Tag: Les Disques du Crépuscule (Page 4 of 5)

Lost Albums: WINSTON TONG Theoretically Chinese

11 August 2015 /

Winston Tong is best known for writing and singing ‘In A Manner Of Speaking’, a song that was subsequently covered by DEPECHE MODE’s Martin Gore on his 1989 ‘Counterfeit’ solo mini-album.

Originally performed by TUXEDOMOON, Tong had joined the experimental art rockers in a flexible arrangement that allowed him to pursue other projects. He had not featured on TUXEDOMOON’s 1979 debut album ‘Half Mute’, but performed on its 1981 follow-up ‘Desire’, an album that was to become a favourite of DM’s Andy Fletcher.

Born in San Francisco, the son of Chinese parents forced into exile by Chairman Mao’s Communist regime, Tong studied at the California Institute of Arts. One of his teachers was Marni Nixon, who was best known in Hollywood for providing the singing voice for Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn in the films ‘West Side Story’ and ‘My Fair Lady’ respectively. On graduating, he started specialising in leftfield performance and puppet theatre.

His first solo album ‘Like The Others’ was released in early 1983 by the prestigious Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule. Issued on cassette only, it was a collection of abstract monologues backed by members of TUXEDOMOON. Around this time, TUXEDOMOON’s lead singer Blaine L Reininger temporarily left for a solo career.

So Tong lent his voice to an interim single ‘Soma’ in 1984. However, he opted to collaborate with Belgian singer Niki Mono who he had met following the band’s relocation to the more sympathetic artistic playground of Europe. The pair recorded a nine song demo which impressed Crépuscule enough to sign them. However, by the time the first single ‘Theoretical China’ appeared in November 1984, Mono had departed the project and the release was credited to just Tong.

But ‘Theoretical China’ was a promising calling card, the combination of alternative electronic disco and Tong’s Bowie-esque mannerisms recalled ‘Charlie Cat’ on Robert Görl’s ‘Night Full Of Tension’ which was produced by Mike Hedges, the man behind the desk for ASSOCIATES ‘Sulk’. The ASSOCIATES connections didn’t end there either, as the track and subsequent album was recorded under the production supervision of Alan Rankine.

Accompanied by an all-star cast of cool, ex-PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED bassist Jah Wobble added some of the distinctive dub flourishes that had adorned his own ‘Snakecharmer’, while other renowned guests included NEW ORDER drummer Stephen Morris and MAGAZINE’s Dave Formula who also co-produced the track.

The finished electropop opus was released in October 1985 under the title of ‘Theoretically Chinese’. On it, the theme of cultural identity, which had been the lyrical gist of ‘Theoretical China’, was further explored via compositions like ‘Yellow Peril’ and an excellent uptempo cover of Marianne Faithfull’s ‘Broken English’. The era’s inherent Cold War tensions also loomed large on the fine pulsing opener ‘Big Brother’, its syncopated construction reminiscent of TALKING HEADS.

The bouncy ‘Endgame’ added saxophone to the synth dominated palette, while the similarly augmented ‘No Regrets’ was an enjoyably rousing number that wouldn’t have gone amiss on Bowie’s ‘Tonight’ album or a Ryuichi Sakamoto solo album of the period. The effervescent ‘Principles Of Movement’ closed proceedings on ‘Theoretically Chinese’, but it wasn’t all frantic, digitally programmed energetics as the elegant sweeping ballad ‘Reports From The Heart’ and the moodier set piece ‘The Quotidian’ proved.

With Alan Rankine’s vibrant sequencing and keyboard work alongside his layered guitars, it was not hard to imagine how ASSOCIATES’ follow-up to ‘Sulk’ might have sounded had Alan Rankine and Billy Mackenzie not parted company. ‘Theoretically Chinese’ sold well for a European independent release, partly thanks to the positive reception for ‘In A Manner Of Speaking’ and its parent album ‘Holy Wars’ which came out earlier in 1985.

But true to the spirit that led to Tong’s flexible status within TUXEDOMOON, he had already left the band and as his second solo album reached the collections of the cognoscenti, he was off composing for a modern ballet production called ‘Miserere’. Thus, any further potential sales of ‘Theoretically Chinese’ that could have been gained from touring, remained unfulfilled.

