Tag: Marsheaux (Page 4 of 12)

A Short Conversation with DAYBEHAVIOR

27 April 2017 /


Despite having only three albums in their back catalogue, Sweden’s DAYBEHAVIOR have been around since 1996 when they released their debut long player ‘:Adored’.

The sophomore offering ‘Have You Ever Touched A Dream?’ came out in 2003.

But DAYBEHAVIOR went into hiatus shortly after until they returned in 2012 with ‘Follow That Car!’, featuring widescreen pop ditties such as ‘City Lights’, ‘Silent Dawn’ and ‘It’s A Game’.

With Paulinda Crescentini, Carl Hammar and Tommy Arell close to completing their fourth opus ‘Based on a true story’, the trio took a break from recording and kindly chatted to about everything that has been happening in the DAYBEHAVIOR camp.

Before your third album ‘Follow That Car!’, DAYBEHAVIOR had been away from the music scene for a while, so what was it like for the three of you to come back together?

Carl: We had been working very close and intensely before the break for many years so we knew each other’s skills pretty well, and we were very hungry to continue the DAYBEHAVIOR story. But at the same time, we all had grown in different directions during these years, so it was not obvious that it would work getting together after a long break.

Photo by Conny Fornbäck

Which artists and music styles have been your main influences?

Carl: For me, it’s electronic music mainly from the early 80s. KRAFTWERK, YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA, LOGIC SYSTEM, ULTRAVOX and of course the synthpop scene when I was growing up like DEPECHE MODE, THE HUMAN LEAGUE, RATIONAL YOUTH, the list can be very long…

Tommy: Same as Carl mentioned, and adding Ennio Morricone, MASSIVE ATTACK, SAINT ETIENNE, GOLDFRAPP etc etc…

Paulinda: When I grew up, it was Madonna, DURAN DURAN, DEPECHE MODE and Michael Jackson mainly. Favorites now are Karin Park, Susanne Sundfor and Duvchi.

What inspired ‘It’s A Game’?

Paulinda: It’s inspiration from my own life, where I had just been having a secret relationship which was very playful and sexual…

The song was given to a number of artists to remix and MARSHEAUX’s version upped the pace quite considerably. What did you think when you first heard it?

Carl: This is great synthpop!

Tommy: It was an absolutely lovable remix they had done…. poppy / clubby / cool… thumbs up!

‘Follow That Car!’ had a long gestation period. How do you look back on it now, especially compared with your two previous albums?

Tommy: I still think it’s a marvellous album. One of my most played CDs ever I believe, haha! But if we released the album today, it would sound a bit different. Time passes by, so do sounds and influences.

You took an interesting approach with your most recent single ‘Change’ by producing a wonderful Italian version ‘Cambiare’ as an alternate interpretation?

Tommy: We have made Italian versions of songs before, actually our debut single ‘Cinematic’ is in Italian. When ‘Change’ was finished, we had two different versions we all liked, so we decided to release one in Italian too. The vocals always get a beautiful ‘Change’ when Paulinda is singing in such a lovely language as Italian.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK really likes ‘Cambiare’… but have DAYBEHAVIOR ever considered singing in Swedish? 😉

Carl: Oh yes, we’ve tried once or twice, but it didn’t turn out the way we expected. But maybe we’ll find the right song and lyrics in the future.

How is the new DAYBEHAVIOR album ‘Based on a true story’ coming along, can you describe its likely direction and which songs are developing well?

Carl: It has been delayed several times, but at the moment we are finalizing the last songs and doing the last tweaks and mixing.

Tommy: The new album will have many of the classic DAYBEHAVIOR elements, but it will not sound like the previous albums. Some songs are harder to finish than others, but we will only include songs we all are happy with.

Do you feel DAYBEHAVIOR fit in with the current Swedish electronic pop scene?

Tommy: Not really. I think there has never been a Swedish act similar to us, so in that sense we don’t fit in anyplace. We like upbeat synthpop tracks like ‘Change’, but also cinematic songs like ‘Godspeed’ and melancholic songs like ‘The Blue Film’ which will be on our new album.

Are there any of the newer Swedish acts you like?

Tommy: KITE and THE KNIFE

Paulinda: Karin Park

What is next for DAYBEHAVIOR?

Carl: 1) Reach the peak position on the Billboard Charts – 2) Write the next James Bond song – 3) Be bigger than God 🙂

Tommy: Finishing the album this summer and hopefully release it in September-October.

‘Based on a true story’ is due for release by Graplur in Autumn 2019, the previous album ‘Follow That Car!’ and single ‘Change’ are available via the usual digital retailers

http://www.daybehavior.com

https://www.facebook.com/DayBehavior

https://twitter.com/DaybehaviorBand

https://www.instagram.com/daybehavior_band/

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
27th April 2017, updated 26th August 2019

25 FAVOURITE SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS Of The 21ST CENTURY

25 April 2017 /

Today, electronic instrumental music is everywhere, but often in the form of tedious dance tracks with no tunes all over Beatport and social media.

Luckily, there are still exponents of the classic synth instrumental, and thanks to the rise of the Synthwave sub-genre, there is currently a sympathetic environment for more esoteric and melodic musical offerings. The key to a good instrumental is it either has to be very melodic to make up for the lack of vocals or very unobtrusive so that while the music is interesting enough to be listened to, it can also be ignored. Thus a Eurorack modular tutorial cannot credibly count as a valid release… 😉

As a follow-up to TEC’s 25 SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS Of The CLASSIC ERA, with a limit of one track per artist, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK presents its 25 FAVOURITE SYNTH INSTRUMENTALS Of The 21ST CENTURY in chronological and then alphabetical order…

SYSTEM F Insolation (2000)

While Dutch producer Ferry Corsten hit paydirt with international club hits such as ‘Out Of The Blue’ and ‘Cry’ as SYSTEM F, the debut album pointed towards the Trance’s link to electronic pop. As well as a brilliant collaboration with Marc Almond entitled ‘Soul On Soul’, the long player included the beautifully majestic classic instrumental ‘Insolation’ which took a breather from the usual four-to-the floor format.

