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Afghan Raiders are about to storm a dance floor near you.

The Las Vegas alt-electro marauders lock and load pulsating synth soundscapes with massive rock n’ roll melodies. The duo, Mikey and Beans, connect with audiences through each and every note. Songs like “Admiral’s Doorbell” slide from woozy cybernetic verses into hypnotically melodic choruses. Falling into Afghan Raiders’ strange embrace is easy during “Future Thinkers,” which breaks and bends kinetic keyboards into raw distortion. Afghan Raiders are dangerous enough to make you dance. Mikey describes their enigmatic style best. “Our sound is a very unique blend of a few different genres,” he says. “There are elements of dance music, but there’s a sense of classic song structure. You can feel the rock and indie influences on the hooks.” Those hooks are what make tracks like “Solid Gold” so infectious. It’s easy to hum along with every buoyant groove. Beans adds, “Our music is upbeat and energetic, but it’s still dark. The songs are typically about overcoming something challenging. There’s an antagonist that needs to be conquered, but there’s always a positive, uplifting ending—then everyone just dances to the end result.”

Friends since high school, Mikey and Beans began making music as Afghan Raiders in late 2007. After the demise of their thrash band, Golden Ax, they retreated into an aural world all their own. Blending elements of electronic, grunge, pop, dance, and new wave, they began compulsively creating. In February 2008, they released their first song, “Solid Gold,” on MySpace to massive fan response, following it with “Future Thinkers” a few months later. The songs came together on Future Thinkers/Solid Gold EP released on iTunes via Afghan Raiders’ very own Badical Beats in June 2008.With an EP out to the masses, they made their live debut opening for Broken Spindles, fronted by The Faint bassist Joel Peterson. Afghan Raiders’ first gig was nothing short of incendiary, and Peterson was so blown away that he asked the band to remix “Mirror Error” for The Faint. The remix gained the attention of Spin.com and countless fans that downloaded it.

Remixing soon became the second big gun in Afghan Raiders’ arsenal. Their Black Lips remix, “The Drop I Hold (Featuring GZA of Wu-Tang Clan)” [Afghan Raiders House Party Remix], won Filter’s monthly remix contest, personally selected by The Black Lips.

Afghan Raiders are: Mikey Francis – Vocals Vincent “Beans” Campillo – Synthesizers Drew Marcogliese – Drums