Winston Tong’s danceable synthpop outing was as much of a departure from TUXEDMOON as Robert Görl’s ‘Night Full Of Tension’ was from DAF or Paul Haig’s ‘Rhythm Of Life’ was from JOSEF K. In all three cases, a lightened spirit previously hidden amongst the angsty overtones of each parent band was allowed to shine through. But Tong opted not to develop this comparatively commercial sound… he was done with his experiment and quickly moved on. He ventured into jazz and continued his various theatrical pursuits, with the occasional reunion with TUXEDOMOON.

While ‘In a Manner of Speaking’ has since become a cult favourite, thanks to Mr Gore and numerous media synchronisations, the ‘Theoretically Chinese’ album deserves rediscovery and reappraisal as a demonstration of how art school and dancefloor can live together in a sophisticated, harmonic union.

‘Theoretically Chinese’ is still available as a download album via LTM Recordings

A compilation ‘In A Manner Of Speaking (Best Of)’ featuring five songs from the ‘Theoretically Chinese’ period is available on CD dierctly from http://www.ltmrecordings.com/in_a_manner_of_speaking_best_of_ltmcd2520.html

http://www.winstontong.com/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th August 2015

ZEUS B HELD Logic of Coincidence

6 June 2015 /

German producer Zeus B Held may be not as well known as some of his contemporaries like Giorgio Moroder, Martin Rushent and Colin Thurston, but he has been a key presence in the development of electronic pop music with his edgy, danceable sound. In 2005, Uncut Magazine referred to him as “an artier Giorgio Moroder”.

His credits have included FASHION, DEAD OR ALIVE and DIE KRUPPS alongside John Foxx, Gary Numan and Nina Hagen, while he was also instrumental in the synthetic sheen for wanabee punksters TRANSVISION VAMP. But he first became more widely known as one half of GINA X PERFORMANCE whose 1979 cult classic ‘No GDM’ was a regular staple at The Blitz. Recorded in Japan, Germany and the UK, ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is Held’s first solo record since 1981’s ‘Attack Time’.

An intelligent and adventurous album, ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is worthy of investigation on its concept alone as Held explained: “I have always been fascinated by the mathematical and philosophical aspects of coincidence. For me, ‘The Dice Man’ by Luke Rhinehart is an all-time favourite book. It tells the story of a psychiatrist who begins making life decisions based on the casting of dice, and I was lucky enough to find a recording of Rhinehart himself reading from it”.

Photo by Andreas Lindlar

Indeed, this spoken narrative makes its presence felt on two tracks, ‘The Glass Bead Dice Man’ and ‘Surrender Your Soul’, the former of which sets the scene for this cinematic, almost ambient imaginary film soundtrack. “There’s nothing you HAVE to be…” announces Rhinehart, “be anyone you want to be… surrender your soul, let the dice roll”

The beautiful ‘Being & Time In Todtnauberg’ plays with Alpine Volksmusik, crossing it with a reversing shuffle beat; it could be ‘Ohm Sweet Ohm’ for the 21st Century. A bizarre rhythm section comprising of mouth pops holds the jazzier ‘Sho Pen How Air’ together with vocoder flourishes while ‘Who’s Happy Here?’ is a sumptuous piece in a modern style. Imagine Johan Strauss reimagined by a WILLIAM ORBIT versus TOMITA collaboration with added dubdrops for good measure. What is striking about the first third of ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is that it is experimental yet highly melodic.

‘Stay Epicure’ is more futuristic, recalling JOHN FOXX when the distorted vocaloid kicks in. Meanwhile ‘Wittgenstein’s Balaclava’ and ‘Kepos Garden’ keep the albums conceptual ambience maintained but the more progressive ‘Seven Answers By Robert M. Pirsig’ takes things a little too far and loses itself in self-indulgence.

Another jazz odyssey shapes ‘Five Beats On Tyche’ but with ‘Chaos In Sisyphus’, the tension builds to layers of gentle synthesized squelches. While the album is perhaps not wholly representative of Held’s past pop exploits, his artier Moroder template notably appears on ‘Kant Can’t Dance’. Its disco friendly outlook sounds strangely out of place on ‘Logic Of Coincidence’ though, but it is a fabulous track all the same.

