MIRROR: a pattern for imitation; exemplar: a man who was the mirror of fashion. Something worthy of imitation.
MIRRORS reflect their surroundings and flaunt their artistic integrity. “We like that whole idea that your art is your life – you are what you make” says singer James New.
Following the philosophy of the Bauhaus movement’s founder Walter Gropius, MIRRORS’ modernism is a unity of art and technology. Whilst their aesthetic may point towards KRAFTWERK and their Gilbert & George inspired sartorial style, the eerily uncomfortable and gloomy social environment that spawned JOY DIVISION, XTC, THROBBING GRISTLE and PUBLIC IMAGE LIMITED over thirty years ago which also exists today is just as relevant.
Protestations in some quarters that MIRRORS are merely an OMD tribute band are ignorantly lazy and uninformed. As a current musical act resonating the hopes and fears of rational youth, MIRRORS could appeal as much to followers of WHITE LIES, EDITORS (note absence of the definite article in all three!) or even THE XX as much as anyone who may have grown up admiring the pioneering sounds of Synth Britannia. In a recession, people seek value and that is apparent with ‘Lights & Offerings’.
This young Brighton quartet consisting of James New (lead vocals and synths), Ally Young (synths and backing vocals), James ‘Tate’ Arguile (synths) and Josef Page (electronic percussion) have quite simply delivered one of the best debut albums by a British band for many years.
Recorded and self produced in a rural Sussex farmhouse before being mixed in New York by Jonathan Kreinik, ‘Lights & Offerings’ possesses an intelligent balance between precise technologically driven beats and emotive vintage synthesizer melodies. This fresh, artful and lively approach permeates throughout this cohesive, seamless body of work. It all begins with the superb sonic pulsar of ‘Fear Of Drowning’. Full of the dramatic overtures of young manhood, it marvellously sets the scene for the rest of the album.
Their debut single ‘Look At Me’ has been reworked with its original digital drum patterns now replaced by a grittier snap. But its moody, layered textures keep it wistful and evocative. With a debut album, there is only one chance to make a good first impression, so MIRRORS have done the sensible thing by including all of their acclaimed singles.
And none come much better than ‘Into The Heart’ which is a beautiful slice of melancholic pop with a glorious soaring chorus to match. Add in its detuned shimmering tones and powerful humanity, it successfully captures the spirit of prime ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK. ‘Write Through The Night’ acts as a steadfast interregnum before leading into the mutant electronic disco of ‘Ways To An End’. Driven rhythmically by two parts TALKING HEADS and one part HUMAN LEAGUE, ‘Ways To An End’ is the most immediate example of MIRRORS’ chilling pop noir.
The following ‘Hide & Seek’ exposes some endearing soul searching and is almost choir boy like with its lyrically naive but playful intent. James New’s altering tonality in his majestic vocals compliment the discerning harmonious stylings in what is a very English take on modern pop. In fact, he comes over like an electro friendly MOorrissey. In that respect, MIRRORS are one of those electronic bands who could break down the barriers of the real music purist, purely because they write and produce proper songs.
The outstanding ‘Somewhere Strange’ takes the listener on the most euphoric and roaring trip since NEW ORDER’s ‘Temptation’. The synthetic assault simply hypnotises with propulsive blips and cacophonies of percussive noise.
After such frenzied action, MIRRORS then reveal an interesting musical diversion with a haunting cover of a rootsy country number originally recorded by Karen Dalton and written by the late Dino Valenti of psychedelic rockers QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE. Entitled ‘Something On Your Mind’, this touching ballad takes the pace down with some tearful yearning before screeching into the frantically uptempo DEPECHE MODE led synthpop of ‘Searching In The Wilderness’.
With the epic final track ‘Secrets’, its echoing Kling Klang octave bass riff is accompanied by an intense percussive march. Almost 11 minutes in length and split into three parts, the ambient interlude of the second section consists of an aural sculpture that plays with the mind. Fooling the listener into thinking the album has ended, it suddenly all restarts with a piercing and dynamic military tattoo for the third and final movement.
When ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK first asked James New to describe ‘Lights and Offerings’ last Autumn, he said: “really great pop songs… but it’s very densely produced, heavily layered, emotional, soulful electronic music. If those words mean anything to you, then you’re going to love our record.”
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is pleased to say it does and so will you…
Special thanks to Debbie Ball at Create Spark
‘Lights & Offerings’ is released in the UK by Skint Records on 28th February 2011
The ‘Lights & Offerings’ Launch Party takes place at The Green Door Store, Trafalgar Arches, Brighton BN1 4FQ on Thursday 24th February 2011. Doors open at 8.00pm, with MIRRORS performing their live showcase at around 10.00pm. Entry is free.
MIRRORS will also be performing on the same bill as Gary Numan and John Foxx at Back To The Phuture which takes place at London’s Troxy on Saturday 2nd April 2011.
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK came into being on 15th March 2010 following the HEAVEN 17 aftershow party at Sheffield Magna.
The year also saw the release of a new album by OMD in ‘History Of Modern’, their first since 1996 while there was a long awaited single by THE HUMAN LEAGUE. Meanwhile there was the emergence of new acts such as VILLA NAH, MIRRORS, THE SOUND OF ARROWS and HURTS.
At the end of 2009 when LITTLE BOOTS and LA ROUX heralded a renaissance in the sound of the synth, KRAFTWERK’s Ralf Hütter said to Mojo Magazine: “From all our work comes inspiration. We have been very lucky because the music we envisioned, the ideas we had of The Man-Machine and electro music, have become reality and technology has developed in our direction… and electro is everywhere!”
In a tremendous year for all things electro, here are our 30 songs of 2010 in alphabetical order by artist:
CHRISTINA AGUILERA & LADYTRON Birds Of Prey
In 2008, there was much talk of Christina Aguilera going electro and collaborating with LADYTRON. The two finished tracks ‘Birds Of Prey’ and ‘Little Dreamer’ were relegated to bonus track status on her album ‘Bionic’, with the latter only on iTunes. ‘Birds Of Prey’ softens the percussive noise that dominated ‘Velocifero’ with Ms Aguilera showing some great vocal restraint herself, with an almost hypnotic Middle Eastern feel.
Available on the album ‘Bionic (Deluxe Edition)’ via RCA
ARP is New Yorker Alexis Georgopoulos who crafts gorgeous contemporary kosmische musik for the 21st century. ‘The Soft Wave’ was a glorious work and from it, ‘High Life’ was a cute instrumental with beautiful synth strings dominated by the spectre of KRAFTWERK and CLUSTER. Minimal guitar adds texture to the pulsing accompaniment, recalling other German heroes such as Michael Rother and Manuel Göttsching.
Available on the album ‘The Soft Wave’ via Smalltown Supersound
AU REVOIR SIMONE Tell Me (Un Autre Monde Remix by MIRRORS)
Although AU REVOIR SIMONE have a wispy girls next door demeanour, this remix by MIRRORS recrafts the originally bare ‘Tell Me’ into a dense apocalyptic ditty which makes Erika Forster, Annie Hart and Heather D’Angelo sound almost suicidal! With its heavy synthetic percussive backbone, this is definitely dance music from another world! Like an alternative gothic disco soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Virgin Suicides’!
Shimmering Emulator type strings, pulsing sequences and a rousing chorus make this a very immediate slice of synthesized pop. BRIGHT LIGHT BRIGHT LIGHT mainman Rod Thomas reworks the template of ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ and gives it a bit of a sensitive new man outlook. ‘Love Part II’ is NEW ORDER’s disco music for lager louts taken back to its slightly camper Italo roots. Not one for those who wear football shirts to the pub!
Available on the single ‘Love Part II’ via Popjustice Hi-Fi
Assisted by I Monster’s Dean Honer who also co-produced THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s Night People, THE CHANTEUSE & THE CRIPPLED CLAW’s first single ‘Are You One?’ has Candie Payne’s very classic pop presence coupled with Adrian Flanagan’s eccentronic backing. It wonderfully sounds like Sandie Shaw being backed by a BBC Radiophonic Workshop collaboration with Lalo Schifrin!