Available on the album ‘Out Of The Blue’ via Premier

http://www.ferrycorsten.com/

PPK ResuRection – Perfecto Edit (2001)

PPK were a Russian trance duo comprising of  Sergei Pimenov and Alexander Polyakov. The original melody of ‘ResuRection’ came from Eduard Artemyev’s synthesized theme from the epic 1979 Soviet movie ‘Siberiade’ which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Easily mistaken for Jean-Michel Jarre, the thrusting seven minute ‘Perfecto Edit’ in particular was like an exuberant rocket launch set to music.

Originally released by Perfecto Records, currently unavailable

http://promodj.com/ppk

LADYTRON Turn It On (2002)

With a piercing synthphonic riff, scat vocoder, robotic bass and a rigid programmed beat, ‘Turn It On’ saw LADYTRON take a bleep forward with an attempt at a KRAFTWERK track for the 21st Century via Liverpool, Glasgow and Sofia. But as it headed towards its final third, it detoured back to Liverpool and turned into ‘Electricity’ in a cheeky homage to Merseyside’s original electronic trailblazers OMD.

Available on the album ‘Light & Magic’ via Telstar

http://www.ladytron.com/

FROST Klong (2003)

A Norwegian electronic duo consisting of Aggie Peterson and Per Martinsen, FROST released their second album ‘Melodica’ to a positive response, thanks to some production assistance by RÖYKSOPP on two tracks. The beautiful Arctic serenity of ‘Klong’ featuring local trumpeter Nils Petter Molvær alongside layers of gorgeous crystalline synths was one of the album’s highlights that easily outdid anything by GROOVE ARMADA and didn’t rely on using samples either.

Available on the album ‘Melodica’ via Frost World Recordings

https://frostnorway.com/

MYLO Emotion 96.8 (2004)

‘Destroy Rock & Roll’ was the debut album by Scottish DJ Myles MacInnes that alongside DAFT PUNK and BASEMENT JAXX, summed up the sample laden dance music that was prevalent at the time. Produced on a computer in his own bedroo, the album’s best track however was the more downtempo, Moby-esque richness of ‘Emotion 96.8’ with its beautiful sweeping synth melodies and unobtrusive rhythm structure.

Available on the album ‘Destroy Rock & Roll’ via Breastfed

http://www.mylo.tv/

ORBITAL Pants (2004)

With a hypnotic Motorik rhythm, pulsating bleeps and spacey whirs driving a moodier template along the lines of cult German experimentalists EMAK, Phil and Paul Hartnoll continued their primarily instrumental template on their ‘Blue Album’, although SPARKS contributed vocals to a totally unrelated track called ‘Acid Pants’. The brothers split shortly after the long player’s release, but returned in 2009 to play The Big Chill Festival.

Available on the album ‘Blue Album’ via Orbital Music

http://orbitalofficial.com/

MOBY Homeward Angel (2005)

From ‘Hymn’ to ‘First Cool Hive’ to ‘A Seated Night’, the man born Richard Melville Hall is a master of the instrumental. The solemn ‘Homeward Angel’ closed Moby’s sample-less song-based ‘Hotel’ album with a solemn yet uplifting slice of mood music that was incongruous with the main act. Since leaving Mute in 2008, his more recent self-released albums such as ‘Destroyed’ and ‘Innocents’ have displayed this more esoteric quality.

Available on the album ‘Hotel’ via Mute Records

http://moby.com/

RÖYKSOPP Alpha Male (2005)

A ten minute instrumental epic, ‘Alpha Male’ came from RÖYKSOPP’s under rated second long player, a collection of music that saw Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland moving away from the chill-out climes of ‘Melody AM’ into much darker sonic territory. The track’s lengthy ambient intro was interrupted by a mighty metronomic beat and the sort of progressive synth overtures that would have made Jean-Michel Jarre proud.

Available on the album ‘The Understanding’ via Wall Of Sound Records

http://royksopp.com/

JOHN FOXX Kurfurstdendam (2006)

Since his musical return in 1997 with ‘Shifting City’, John Foxx has practically had albums coming out of his ears in song-based, ambient and soundtrack formats, both solo and in collaboration with other artists. The spacey mechanical Schaffel of ‘Kurfurstdendam’ came from an imaginary soundtrack he called ‘Tiny Colour Movies’, inspired by a friend’s birthday screening of a private film collection comprising of random surveillance clips and offcuts from Hollywood.

Available on the album ‘Tiny Colour Movies’ via Metamatic Records

http://www.metamatic.com/

SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN Space-Elevator (2007)

Few acts actually genuinely sound like their name… SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN, which translates as “the last man in space”, is the solo project of Swedish synthpop trailblazer Eddie Bengtsson, he of PAGE and S.P.O.C.K fame. The frantic ‘Space-Elevator’ with its swimmy string synths and Sci-Fi derived melody acted as an effective Moroder-esque interlude on his excellent sixth album ‘Tredje Våningen’ and also featured ‘Allt Är Klart’ which borrowed off the ULTRAVOX instrumental ‘Alles Klar’.

Available on the album ‘Tredje Våningen’ via Energy Rekords

http://www.moonbasealpha.space/

TENEK Ice Fields (2007)

Borrowing the distinctive bassline from SIMPLE MINDS’ 1981 single ‘Love Song’, TENEK put together this lively instrumental for their debut EP. With a modern mechanical groove coupled to their trademark synth rock, the almost funky ‘Ice Fields’ became an early live favourite, although the duo have focussed on more song based adventures for their three albums to date, ‘Stateless’, ‘On The Wire’ and ‘Smoke & Mirrors’.

