On The Verge

The Knocks

New York, N.Y.
Producer + Producer = Band
www.theknocks.com

This Lower-East-Side-based electronic duo first performed live as The Knocks in 2010 at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. “We started off as producers doing our own thing, then ended up being roommates via a mutual friend,” says Ben “B-roc” Ruttner, one-half of The Knocks, along with James “JPatt” Patterson. “Slowly, we started producing full projects together.” They take their name from all of the times neighbors would knock on their doors to complain that they were playing too loud in their apartment. Known for their single, “Dancing with the DJ,” they draw inspiration for their “funky, fun and energetic” sound from “everything from other music, movies, parties [and] girls,” Ruttner says. After opening for Dragonette and hitting the summer festival circuit, the producers are back in the studio working on tracks for a more dance-oriented record. “Our new album has elements of the last EP, but it is also a departure,” he says. “We’ve been influenced by older ‘90s house and deeper stuff. We are also working with more guest vocalists.” The Knocks feed of crowd energy and try to engage fans with live vocals, keyboards and drums,” Ruttner says. “We’re dancing and jumping just as much as the audience.”