“These are soundtracks for imaginary, usually abstract scenes – film, theatre or performance – all of which involve philosophers, thinkers and writers who dealt with issues of chance and coincidence” says Held. And ‘Descartes’ Dream of Lully’ certainly provides a fitting close with neo-classical interludes and abstract explorations that get more frantic towards the track’s conclusion.

At nearly 70 minutes including a bonus remix version of ‘Kant Can’t Dance’ by DREAM CONTROL and a hidden percussive sound sculpture, ‘Logic of Coincidence’ is a bit on the long side, but it is a well-crafted musical journey from Held, with a good number of enjoyable and accessible highlights.

‘Logic of Coincidence’ is released by Les Disques Du Crépuscule, CD available from http://lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/logic_of_coincidence_twi1166cd.html

http://zeusbheld.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zeus-B-Held/162448230492382

Text by Chi Ming Lai
6th June 2015

A Short Conversation with MARNIE

27 September 2014 /


Following the release of her acclaimed debut solo album ‘Crystal World’ in 2013, MARNIE has unveiled a brand new single ‘Wolves’, a taster for her new album due for 2015.

Released to coincide with the Scottish Independence Referendum, it has been described as “a soaring anthem for anyone that doesn’t believe in sticking with the status quo”.

Meanwhile, the lead singer of LADYTRON has been seeking her own path of independence since relocating back to her hometown of Glasgow. Featuring marvellous synthpop songs such as ‘The Hunter’, ‘Sugarland’, ‘Hearts On Fire’ and ‘High Road’, while a solo effort, ‘Crystal World did not venture too far away from the LADYTRON camp as it was co-produced by band mate Daniel Hunt. However, ‘Wolves’ is the fruit of her first collaboration with Jonny Scott of THE KILLS and OLYMPIC SWIMMERS fame.

MARNIE kindly spoke to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK about her new venture and her thoughts on the result of the Scottish Independence Referendum…

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK wasn’t expecting news of a second solo album so soon, so how has this come about?

I guess I’m just not finished yet! I really enjoyed writing for myself and have been writing on and off for the past 8 months, and will continue to do so. I like the freedom that it gives me. I’m hoping by early next year I should have a complete album. That is my plan anyway.

You’re not working with Daniel Hunt on this new album?

No. I was happy to work with Danny on my first solo record, but it’s always been important to me to work with different people. Having moved to Glasgow, I really wanted to be more involved with the scene there. I was introduced to producer and drummer Jonny Scott through Iain from CHVRCHES and we just kind of clicked. He’s been busy with THE KILLS for a while, but we still managed to work on a couple of tracks, one of them being ‘Wolves’. Looking forward to doing more later in the year.

‘Wolves’ has been inspired by the Scottish Independence Referendum campaign?

Yes, I wrote the song in January, before everything began to fizz and boil over. The sentiment of the song is basically that change is needed. Whichever side of the fence you sit on, I’m sure everyone can agree on that. People power can do a lot, and people are tired of a Westminster that is looking out for itself.

What are your thoughts about the referendum result and your hopes / fears for the future of Scotland?

I am desperately disappointed with the result, having been firmly in the yes camp. It’s such a foreign feeling. One you can’t quite pinpoint, but is ultimately loss. However, I’ve had a few days now to re-evaluate things and think on the positive. I still think good will come from the referendum, and that change will come. If it doesn’t, then all hell could break loose from both yes and no voters. I do hope that Scotland gets another chance, but in the meantime I just plan to get on with things. One thing though, Scotland is politically mobile now, like it’s never been before. There has been so much passion here with regards to the debate, coming from both sides. People actually care… which is a great feat.


How did you feel about the warm reception for your first solo album ‘Crystal World’?

I’m really happy with the way ‘Crystal World’ was received. People really got behind my Pledge campaign and I was lucky to have the support of LADYTRON fans.

Without them, I doubt I would’ve made my target.

What of the songs on ‘Crystal World’ have you been most proud of and why?

