Mike Stroud and Evan Mast first met as Skidmore College students,
but they did not work together until they recorded several songs under the
name "Cherry" in 2001. Their 2004 debut, Ratatat, was written
and recorded in Mast's Crown Heights, Brooklyn apartment on Stroud's PowerBook.
The album is entirely instrumental with the exception of vocal excerpts at the
beginning and end of selected tracks. The group debuted by releasing the single
Seventeen Years on Evan and his brother's record label Audio Dregs in the US
and Rex Records in the UK. Seventeen Years was released again on Evan
and his brother E*Rock's record label Audio Dregs. They then signed for XL Recordings,
releasing their debut album and the single Germany to Germany.
Ratatat occasionally remixes others for collected release on Ratatat Remixes Vol. 1
(which garnered the attention of Rolling Stone), as well as the later second volume,
both of which were self-released in co-operation with Audio Dregs.
Both musicians have had experience with other projects, such as Mast's E*vax and
King Pang and Stroud's stage work with B4-4, Joe Satriani and Manowar.
Stroud has also recorded with Ben Kweller on On My Way. Ratatat
has toured with bands such as Björk, Daft Punk, Mouse on Mars, Interpol,
Franz Ferdinand, CSS, The Faint, Super Furry Animals, Clinic, Panther and The Killers.
In 2006 they supported Mogwai in Japan.