Available on ‘EP1+’ via https://tenek.bandcamp.com/album/ep1

http://www.tenek.co.uk/

KLEERUP Hero (2008)

In 2007, Andreas Kleerup, producer and one-time drummer for THE MEAT BOYS, undertook his first mainstream collaboration with fellow Swede Robyn. The success of ‘With Every Heartbeat’ led to the recording of his self-titled debut album which featured a number of brilliant instrumentals. ‘Hero’ was its perfect start and with a solid bassline and strong choral timbres, it had the vibe of how OMD might have sounded if they had formed in the 21st Century.

Available on the album ‘Kleerup’ via EMI Music

http://kleerup.net/

DAFT PUNK Tron Legacy – End Titles (2010)

While most of the ‘Tron Legacy’ soundtrack was orchestrated by Joseph Trapanese, DAFT PUNK’s spiky electronics and drum machine were kept in alongside the epic strings for the end titles of the sequel to the 1982 movie ‘Tron’. There were nods to Wendy Carlos who composed the original film score, with Thomas Bangalter focusing on the heroic themes while Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo was more inclined to generating the darker elements.

Available on the soundtrack album ‘Tron Legacy’ via Walt Disney Records

https://www.daftpunk.com/

047 Kanpai! (2011)

Forming in 2001, Swedish duo 047 began their chiptune experiments thought a mutual appreciation of vintage video games. But after their debut long player, Peter Engström and Sebastian Rutgersson began to incorporate melodic song based elements and vocals into their music. The end results led to the impressive second album ‘Elva’, but they celebrated their chiptune influenced roots with the jolly YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA salute of ‘Kanpai!’

Available on the album ‘Elva’ via Killing Music

http://www.047.se/

MARSHEAUX Now & Never (2012)

‘The E-Bay Queen Is Dead’ was collection of rarities from the MARSHEAUX archives. While Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou have done a fair number of cover versions in their time, they are not really known for doing instrumentals. But the electro-boppy ‘Now & Never’ was a very promising wordless demo that Vince Clarke would have approved of; as one of his former DEPECHE MODE colleagues once sang: “words are very unnecessary…”

Available on the album ‘The E-Bay Queen Is Dead’ via Undo Records

http://marsheaux.com/

SOFT METALS Hourglass (2012)

Fusing Detroit techno with more European experimental forms, Patricia Hall and Ian Hicks’ second SOFT METALS album ‘Lenses’ featured the fabulous instrumental ‘Hourglass’. As Hall put it: “I really wanted to write lyrics for that one, but was never quite satisfied with what I came up with. I decided it would be better to let that one be an instrumental. I think it holds up on its own. It’s nice to give the listener a chance to interpret its meaning on its own rather than direct them with words”.

Available on the album ‘Lenses’ via Captured Tracks

https://www.facebook.com/SOFTMETALS/

VILE ELECTRODES The future through a lens (2013)

Anais Neon and Martin Swan’s tribute to ‘Assault On Precinct 13’, ‘The future through a lens’ was a moody but booming instrumental that began their excellent debut longer player of the same name, which later netted a Schallewelle Award for ‘Best International Album’ in 2014. With their vast array of analogue synthesizers and exquisite taste for sound textures, it won’t be too surprising if VILE ELECTRODES aren’t offered some soundtrack opportunities in the near future.

Available on the album ‘The future through a lens’ via
https://vileelectrodes.bandcamp.com/album/the-future-through-a-lens

http://www.vileelectrodes.com/

TODD TERJE Delorean Dynamite (2014)

Although making his name within EDM circles, the Norwegian producer born Todd Olsen paid a musical tribute to ‘Back To The Future’ and its futuristic gull-wing doored Delorean DMC-12 car with this suitably driving Synthwave instrumental. Unlike other so-called dance producers, Terje is conversant with electronic music history and possesses a wry sense of humour, as evidenced by the witty wordplay of track titles like ‘Inspector Norse’ and his own DJ moniker.

Available on the album ‘It’s Album Time’ via Olsen Records

http://toddterje.com/

BLANCMANGE Cistern (2015)

After the first phase of BLANCMANGE, Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe worked within the TV and film industry, scoring soundtracks and incidental music. Although best known for his voice, Neil Arthur’s instrumentals have been a continual form of expression. The brilliant ‘Cistern’ comes over like an imaginary Bond Theme for a retro-futuristic world. The wordless wonder that is the parent album ‘Nil By Mouth’ is an unsung masterpiece.

Available on the album ‘Nil By Mouth’ via Blanc Check

http://www.blancmange.co.uk

RODNEY CROMWELL Baby Robot (2015)

Adam Cresswell’s sombre vocals and the darker lyrical themes on his debut Rodney Cromwell album ‘Age Of Anxiety’ took a breather with the bright and breezy ‘Baby Robot’. With sweet synthesizer melodies, pretty glints of glockenspiel and a bouncy beatbox, the instrumental was inspired by birth of his son. “Yes, ‘Baby Robot’ is the one track on the album that’s 100% upbeat as it is about the experience of being a father” he gleefully said.

Available on the album ‘Age Of Anxiety’ via https://happyrobotsrecords.bandcamp.com/

http://www.happyrobots.co.uk/

DARKNESS FALLS Thunder Roads (2015)

While Danish duo DARKNESS FALLS are better known for their melancholic Nordic vocals and neo-gothic overtones on songs like ‘The Void’, the dark synthy instrumental ‘Thunder Roads’ proved to be one of the most striking tracks on their second album ‘Dance & Cry’. With a punchy drum machine mantra and menacing reverberant sequence, it was augmented by guitar screeches and sombre six string basslines reminiscent of JOY DIVISION and THE CURE.