I’m pretty much proud of them all as I never really believed I was capable!! But I guess if I had to pick one or two I would choose ‘Submariner’ and ‘Gold’. ‘Submariner’ reminds me of a sad time, but also makes me smile. I envisage the sea and the coastline of the North East of Scotland and golden light over fields when I listen to it. ‘Gold’ was the last song to be written and I flew back to Iceland in December 2012 specifically to record it. Although the song is associated with reminiscing, it has a sense of closure for me.

Is there anything that you wished you’d approached slightly differently on ‘Crystal World’?

There are always things that could’ve been done differently, but there is no point dwelling on something you cannot change. I feel lucky to have got the album out. There were times when I thought that might not happen.

After the Pledge campaign, ‘Crystal World’ secured a wider release on the prestigious Les Disques Du Crépuscule label. How will you be going about issuing your second long player?

I’m still at the writing stage at the moment, so to discuss something else so far down the line makes no sense to me. I just want to concentrate on getting all the songs together, being happy with them, and then I can take it from there.

People are going to ask, what’s the state of play with LADYTRON at the moment?

LADYTRON are fine. Everyone’s still doing their own thing, but we are also all writing.

With two albums of solo material, live dates must be closer to being a possibility?

I’m hoping to start rehearsing with a band later this year. Fingers crossed that all goes to plan. Which will mean I am open to bookings. Any takers?

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to MARNIE

marnie_wolves_rsSpecial thanks to Stacey Walton at Red Villa, No Name

‘Wolves’ is released by Cobraside and available via Amazon, iTunes and other digital outlets

‘Crystal World’ is still available on CD and download through Les Disques Du Crépuscule

http://www.helenmarnie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/helen.marnie.official

http://marnie.shopfirebrand.com/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Lisa Devine Photography
27th September 2014

Lost Albums: PAUL HAIG Rhythm Of Life

21 June 2014 /

1983’s ‘Rhythm Of Life’ was Edinburgh born singer / songwriter Paul Haig’s one and only attempt to crack the pop mainstream.

The former front man of the gloriously hip JOSEF K had tired of suffering for his art and not selling any records. Along with ORANGE JUICE and AZTEC CAMERA, JOSEF K were part of the Postcard Records roster than had been hailed ‘The Sound Of Young Scotland’. When their label mates signed to Polydor and Warners respectively, JOSEF K imploded with just one album ‘The Only Fun In Town’ to their name.

But wanting to work outside of the restrictive band format, Haig had aspirations to sign to a major label and make a record that could get radio play. Following the lead of acts such as HEAVEN 17 and ABC, Haig pursued a more soulful club friendly direction and recorded a beat box assisted version of SLY & THE FAMILY STONE’s ‘Running Away’ which was released by Belgian label Les Disques Du Crépuscule to great acclaim. One of Haig’s champions was NME’s Paul Morley who declared him “the enigmatic fourth man” in a New Pop quartet that also included Billy Mackenzie, Jim Kerr and Martin Fry.

The media hype led to the single reaching the top of the Independent Charts and a lucrative licensing deal for Paul Haig and Crépuscule with Island Records. With a large injection of cash, Haig could now make the modern pop record he desired and ultimately squash the cockroach that he felt JOSEF K had become. Venturing over to Sigma Sound in New York, he set to work with the producer of the moment Alex Sadkin to fashion a collection of sophisticated electronic dance tracks with nods to funk and disco.

However, this was every much the Antithesis to the frantic guitar driven angst that the raincoat wearing JOSEF K fans were used to. The resultant album was named ‘Rhythm Of Life’ after the conceptual collective that Haig had initially sought to work under post-JOSEF K but that ultimately mutated into a solo career.

The opening track and lead single was ‘Heaven Sent’, a superb reimagination of SIMPLE MINDS’ ‘I Travel’ for the New York dancefloor; it had also originally been one of the ever last JOSEF K tracks. With Haig sounding not unlike a growly Jim Kerr crossed with Lou Reed and Iggy Pop, ‘Heaven Sent’ reached the lower reaches of the UK chart and fuelled some cautious optimism for the next single ‘Never Give Up (Party Party)’. This was a superbly catchy number with a great chorus and glorious middle eight.

