It was always meant to be this way. When Andy Butler started Hercules And Love Affair in the mid �00s the idea wasn�t to form a band in the traditional sense, but rather something that was in a constant state of flux. A revolving door policy when it comes to singers. Constant change keeping things fresh. Never getting too comfortable with a particular sound. Something that was constantly exciting. People have come and gone. Famously, Antony Heggarty of Antony And The Johnsons sang on Hercules And Love Affair�s 2008 debut single, �Blind�, six minutes of future retro disco that was voted the best song of the year by Pitchfork. The same year, Hercules And Love Affair�s self-titled debut album featured singers Nomi Ruiz and Kim Ann Foxman. In 2011, the follow-up, �Blue Songs�, saw Kim Ann Foxman return, appearing alongside Aerea Negrot, who sang on �Painted Eyes�, Shaun Wright (�My House�) and Kele Okereke from Bloc Party (�Step Up�). All according to plan, but, to casual observers, it�s sometimes given the impression that Hercules And Love Affair are fractured. Nothing could be further from the truth: it�s how it�s meant to be, it�s their strength. Hercules And Love Affair will always be ruled by Butler�s encyclopedic knowledge of 40 years of New York dance music, from disco to house and beyond to the DFA era; the effortless wayhe distills that knowledge into timeless grooves; soulful, classic house-inspired vocals (whoever happens to be singing them); and that bittersweet, delicious nocturnal melancholy that all the best dance music has always tapped, the joy of dancing away a broken heart at 4am. Butler contributes to our benchmark DJ mix series, �DJ Kicks�.