Available on the album ‘Dance & Cry’ via Fake Diamond Records

http://darknessfallsmusic.com/

JEAN-MICHEL JARRE & BOYZ NOISE The Time Machine (2015)

Jean-Michel Jarre’s first album for since ‘Teo & Tea’ in 2007 was a two volume opus entitled ‘Electronica’; it features collaborations with a number of synth pioneers and modern day dance artists including BOYZ NOISE aka Berlin DJ Alexander Ridha. This climactic track took on a new life as the set closer on the French synth maestro’s ‘Electronica’ world tour, with a lasered 3D visual feast that required no special glasses! BUT BEWARE OF FLASHING IMAGES! 😉

Available on the album ‘Electronica 1 – The Time Machine’ via Columbia Records

http://jeanmicheljarre.com/

JOHN CARPENTER Utopian Façade (2016)

The horror film king recorded his ‘Lost Themes’ series in collaboration with his son Cody and his godson Daniel Davies as standalone pieces, without the pressure of having to put the music to moving images. The second volume was completed on a tighter schedule to accompany a world concert tour and thus replicated some of the challenging moods in his soundtrack work with tracks like ‘Utopian Façade’ recalling his classic movie soundscapes.

Available on the album ‘Lost Themes II’ via Sacred Bones

http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/

KYLE DIXON & MICHAEL STEIN Stranger Things (2016)

Dixon and Stein are members of the Texan group SURVIVE and their accompanying music to ‘Stranger Things’, a cross between ‘ET’, ‘The Goonies’ and ‘Alien’, sent electronic music fans into online meltdown with its use of vintage analogue synths. With a soundtrack influenced by the horror flicks of Dario Argento and of course John Carpenter, the one minute opening title music to the acclaimed drama series said all that was needed to be said in its brooding dissonant tones.

Available on the soundtrack album ‘Stranger Things – Volume 1’ via Invada Records

https://www.facebook.com/survivesurvive/

TINY MAGNETIC PETS Klangfarben (2016)

As would be expected from a title like ‘Klangfarben’, this vibrant instrumental from Dublin trio TINY MAGNETIC PETS is an enjoyable homage to Germanic music forms, with a loose percussive feel that still maintains that vital degree of Motorik. A word meaning “soundcolour”, it refers to a technique whereby a musical line is split between several instruments, rather than assigning it to just one instrument, thereby adding timbre and texture to proceedings.

Available on the EP ‘The NATO Alphabet EP’ via https://tinymagneticpets.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Tiny-Magnetic-Pets-69597715797/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
25th April 2017

A Beginner’s Guide To DEPECHE MODE In The 21st Century

19 April 2017 /

Photo by Anton Corbijn

Nearly 30 years since the Concert For The Masses at Pasadena Rose Bowl, DEPECHE MODE continue to fill stadia throughout the world.

However, their recorded output in the 21st Century and their attitude towards their live presentation leaves a lot to be desired. Despite ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s criticism of DEPECHE MODE as a live band with the excesses of The Drumhead and The Noodler, they are still capable of occasional brilliance as an artistic force. And it is that intermittent quality which is the most frustrating aspect of DEPECHE MODE in the 21st Century.

But this article is not about the absence of Alan Wilder or the much-debated choice of producers, it’s about when the DEPECHE MODE brand has got it right, whether with the full involvement of the band’s members or not. So which are those moments that veer closest to the glory of albums such as ‘Black Celebration’, ‘Music For The Masses’ and ‘Violator’ that see Messrs Fletcher, Gahan and Gore properly exploring the electronic sound with which they made their fortune?

Tellingly, many of the best DM moments in this new millennium are remixes, instrumentals, bonus tracks or songs sung by Martin Gore. It must be pointed out that this listing is NOT intended for Devotees, but aimed those former fans of DEPECHE MODE disillusioned by Dave Gahan’s drug fuelled stage diving antics who bowed out after ‘Songs Of Faith & Devotion’ or those hanging on for the possibility of a good record using synthesizers rather than a collection of pastiche electro-blues.

So here are the 18 tracks which act as ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s own Beginner’s Guide To DEPECHE MODE in the 21st Century.

Dream On – Dave Clarke Acoustic Version (2001)

‘Dream On’ was a messy trailer to the inappropriately named ‘Exciter’ album, but with Dave Clarke slowing down the song’s acoustic guitar line, the makeover brought the track closer to its full musical potential. Anything BUT acoustic thanks to the addition of electronic drum patterns and icy string synths, there was the bonus of the track being made instrumental and free of the dreary lead vocal on the original.

Available on the 2CD album ‘Remixes 81 – 04’ via Sony Music

I Feel Loved (2001)

Inspired by Giorgio Moroder, the pacey and club friendly ‘I Feel Loved’ stood out like a sore thumb on ‘Exciter’, being the album’s only truly uptempo number. With its synthy sirens and tightly sequenced bassline, treated enhancement was provided by Airto Moreira, a veteran jazz drummer from Brazil who appeared to have a good grasp as to the best way to provide percussive colour to a danceable electronic recording.

Available on the album ‘Exciter’ via Sony Music

Easy Tiger – Full Version (2001)

Martin Gore’s interest in leftfield electronica and thus the employment of the late Mark Bell from LFO as producer on ‘Exciter’ only truly manifested itself in the full-length version of ‘Easy Tiger’ which appeared on the B-side of the ‘Dream On’ single. A beautifully progressive track with many intelligent layers and hypnotic percussive counterpoints, a truncated version of ‘Easy Tiger’ ended up on the album, but was so short that it was rendered virtually pointless when cut off at two minutes.