Available on the single ‘Are You One?’ vai Arms Controller
Usually dealing in a brand of “8-bit Casiotone drone-disco” sounding like YEAH YEAH YEAHS with synths, CHEW LIPS look like OMD being led by Debbie Harry! And they take the OMD thing further here with their best track ‘Rising Tide’. The haunting piano, precise drum machine and bass with sparkling synth-harp runs and a spirited vocal come together nicely to build up to a rousing crescendo.
Available exclusively as a download on the album ‘Unicorn’ from iTunes.
Here are the young men of DELPHIC, continuing the electronic dance / rock fusion pioneered by the legend of Factory Records. The backing is pure NEW ORDER and reinforced by a great klanky guitar solo which would do Bernard Sumner proud. Now, if DELPHIC could just develop things into great pop songs like ‘Halcyon’ rather than some of the prolonged jams and grooves that dominate their debut album ‘Acolyte’.
With their melodic and glacial electronic disco, you’d think they were Scandinavian, but THE GOLDEN FILTER consist of an Aussie in Penelope Trappes and a Yank in Stephen Hindman. Penelope’s vocals have an uplifting quality on the chorus while still retaining a distant chill but the counter melodies compliment the danceable twists. A little I Feel Love creeps in during the chorus to give a wonderful dancefloor adrenalin rush.
Available on the album ‘Voluspa’ via Brille Records
As the title suggests, this is gorgeous and dreamy with a distinct European flavour from the enjoyable album ‘Head First’ which perhaps is more focused on mid-Atlantic AOR. Alison’s voice still resonates as one of the best in the business and back to being accompanied by primarily electronic instrumentation which is where it belongs. The pulsing sequences and string machine washes of ‘Dreaming’ make this perfect dancefloor material.
Available on the album ‘Head First’ via Mute Records
Mr Ferry has certainly been astute in recognising how much of an influence he’s been on younger musicians and accepting collaborative opportunities with modern dance luminaries such as HELL and GROOVE ARMADA. DJ HELL provides U Can Dance’ with some hard electronic backing, complimenting Ferry’s trademark vocals. Ferry recorded his own Roxy styled version for his solo album ‘Olympia’.
Available on the single ‘U Can Dance’ via International Deejay Gigolo Records
Hypnotic in the spirit of Giorgio Moroder crossed with Arthur Baker and featuring the guest vocals of Jerry Valuri who first collaborated with Jori Hulkkonen on his 2005 album ‘Lo-Fiction’, this dark club track’s spacey rolling sequences make this almost like a dancefloor take on THROBBING GRISTLE’s ‘Hot On The Heels Of Love’ before launching into a bit of New York electro disco in an unexpected middle section!
After Philip Oakey’s collaborations in 2009 with LITTLE BOOTS and PET SHOP BOYS, THE HUMAN LEAGUE returned with the lead track from their forthcoming album ‘Credo’ sounding very electronic and very modern. Punchy with an elastic bassline and chanting chorus, the lyrical couplet “leave your cornflakes in your freezers, leave your chocolates and your cheeses…” shows Mr Oakey hasn’t lost his touch for off-the-wall symbolism. So “Join us now my friends we hail you!”
Available on the single ‘Night People’ via Wall of Sound
HURTS have been certainly accused of style over substance. ‘Wonderful Life’ looked like being a one-off but luckily they have some other magnificent songs to back up their European art house film via the Weimar Republic persona. With ‘Stay’, the heartfelt intensity of the lush arrangement captures the understated but epic sophistication. With the symphonic grandeur of ULTRAVOX fronted by the melodic sensibilities of TAKE THAT, is this a ‘Vienna’ for the early 21st Century?
Available on the album ‘Happiness’ via Major Label
From the album of the same name, Texan duo HYPPERBUBBLE have an almost cartoon-like take on synthpop in the vein of that great lost combo VIC TWENTY who released only one single on Mute. ‘Candy Apple Daydreams’ is fun and quirky with Jess as the electro Emma Peel and Jeff as the obedient robotic version of John Steed.