Highly percussive and lifted by some sub-ASSOCIATES rhythm guitar and big layered synth riffs, ‘Never Give Up (Party Party)’ showed great promise. But despite being visually bolstered by Haig’s smooth Italian suited look and a lavish pop video, it failed to be the hit Island desired. This soured relations with the label; “They wanted a pop image to sell… and they didn’t get one” said Haig later.

Around this time, Alex Sadkin’s productions for THOMPSON TWINS and DURAN DURAN were becoming massive hits and Haig’s work drew unfair comparisons along with accusations of a sell-out. Sadkin had worked with GRACE JONES and TALKING HEADS so Haig’s motives had been artistically driven and whatever, ‘Never Give Up (Party Party)’ was certainly a more superior song to either ‘Love On Your Side’ or ‘Union Of The Snake’.

However, while Haig wrote the songs, played guitar and programmed the drums, he became very much a puppet on his own album as assorted musicians including PARLIAMENT / FUNKADELIC’s Bernie Worrell (fresh from his work with TALKING HEADS on ‘Girlfriend Is Better’) and THOMPSON TWINS’ Tom Bailey were brought in to add the synthesized gloss. A third single ‘Justice’ was lifted from ‘Rhythm Of Life’; while less urgent and dancefloor based than its two predecessors, ‘Justice’ was full of tense drama and contained a fabulously freeform synth solo. But it failed to ignite further interest in the album.

Of the other tracks on ‘Rhythm Of Life’, the polyrhythmic ‘Blue For You’ and the oriental flavoured ‘Adoration’ (another track from the JOSEF K days) maintained the standard of the three singles while ‘Stolen Love’ pointed towards NEW ORDER’s Italo disco interests. However, as with any debut album, there was filler. But the excellent closer ‘Work Together’ pushed Sadkin’s experiences of working on TALKING HEADS’ ‘Speaking In Tongues’ to the fore with its pumping electro funk and soulful backing singers complimenting the fulsome groove.

Photo by Sheila Rock

The album did not sell well on its UK and European release and ironically for an album that was largely aimed at the American club market, Island Records then opted not to issue ‘Rhythm Of Life’ in the US. A 1984 mini-album ‘New York Remix’ of extended dance versions by Big Apple DJ Bruce Forest was belatedly made available and signified some of the original Trans-Atlantic intent. But in the end, Haig’s work got sadly got lost.

Undeterred by his experiences in New York, Haig opted for a harder but still electronic sound augmented by more guitars for his next album ‘The Warp Of Pure Fun’. It was headed by his greatest moment ‘The Only Truth’ which was co-produced by NEW ORDER’s Bernard Sumner. But when it came out as a single in 1984 and failed to be a hit, it led to Island severing their links with Haig and Crépuscule. The album was finally released independently in 1985 by Crépuscule.

Haig eventually signed to Virgin offshoot Circa and in 1989, he released the album ‘Chain’ which yielded ‘Something Good’, a minor hit in Germany. But after that, Haig maintained a lower profile while taking an interest in the dance scene.

He later worked with the late Billy Mackenzie of ASSOCIATES on what was to become the ‘Memory Palace’ posthumous album as well as presenting his acclaimed ‘Cinematique’ series of instrumental works. Still active, more recently in 2013, Haig released a new experimental electronic album ‘Kube’.

While patchy in places and very much of its time, ‘Rhythm Of Life’is an enjoyable listen that features some extremely high quality songs. A recent review on Amazon sums things up best: “If you’re looking to find some synthpop you may have missed back in the day this is a good place to start…”

‘Rhythm Of Life’ featuring the ‘New York Remix’ EP as a bonus is re-released as a remastered CD by Les Disques Du Crépuscule on 23rd June 2014

http://www.paulhaig.com/

http://lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/rhythm_of_life_twi188cd.html

Text by Chi Ming Lai
21st June 2014

MARSHEAUX Discuss Their Odyssey

11 February 2014 /

Odysseus was the legendary Greek king who took 10 eventful years to return home after the Trojan War in which he used his infamous Trojan Horse ploy to capture the city of Troy.