Available on the 6CD single boxed set ‘6’ via Mute Records

Zenstation (2001)

A dreamy neo-instrumental with a few Martin Gore vocal ab-libs, ‘Zenstation’ emerged as the B-side of ‘Freelove’. Using exotic koto samples and assorted detuned synth sounds, the under rated track was strong on melody and inventive in its percussive interplay. Recalling an earlier mood piece ‘Christmas Island’ but utilising a more meditative environment, its Far Eastern overtones provided a wonderful textural diversion within the DEPECHE MODE canon.

Available on the CD single ‘Freelove’ via Mute Records

A Pain That I’m Used To – MARSHEAUX remix (2005)

Already a magnificent brooding epic in its original form, ‘A Pain That I’m Used To’ was brilliantly transformed by MARSHEAUX, adding their own sparkling top end dynamic. While this is one of DEPECHE MODE’s better offerings in recent years, it seems outsiders have a better grasp of classic DM than the band themselves. Although never officially released, this was voted top remix in a poll of Devotees and far superior to the dreadful Jacques Lu Cont remix that the band insist on doing live!

Remix not officially available

Suffer Well (2005)

The ‘Playing The Angel’ album was a return to form, thanks largely to its “pain and suffering in various tempos” but also following his lacklustre solo debut ‘Paper Monsters’, the rise of Dave Gahan’s abilities as a songwriter, as proven by the embittered thrust of ‘Suffer Well’. It was a fine if slightly overdriven fusion of rock and electronic elements that came over brilliantly in a live setting.

Available on the album ‘Playing The Angel’ via Sony Music

Martyr – Paul van Dyk Radio Mix (2006)

It could be said that the worst judges of DEPECHE MODE’s music are DEPECHE MODE themselves… originally titled ‘Martyr For Love’, this rousing number came from the ‘Playing The Angel’ sessions, but was apparently rejected from the album for being too poppy! Released as the launch single to a ‘Best Of’ compilation, the most enjoyable version of the song came via a remix from top Trance DJ Paul Van Dyk who exploited the tune’s accessibility to the full with a nicely polished club friendly sound.

Available as an iTunes download single via Mute Records

Wrong – Trentemøller Club Remix (2009)

Anders Trentemøller’s superb Club Remix of ‘Wrong’ well and truly outstripped the rather ploddy original. His astute understanding of synthesizers and conventional instruments has made him an acclaimed producer in-demand with both electronic acts and indie bands such as SAVAGES. But despite sitting under the noses of Messrs Gahan, Gore and Fletcher, the Dane has unbelievably never received that call.

Available on the album ‘Remixes 2: 81-11’ via Sony Music

Spacewalker (2009)

Martin Gore writes great instrumentals, but unlike the days of yore when he would explore his synths and build atmospheres like on ‘Oberkorn’ and ‘Nothing To Fear’, they are kept as short as possible, almost in fear of boring the more rock inclined audiences where subtle textures are a bit of an anathema. ‘Spacewalker’ was wonderfully light and tuneful relief on the rather dire ‘Sounds Of The Universe’.

Available on the album ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ via Sony Music

Jezebel (2009)

Martin Gore’s voice is undoubtedly more suited to ballads and in an album of C-sides, a song that perhaps would have only been a B-side a few years earlier was the highlight of ‘Sounds Of The Universe’. With lyrics such as “Whenever we walk in – You’re going straight to hell for wanton acts of sin”, ‘Jezebel’ was a stand-out song and able to keep the some of the more deviantly inclined Devotees happy.

Available on the album ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ via Sony Music

Oh Well (2009)

‘Oh Well’ is one the best DEPECHE MODE recordings of the 21st Century, but it never made the final tracklisting of ‘Sound Of The Universe’ which proves the band aren’t the best judges of their own music. The first Gore / Gahan song collaboration, although their parts were written separately, it showed that they could sound exciting when some creative tension was thrown in. Like Giorgio Moroder meeting DAF, it was cruelly used as a video teaser to fool fans into thinking there would be a full-blown synth work.

Available on the 4CD deluxe boxed set ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ via Mute Records

The Sun & The Moon & The Stars – Electronic Periodic’s Microdrum Mix (2009)

‘The Sun & The Moon & The Stars’ was a Martin Gore vocalled outtake from the ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ sessions and while it was included on the deluxe 4CD boxed set alongside ‘Oh Well’, the original guitar driven ditty was not very convincing. The more overtly electronic Microdrum Mix with its scratchy rhythm passage and robotised harmonies was far superior, as an example of yet another more fully realised recording courtesy of an external remixer.

Available on the iTunes Pass download album ‘Sounds Of The Universe’ via Mute Records

Soothe My Soul (2013)

An obvious cousin of the bluesy ‘Personal Jesus’ but quickly disowned and dropped from the ‘Delta Machine’ tour, ‘Soothe My Soul’ was one of the few crowd pleasers in a live set that had far too many lulls. But with Gahan’s rockist tendencies and insistence on live drums from Christian Eigner, why don’t DEPECHE MODE be brave and go the full blues combo hog, put Peter Gordeno on bass guitar and drop the electronics, as well as the old hits? Is that possibly because no-one would bother to see them?

Available on the album ‘Delta Machine’ via Columbia Records

Broken (2013)

A song that Dave Gahan said to Mojo Magazine was “uptempo” but in reality, was more like ‘A Question Of Time’ with assistance provided by a mobility scooter, ‘Broken’ was nevertheless, one of the better and more electronic offerings on the blues dominated ‘Delta Machine’. But the end result sees Gore desperately trying to work guitar into a track where it’s not needed, almost as a statement to say that DEPECHE MODE are NO LONGER an electronic band!

