What was the first gig Ratatat ever played?
We played at a bar called Siberia in New York – we were super nervous. The club is downstairs with low ceilings and there were a lot of people there so it got really hot and uncomfortable. A friend of mine fainted just before we went on stage, so I remember trying to wake her up and get her in a cab home and then rushing onto the stage. It was kinda bizarre. The show went really well, though. I haven’t been that nervous for a show since.

Ratatat has toured with other international artists like Björk, The Killers, Interpol, Daft Punk etc. Which was the most fun?
The Interpol tour was probably the most fun. It was our first tour ever so the whole experience was brand new and super exciting. We had only played two or three shows before that tour, so we were really new to playing live and were suddenly thrown in front of these massive crowds. We hadn’t released any records at that point either so nobody knew who we were. They all expected us to start singing. It ended up working out really well.

What was the last record you bought/download/lagged? What do you think about that album?
I downloaded All Aboard the Magic School Pus by Black Pus. It’s great. It’s super noisy and aggressive but with an added element of melody that makes for great contrast. Brilliant drumming as well.

Which band is the next big thing for the indie scene in New York City?
We’ve been away from home touring so much, I don’t really know what’s going on in New York. The music scene is huge there –
there are a million bands, so it’s difficult to keep up with it. Don’t know about the next big thing – I hope it is Black Pus or Hexa or White Flight.

Shit job you have had in the past?
I worked at a gas station in Ohio for a few years. It was super slow, very few customers, so I’d just sit at the cash register for hours and listen to music or read books. Underage kids would come in and try and buy cigarettes from me, and I was too young to buy them myself, but I could sell them. Strange.

What songs would you play in your own funeral?
Happy Birthday

RyanDan is on the top of your MySpace’s friend list. Why?
‘Just call my nam-ee-ah-oh-haim and I’ll be there!’

Signed to XL Recordings, Brooklyn electro-rock duo Ratatat are guitarist Mike Stroud and Evan Mast on synthesizer. Presented by The Peoples’ Party, the pair will bring their ecstatic live show (which Mast describes as ‘Bringe, Falco, Bagel Rub and Apologize’, whatever that means) to Hong Kong on May 23 at Grappa’s Cellar. Aussie power Quan – a solo hip-hop project of the Regurgitator frontman – will open the show. The riot starts at 9pm, and tickets are $200 (includes one drink) from the venue and White Noise Records.