Appropriately, MARSHEAUX’s brand new compilation ‘Odyssey’ traces the journey of the Athens based synth maidens from 2004 to the present day through their albums ‘E-Bay Queen’, ‘Peek-A-Boo’ and ‘Lumineux Noir’ to last year’s ‘Inhale’. Released on the prestigious Les Disques Du Crépuscule label and compiled by former employee James Nice, ‘Odyssey’ also includes a previously unissued song ‘Full Attack’.

The collection acts as a coherent listening experience showcasing their “wispy melancholic charm…” as was once described by OMD’s Andy McCluskey. The lush packaging also presents MARSHEAUX in a more pictorial manner than previously.

Meanwhile the tracklisting gives an opportunity for the curious but cautious synthpop enthusiast to sample the duo in one thoughtfully menued sitting. While several key tracks such as ‘Radial Emotion’ and ‘Breakthrough’ are absent, what ‘Odyssey’ does do, like any good compilation, is to provoke curiosity and further investigation.

Originally from Thessaloniki, Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou moved to Athens and came together to further their appreciation of electronic pop music. Their irresistible mix of classic pop hooks and digi-analogue synthesis has seen MARSHEAUX stretch their sophisticated appeal across the world. They have played prestigious support slots for OMD, CLIENT and even LA rockers 30 SECONDS TO MARS… the latter’s frontman Jared Leto is a big fan of the girls!

As well as recording original material, MARSHEAUX have done numerous cover versions and remixed for other artists from DEPECHE MODE, THE HUMAN LEAGUE and OMD, to Moby, Katy Perry, Mylène Farmer and Andy Bell. In a busy few months for Sophie and Marianthi, there has also been two new MARSHEAUX vocalled tracks ‘Big Black Hole’ and ‘Close To Me’ included on their producers FOTONOVELA’s second album ‘A Ton Of Love’.

With dreams of a disco, the girls kindly spoke about their own 10 year ‘Odyssey’…

How did Les Disques Du Crépuscule come to be involved in releasing a MARSHEAUX ‘best of’?

James Nice from Les Disques Du Crépuscule contacted Undo Records in Greece, because he was interested in releasing some of our songs in a compilation.

We felt really honoured, because Les Disques Du Crépuscule is a very classy label that we really admire. They had artists like PAUL HAIG, PALE FOUNTAINS, Alan Rankine from ASSOCIATES, TUXEDOMOON and they also had just released MARNIE’s debut album. We are really excited with the idea of being on the roster.

Apart from ‘Popcorn’, ‘Odyssey’ stays largely clear of your cover versions?

Maybe it’s better this way. We always loved doing cover versions of other artists, but we never thought of having a career out of it. If we had chosen the tracklist, then maybe we would have picked WHEN IN ROME’s ‘The Promise’ instead of ‘Popcorn’. On the other hand ‘Popcorn’ is our first ever recorded track and this is enough to make it into ‘Odyssey’.


Your first album ‘E-Bay Queen’ was in 2004, how do you look back on the making of it?

When we first started MARSHEAUX, we always thought that we would sound like ERASURE or YAZOO melodically, we would be romantic like OMD, have the aesthetics like PET SHOP BOYS and be clever like SPARKS.

‘E-Bay Queen’ was literally made in 7 days, all of it… recordings, designs, marketing!

We just had started to get used to our 2-3 instruments we had just bought… LFOs, filters, oscillators. It was a whole new world for us. We still remember the first time we managed to trigger correctly the TR606 with the SH101’s arpegiator and then the TR707 with our Juno.

Of course we’d written 11-12 tracks for the album but the demos were really bad, even as demos! We had the voice melody and when the body of the tracks was ready, with the help of the guys of FOTONOVELA we finished the album in seven days. Now our record company wants to release all that demo stuff, but we are too embarrassed.

‘Computer Love’ is still a part of your live set. Why does that one still hold so much affection after 10 years?

We adore this track. It’s mood fixing. It’s so naive that you get instantly hooked by it. We love the female voice through vocoder. This is our answer to KRAFTWERK and still a great track till today.