Available on the album ‘Delta Machine’ via Columbia Records

All That’s Mine (2013)

In a pattern similar to ‘Oh Well’, the best song from the ‘Delta Machine’ sessions was left out of the main act. ‘All That’s Mine’ featured a tightly sequenced backbone, electronically derived rhythms and a gloomy austere… in fact, they were all the perfect ingredients for a classic DM tune! But it was no doubt rejected because Dave Gahan can’t do a Mick Jagger impression to it and would have been changed beyond recognition if performed with live drums.

Available on the 2CD deluxe album ‘Delta Machine’ via Columbia Records

Should Be Higher – In My Eyes Remix (2013)

Using sounds sampled off ‘World In My Eyes’, this 4/4 bootleg remix by DOMINATRIX was far superior to the original, offering many of the synthesized textures and electronic percussive templates that made DEPECHE MODE great. In its original form, the song was good but suffered from a lacklustre production and ploddy arrangement, perhaps in an attempt to project a more authentic bluesman demeanour. It’s as if DEPECHE MODE are scared to be considered an electronic band these days.

Remix not officially available

Cover Me – Alt Out (2017)

The vocal-less second half of ‘Cover Me’ was brilliant, a gorgeous cacophony of arpeggios and layers of sweeping synths reminiscent of the ‘Violator’ era. But when the ‘Alt Out’ mix was issued as a bonus on the ‘Spirit’ album’s deluxe edition, it was as if someone within the band’s circle understood Gahan’s SOULSAVERS warbling was likely to polarise and that an instrumental version would be appreciated by the masses… it was!

Available on the 2CD deluxe album ‘Spirit’ via Columbia Records

Fail (2017)

Despite being the main songwriter, things do not look good when the best vocal song on a DEPECHE MODE album is one sung by Martin Gore. And on ‘Spirit’, it was the turn of the sombre but enticing ‘Fail’. Gore seems to have an understanding of what is appealing about DEPECHE MODE, but appears too frightened to assert that ethos on the grunge victim that is Gahan. But their financial dependency on each other to means that much of the music now in the name of the brand seems strangely muted.

Available on the album ‘Spirit’ via Columbia Records

DEPECHE MODE play London Stadium on Saturday 3rd June 2017

http://www.depechemode.com/

https://www.facebook.com/depechemode/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
19th April 2017

DNA: The Legacy of A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS

11 March 2017 /

Out of all the British bands to emerge from the post-punk era, Liverpool’s A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS made one of the most lasting impacts on modern popular culture.

Noted by lead singer and keyboardist Mike Score’s outlandish hairdo, his distinctive bonce was sent up on ‘The Wedding Singer’ and ‘Friends’. Meanwhile, Samuel L Jackson’s “YOU! FLOCK OF SEAGULLS!” line from ‘Pulp Fiction’ in reference to an assassination target’s hairstyle was appropriated by the music press to mock the band!

But A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS have a musical legacy too. In 1983, they won a ‘Best Rock Instrumental Performance’ Grammy Award for the track ‘DNA’, at a time when The Second British Invasion had still yet to fully take hold in an America still drunk on TOTO and JOURNEY!

Then in 2005, THE MODERN released a single entitled ‘Industry’ which bore more than a passing resemblance to ‘The More You Live, The More You Love’. According to band member Nathan Cooper, better known these days as KID KASIO, this was purely accidental: “We didn’t realise until halfway through the promotional tour for it. We were doing an interview for a little radio station in Sheffield and the presenter pointed it out and played both back to back!!!! We were speechless and a bit embarrassed… the verse for both songs is almost EXACTLY the same!!”

Then bizarrely, the poacher met the gamekeeper! “We actually supported them years later” remembered Cooper, “we were so embarrassed, we were going to drop ‘Industry’ from our set! But in the end, I just went up to Mike Score and explained it and said ‘I’m really sorry, it was unintentional’. He was really lovely about it”. THE MODERN weren’t the only ones mining the Seagull Songbook.

In 2007, MARSHEAUX borrowed the main riff from ‘Space Age Love Song’ for their ‘Dream Of A Disco’, often thought of as the Greek synth maidens’ signature song. Indeed, imitation can be the sincerest form of flattery…

Mike Score unsurprisingly trained as a hairdresser, but music was where his ambitions lay. Joining forces with his drummer brother Ali and bassist Frank Maudsley, they rehearsed as a three-piece and began writing songs along the way. But it was not until after the recruitment of guitarist Paul Reynolds that things began to gain momentum.

By late 1979, Merseyside had become a hot bed of emerging musical talent with acts such as ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, THE TEARDROP EXPLODES, DEAD OR ALIVE, WAH! HEAT, CHINA CRISIS and OMD. But with their Sci-Fi songs and penchant for dressing up as spacemen, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS never fitted in with their local contemporaries.

So one could imagine the reaction of Mac The Mouth and Droolian when Mike Score and Co were the the first of the gang to break America when their eponymous debut album reached No75 in the US charts on the back of ‘Telecommunication’, a Bill Nelson produced song from it, becoming a No1 US Dance hit!

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS had got their original break when Bill Nelson produced and released their debut single ‘(It’s Not Me) Talking’ for his Cocteau label in 1981. But it was with their fourth single ‘I Ran’ that they first nestled just outside the UK Top40. With an echoing guitar kick, this was futuristic synthesized rock along the lines of ULTRAVOX that crucially became a US Top10 in the Billboard Hot 100.

The embracement from America came via MTV; Mike Score’s memorable back combed hair style and the band’s unusual appearance appealed to a college demographic which was tiring of permed long hair and blue denim. With a sound that combined enough conventional rawk guitar to have mainstream appeal while adding a spacey sheen with prominent synths, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS were onto a winning formula.

