commitments from the principals, production credits for fellow Philadelphians Yah Mos Def, Amanda Blank, and V.I.P., plus remixes undertaken for HEALTH, Architecture in Helsinki, and David Gilmour Girls; 2007 alone yielded multiple singles, among them an EP revisiting Chicago house classics.

Throughout this period the project evolved into a fully operational live unit, retaining the original two JGs while adding Jeremy Gewertz on drums, Mike Hammel on bass, and Sam Murphy on guitar. Their first album, Zeppelin 3, arrived in April 2008 as an edgy, psychedelic set that alternated between dancefloor moments and more atmospheric passages, merging live playing with studio electronics and incorporating remixes of tracks by Icy Demons and Plastic Little alongside guest appearances from Mirah and John Anderson of White Whale. The standalone single "Drugs Will Keep Us Together," a direct house cut, followed in spring 2008.