By 2007 with ‘Peek-A-Boo’, you had made a big leap artistically. What happened to make your sound to become more fully realised?

All the money we earned from ‘E-Bay Queen’ we put it on ‘Peek-A-Boo’. We wanted it to sound completely different. We knew that creating our second album would be the hardest thing.

We decided, not to have many live appearances, not too many pictures taken and not to appear in clips. Instead we tried to make everything artier and give all our energy to the music and the artwork.

We bought new instruments and we spent all our time to learn how they worked. We made the album in one year and a half, not in seven days like the previous one. We had tons of appointments with our graphic designers ’til we came up with the purple paper bag and the ghost design. The entire project was under a plan. It finally worked once ‘Peek-A-Boo’ came out in the international market through Out Of Line. Each one who bought the CD wore the bag on the head, took pictures and sent them to us. We gathered roughly 3,500 pictures. The ‘Peek-A-Boo’ bag was pictured from Lapland with skis, to Johan Cruyff’s head in the Barcelona museum.


How did you write ‘Dream Of A Disco’… did you intentionally set out to base it around ‘Space Age Love Song’?

Of course not, it just happened in the studio while we were trying to make some mash-ups for a DJ set, we got hooked with it. There was a drum pattern, the theme of ‘Space Age Love Song’ and on it, we sang whatever.

‘Dream Of A Disco’ was ready after a week. The feedback was great. No-one wrote that we stole a song in order to make another one.

It’s great to see ‘Wait No More’ on ‘Odyssey’, I think it’s one of your most under rated songs…

We agree 100%. We wanted it as a single but Out Of Line was totally against it and pushed ‘What A Lovely Surprise’ on the radio instead. If we had to compile a MARSHEAUX ‘Best Of…’, ‘Wait No More’ would be in it. In general the ‘Peek-A-Boo’ sessions were melancholic and romantic, a thing you won’t find in the other of our albums.

Of course, many see ‘Lumineux Noir’ as your crowning achievement? 

The reviews for ‘Lumineux Noir’ were excellent. We honestly didn’t expect it, as the album was quite darker than the previous ones without losing its pop style. The success of ‘Peek-A-Boo’ took us to the next level. We gained confidence, no insecurities for anything. When we sent ‘Lumineux Noir’ to Undo and Out Of Line, we told them that it’s finished and that’s it. We didn’t change anything, unlike other times.


‘Sorrow’ is possibly one of the best songs DEPECHE MODE never recorded…

‘Sorrow’ and actually the entire album reflects the emotional state we were at that time. ‘Sorrow’ was written on a really cloudy and moody day after we both had a really bad week.

We actually made fun of the situation in the studio by trying to make a soundtrack for the “drama”. When we finished it, we thought that this track would be the perfect ending for ‘Lumineux Noir’.

Back in the other days, there was no way we would have written a song like that. But being in on electro / goth label, playing lives in Goths festivals and meeting people from the underground electro / EBM scene made it easier for us to add a song like that to our album. We don’t think that DEPECHE MODE would record a track like that now. Maybe it would have been a nice B-side to ‘Shake The Disease’ or ‘It’s Called A Heart’… that period just before ‘Black Celebration’ and after ‘Some Great Reward’.

MARSHEAUX have often been compared with being a female DM and now in the US, there’s FEATHERS who have been called a female DEPECHE MODE too and they have a Greek girl fronting them. What do you think of their music?

We don’t think we are the female DM although it’s very flattering. Our sound is more like Vince Clarke’s. Greece is IN the last few years. Every day it is in the news, not for a good reason of course, but you can’t ignore her.

Also before FEATHERS, who we hope get the acknowledgment they deserve, there was Marina Diamandis or even Michael Angelakos from PASSION PIT… there is always a Greek somewhere. FEATHERS are really great, we like them a lot but the most female DEPECHE MODE track we heard though the last years was the 2013 Norway’s Eurovision entry by MARGARET BERGER; it was like an outtake song from ‘Songs Of Faith & Devotion’!

‘Inhale’ was a long time coming and in hindsight, seems less self-assured. How was the environment in Athens to work in and do you think it subconsciously affected the songs?