Produced by Mike Howlett, who also steered OMD, BLANCMANGE and CHINA CRISIS to chart success, ‘A Flock Of Seagulls’ was a concept album of sorts about an alien invasion that featured ‘I Ran’, ‘Space Age Love Song’ and ‘Telecommunication’, plus other great tracks such as ‘Modern Love Is Automatic, ‘Messages’ and the Grammy Award winning ‘DNA’.

Also produced by Howlett except for the album’s closer ‘(It’s Not Me) Talking’, ‘Listen’ released in 1983 made an even bigger impact, thanks to the song many consider to be A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS’ crowning glory, ‘Wishing (I Had A Photograph Of You)’.

With a percussively clanky backbone and using just black keys for its infectious melody line, it was the big home hit that A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS has been waiting for. Further singles ‘Nightmares’ and ‘Transfer Affection’ were good but did not reach quite the same heights, although that mattered little as at this point, the quartet were one of the most heavily rotated acts on MTV.

Their third album ‘The Story Of A Young Heart’ in 1984 was the beginning of the artistic and sales decline, although the lead single’ ‘The More You Live, The More You Love’ was classic A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS in the vein of ‘Space Age Love Song’.

By the time of the fifth long player ‘Dream Come True’, Reynolds had left the band as the remaining threesome settled into their new base of Philadelphia, but A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS had lost that distinctly British edge that made them so appealing to the US in the first place.

‘Heartbeat Like A Drum’ was a passable watered down digital pop song of a period when British acts like OMD and THE HUMAN LEAGUE were chasing the American dollar, but the Hi-NRG paced ‘Who’s That Girl (She’s Got It)’ was poor and the beginning of the end. By 1986, the Score brothers had fallen out and A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS had disbanded.

The legacy of A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS has now been bolstered by a new compilation on Cherry Pop with the self-explanatory title of ‘Remixes & Rarities’. Featuring most of the band’s singles in radio edit and extended format, it also acts as a document to some of the more hidden experiments of the band, and how popular music was changing under the spectre of MTV and club culture.

There were rumours that while ‘Dream Come True’ was being recorded, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS were turning into a Mike Score solo act. Two lengthy instrumentals ‘The Last Flight Of Yuri Gagarin’ and ‘Rosenmontag’ that featured on the flip of ‘Nightmares’ certainly give the impression that this was starting to be the case, even back then. Having not been included on Cherry Pop’s album reissues, this pair of collage curios certainly haven’t been missed… also not much cop is the rather badly put together ‘Single Medley’.

Much better though are the nine minute version of ‘Wishing (I Had A Photograph Of You)’, an edit of its B-side ‘Committed’ and the extended remix of ‘Never Again (The Dancer)’ which comes over like OMD but with more guitar. The ‘Full Moon Mix’ of ‘The More You Live, The More You Love’ fairs less well, being one of those horrid dub styled reworks that were prevalent from 1984 onwards and which featured very little of the actual song!

An assortment of live versions fill the remainder of this compendium and these recordings act as a reminder that despite the exposure on MTV, it was actually A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS’ ability as a live band and a willingness to tour as support to the likes of bigger acts such as GENESIS, THE POLICE and THE GO-GO’S in the US that cemented their success. A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS continue to play live today with Mike Score being the sole remaining original member.

While he might no longer have his hair or his Scouse accent, ‘Remixes & Rarities’ is evidence that despite how they were derided in their own country and have been sent up by popular culture, A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS have a significant number of great songs in their back catalogue that worldwide audiences still want to hear.

And not many bands actually get to achieve that…

‘Remixes & Rarities’ is released by Cherry Pop as a double CD set on 24th March 2017, pre-order from https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/remixes-rarities-deluxe-2cd-edition

The albums ‘A Flock Of Seagulls’, ‘Listen’, ‘The Story Of A Young Heart’ and ‘Dream Come True’ are all still available on CD via Cherry Pop https://www.cherryred.co.uk/artist/a-flock-of-seagulls/

http://www.aflockofseagulls.org

https://www.facebook.com/seagullsrunning

https://twitter.com/seagullsrunning

Text by Chi Ming Lai
11th March 2017

A Short Conversation with KID MOXIE

14 January 2017 /

Photo by Efi Gousi

KID MOXIE, the musical vehicle of Elena Charbila has been making further crossover strides with her 2016 EP ‘Perfect Shadow’.

Comprising of six songs and an appendix of remixes including one of the lead track ‘Dirty Air’ by MARSHEAUX. This was used by lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret in an enticing Black Friday viral video. Remixes aside, this six song sequence of exquisite euphony with tunes such as ‘4am’ and ‘Still High’ is undoubtedly KID MOXIE’s best body of work to date. Elena Charbila kindly chatted about all the latest happenings in the world of KID MOXIE…

The ‘Perfect Shadow’ EP appears to have gained traction and attracted new listeners to KID MOXIE, why do you think that is?

Although it’s done in the same Cinematic Pop vein as ‘1888’ and not a big transition in sound, some of the remixers like MARSHEAUX and TAREQ plus the involvement of THE GASLAMP KILLER who’d just released his EP, have opened new avenues to other audiences. I did a track ‘Pathetic Dreams’ with THE GASLAMP KILLER for his album, so there was traction from that in the States.

You seem most comfortable in collaboration whether it’s with THE GASLAMP KILLER, LOST IN STARS or THE SOUL LESS PARTY? How would you describe you creative dynamic with these artists?

If it’s a remix, there’s a lot of freedom, I like to see what people do with the track and where they take it to. I don’t want to confine them to any kind of space. So if MARSHEAUX take a track, I trust them completely to deliver something killer and obviously, I’m not going to tell them what to do with it.

