photo, lo fi fnk [myspace]

Lo Fi Fnk at the Awesome Inc‘s party at Galapagos.

It’s the Day of the Dead and some people still haven’t put away their Halloween outfits. Even those who showed up in their regular Williamsburg costumes have a chance to dead it up by visiting a team of makeup artists in the back of the room. Like any good horror movie, the number of zombified attendees grows as the night goes on. Like any good party, free beer is flowing at the bar.

Zombies and free drinks is pretty much the recipe for a good time. Add in the sparkly lo-fi pop of (I think) Harlem Shakes [myspace] , and things start looking even better. Between sets, a DJ spins, people visit the photo booth, and members of Thunderbirds Are Now! delight in the view of the floating candle garden entryway. Swedish Lo Fi Fnk, making their first U.S. appearance, bust out their special brand of catchy, danceable synth. The boys brought along video projections — of explosions, squid, beetles — and have added a girl to the lineup. During the first song, I assumed that she was there to provide instruction and inspiration to the crowd, a sort of motivational go-go dancer. But she soon picked up a bass, to join the retro drum pad rhythm section. The songs are bouncy and slick electro fun. Although the crowd seems to be enjoying the show, they’re still a bit too sedate for Leo Drougge , who prefaces one track by saying “this next song is about dancing, but I guess you don’t like dancing.”

Eventually, the movement virus finds its way through the audience. Although no full-out dance parties ensue, there is considerable foot-tapping and head bobbing by the end of the set. The lights go down, the disco ball spins, and the audience demands an encore. They get it with “Stepping Out”. It’s a great, enthusiastic, stateside debut. Their third ever U.S. show is this afternoon (12:35pm) at Brooklyn Vegan’s dayparty Fontana’s. Check them out for free before they become wildly famous.