We tried hard to leave the problems of our country out of the studio, it was something really difficult because what is happening around affects us inevitably. Some of our lyrics like ‘End Is A New Start’ refer to it, but in no way it did affect our work. ‘Inhale’ was ready a year and a half before its release but it late came out late due to various problems that occurred. That’s why we released the ‘E-Bay Queen Is Dead’ compilation ahead of it. This turned out to be a positive move, because it gave ‘Inhale’ the chance to go global through various labels.

There some great songs on ‘Inhale’, ‘Can You Stop Me?’ and ‘Alone’ in particular which are on ‘Odyssey’. What are your favourites on ‘Inhale’?

Originally ‘Odyssey’ was never meant to have any ‘Inhale’ tracks. Later on, we thought it was better this way because someone could have a better picture of MARSHEAUX. ‘To The End’ and ‘August Day’ are our favourites, especially ‘August Day’.

The specially recorded new song ‘Full Attack’, where did that originate from and what’s it about?

We made ‘Full Attack’ especially for ‘Odyssey’, because James Nice of Les Disques Du Crépuscule asked us for a track that will be only on it. We didn’t want to use a rejected track from ‘Inhale’ (we have more than the ones on ‘E-Bay Queen Is Dead’…) so we started working on an idea we had and ‘Full Attack’ was ready in one night. ‘Full Attack’ is about people that use and manipulate others, and keep doing it till there is nothing left.

Are you generally happy with James Nice’s choice of tracklisting?

In general yes. At the beginning we thought it was strange, that there was a MARSHEAUX ‘Best Of’ without ‘Hanging On’ and ‘Breakthrough’. But as soon as he explained his thoughts, we understood. We think that James is the ideal person to collaborate. He is a music man and not a businessman. This is the problem today. Contrary to James, the companies see the artist as merchandise only. He wants his artist to be happy first, and then does the marketing.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK thinks it’s a shame ‘Radial Emotion’ is not featured. Are there any songs you would have liked to have been on ‘Odyssey’ that have missed inclusion?

This has also a positive side. It means we have a lot of great songs that didn’t make it to the compilation. We would have definitely put ‘Hanging On’ and ‘Breakthrough’ on as we said but also ‘So Far’, ‘Radial Emotion’ and ‘August Day’.

What do you think 2013 has been like for electronic music in general, what have you liked in particular?

We really liked CUT COPY’s new album, ‘English Electric’ by OMD was a pleasant surprise, AZURE BLUE’s second album was great and ‘Paracosm’ from WASHED OUT was our soundtrack of last summer. We must not forget CHVRCHES’ s debut of course, which had not even a mediocre song. But there were a lot of great tracks though with not many great albums.

Your collaboration on FOTONOVELA’s ‘A Ton Of Love’ album called ‘Close To Me’ is quite different to what MARSHEAUX have done before. Is that a sign of a future new direction?

The boys wanted SANDRA to sing the track but her management never replied to the request. We believe that if SANDRA sang ‘Close To Me’, it would have been a great hit. FOTONOVELA consider us a “sure thing” whenever they need something… demos etc, we are always there! *laughs*

Initially we thought that because they had a lot of guest artists, we wouldn’t collaborate. But at the last moment the track they did with JAY JAY JOHANSON didn’t make it to the LP and LACQUER didn’t catch the dead line, so there was this gap of two songs. For sure ‘Close To Me’ is not a sign for MARSHEAUX’s future.

What are MARSHEAUX’s future plans?

We are re-recording the whole of ‘A Broken Frame’ by DEPECHE MODE in order to release it for Record Store day 2014 on vinyl. This morning we finished ‘The Sun & The Rainfall’ and it sounds amazing. In September 2014, we are going to release a new edition of ‘Inhale’ called ‘Exhale’, with all the album tracks produced by different producers… one producer per track.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to MARSHEAUX

Special thanks also to James Nice and Undo Records

‘Odyssey’ is released by Les Disques Du Crépuscule on CD in a six panel digipack with a colour booklet

http://marsheaux.com

http://marsheaux.wordpress.com/

https://www.facebook.com/marsheaux

http://lesdisquesducrepuscule.com/odyssey_twi1151cd.html

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
11th February 2014

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