But I also trust the people that I co-write songs with. But it’s a very different dynamic with everybody. THE GASLAMP KILLER brings a very ethnic feel with a little more grime and acoustic sounds to the mix as he’s a big fan of horns and strings like I am; so he brings out that side of me.

Now with Dylan Willoughby from LOST IN STARS and my other producer Darren Burgos, those two guys have a lot of that synth mentality and were instrumental in getting that production value you’d get from an electronic record. I like to join forces because everybody brings out a different element of me into the music.

I’d like to think it has an arc and that every song doesn’t sound like a previous one. There’s a song called ‘Girl Without A Secret’ that was inspired by doing an electronic version of what ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ might sound like. ‘Still High’ is a big unabashedly romantic synth love song. What I love about the 80s is the fact that there was a lot of emotion punctuated with big synths and snares, they weren’t afraid of it.

The hipster culture is afraid to show too much emotion now, so everything is now really cool, cerebral things instead of obvious things like “YOU DIDN’T CALL ME!” and “I MISS YOU!” – the thing is, love is cheesy and love is simple, longing for something is universally geeky I think and it doesn’t come in a hipster package. So with ‘Still High’, I thought, “let’s not be afraid of emotion here and let’s make it really big”. I myself am afraid of emotion of my own fear of sounding cheesy.

Then there’s tracks like ‘Dirty Air’ that was a song about a big city and a girl being isolated in her room and looking out. Every song comes from an image in my head or a scene that I’m playing out, a feeling rather than a sound. So there’s very different sounding songs on the EP; ‘Perfect Shadow’ is very different from ‘Still High’, one is very instrumental while one is very synthy. So that’s why I like to cover my music under the Cinematic Pop umbrella.

Photo by Efi Gousi

Looking back, while the ‘1888’ album was a major leap forward artistically, the songs on ‘Perfect Shadow’ appear to be more mature?

Thank you, that’s great to know. You like to believe that the older you get, the more layered as an experience it becomes. It’s good to know that this sounds more multi-layered and more complete than before.

It’s more focussed than before…

Actually, that’s the best word to describe it… It feels more focussed. I’ve done KID MOXIE for about nine years; you keep trying things and seeing what works so that you can listen back and say “Hey! I actually like this”. But most of the first couple of release, I don’t… maybe of only 10% has value to me now. I think you mature into what you really want to put out there and who you want to work with. Again, collaborating with people that are going to understand you and bring out the best in you, it really shows in the final product.

Which songs have been your own favourites and why?

I have a soft spot for ‘Still High’, for me it was a venture into not being afraid to sing about simple, heartfelt emotions and punctuating them with big synth and snares. But it’s not a lot of people’s favourite which I’m surprised about, although people seem to really love ‘Dirty Air’.

The visual presentation for the ‘Perfect Shadow’ EP with the videos appears to have been an important consideration?

I always for my music, it’s better to have a visual piece than singing it live, because that’s what’s been driving it in the first place, an image or an atmosphere in my head. It serves the music better to have it coupled with something than fits the mood and generates the feeling that I originally wanted.

The ‘Dirty Air’ video led the release and was a very important aspect of the whole EP because you set the tone with a certain story. In that one, there’s a girl in downtown LA and we don’t know if she’s human or what, she’s collecting people in jars… there’s a certain symbolism and I think anybody can make it to be what they want it to be, but for me it’s about falling in love and collecting pieces of people through life, like how you devour them and get devoured by them.

And that can be very dangerous as you can get lost in a back mass, but it’s also pretty playful in that love can be dangerous. I always think that pretty much everything I do has a duality to it as pretty playful but also dangerous, it’s never too sweet and never too sombre.

Your music does possess an erotic tension…

I think sex and love is something that has always been a big concern in me, something that’s has affected decisions in my life, for better or worse! You can’t deny that love and attraction guide things that we do in life, Freud used to say that it’s the core thing that guides everything we do! I’m not sure about that but for myself, it’s a very big part of my life and that I give value to, it’s something that’s very important. I’ve always tried to express it through the atmosphere that my music creates, but maybe as you grow older, you mature into your sexuality, you become more comfortable with a lot more aspects of yourself and it gets reflected in what you create.

So the use of the MARSHEAUX remix of ‘Dirty Air’ by Victoria’s Secret for a viral ad was quite apt?

Yes, my label and publisher West One were approached. They were given a few tracks and they went for the MARSHEAUX remix of ‘Dirty Air’.

What’s happening with the ‘Twin Peaks’ reboot? Is your version of ‘The Mysteries of Love’ in it and have you got a part?

I’m not sure why people were sure that was happening, I think that was more wishful thinking because honestly, everything was so hush-hush about ‘Twin Peaks’ that I wouldn’t have even known at that stage if I was going to get involved or not. Obviously I would have loved to, I’m not. I’m still trying to get involved in the music side but I’m not acting in it, which is what I really wanted to do! *laughs*

What’s next for you?

As far as music is concerned, I’m going to do something which I’ve not ventured into before, which is a full soundtrack of a whole movie by myself. So I am going to work on a soundtrack to a Greek film which is in keeping with the style of the music that I already do, so a little bit of a ‘Stranger Things’ / ‘Drive’ feel. It’s a great movie and cast, there’s a Japanese actress in it and it’s a really cool project, I’m really excited to be doing it. I’m also going to be acting one of the key parts in it.

I’m also working with a DJ Luxxury who is more Balearic, he’s been touring with Giorgio Moroder.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to KID MOXIE

‘Perfect Shadow’ is released on CD by Amour Records, available via https://kidmoxie.bandcamp.com/

http://www.facebook.com/kidmoxie

https://twitter.com/KIDMOXIEMUSIC

https://www.instagram.com/elena.charbila/

https://soundcloud.com/kidmoxie

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Efi Gousi Photography
16th January 2017

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