Available on the album ‘Candy Apple Daydreams’ via Bubblegum Records
Electro Weimar Cabaret is the easiest way to describe the music of Katja von Kassel. Lies’ features strong traditional European influences like French accordions and ‘Vienna’ piano but also has hints of Grace Jones ‘I’ve Seen That Face Before’. Not entirely surprising as both songs are routed in the same dance… the tango. LADYHAWKE collaborator Alex Gray’s intricate production alongside Katja’s magnificently deep vocal presence is like the “1930’s meets the future”.
From what appears to be the only electronic based act that the real music purists positively fawn over, this is a superbly guitar free number that sounds like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN mashed up with Gary Numan and early DEPECHE MODE. The wonderfully wobbly synths and steady drum machine beat take the lead in the poptastic style of Vince Clarke while James Murphy’s vocal hits a soaring falsetto after initiating a ‘Mac The Mouth’ tribute.
Available on the album ‘This Is Happening’ via DFA
LOLA DUTRONIC are a duo who adapt classic Anglo-Gallic pop with modern electronic arrangements. ‘Best Years Of Our Lives’ borrows from the more recent past with quite obvious references to OMD, ERASURE and even PULP. It’s cutesy pop, perhaps reminiscent of prime SAINT ETIENNE and Lola’s accent is just alluring!
Using a bit of Fe-Mael intuition, Marina Diamandis adds eccentricity to some catchy keyboard led pop helmed by the ubiquitous Greg Kurstin. “I have become my own self fulfilled prophecy” she proclaims before she screams up two operatic octaves taking a nod towards classic SPARKS while the coda turns into a Cossack dance! Frankly, this is brilliantly bonkers!
Available on the album ‘The Family Jewels’ via 679 Recordings
Aided by Stuart Price at the mixing helm, ‘All The Lovers’ was Ms Minogue’s best single since the KRAFTWERK-tinged ‘Slow’ is euphoric Euro-disco with some wonderful synthetic tones, especially on the solo. There’s something for everybody here in this fabulous pop song. But what a shame about the parent ‘Aphrodite’ album though.
MIRRORS hail from Brighton, the UK capital of hedonism but their intense and artful approach to dancing is very different to the ‘hands in the air’ culture of their home base. Synthetic chill and pulsing effects dominate this brilliantly uptempo electro number. Rhythmically this recalls TALKING HEADS ‘Crosseyed & Painless’ while the claustrophobic production is very post-punk, wonderfully dense but melodically dramatic. A brilliant introduction to The World of MIRRORS.
Available on the single ‘Ways To An End’ via Skint Entertainment
In the true innovating spirit of their classic era, the sparse percussive framework of ‘New Holy Ground’ is merely the sound of footsteps. This is the nearest they have come to the lost B-side and fan favourite ‘The Avenue’. The wonderful piano line and virtual choirs contribute to the beautiful melancholy that characterised OMD’s best work where Paul Humphreys concentrated on the musical backbone while Andy McCluskey provided the narrative focus.
Available on the album ‘History Of Modern’ via Blue Noise
WILLIAM ORBIT featuring SARAH BLACKWOOD White Night
In period which has seen a flurry of solo activity and the reformation of DUBSTAR, the lovely Sarah BLACKWOOD took time out to work with on a track from his album ‘My Oracle Lives Uptown’. Although a version without her ended up on the final tracklisting, her take was offered as a free download in 2010. More accessible than some of CLIENT’s recent offerings but more purely electronic than DUBSTAR, this was a priceless pop gem from our Sarah which lyrically was “full of pain”.
More bittersweet heartbreak from Ms Carlsson, this is driven by wonderful, edgy electronics while the simultaneous dancing and mourning reflects the vulnerability everyone experiences in the loss of love. Solemn synthetic disco at its best from the feisty, independently spirited Swede who is slowly turning into a modern day GINA X PERFORMANCE.
Available on the album ‘Body Talk’ via Konichiwa Records
Euphoric sensualism captured in three and a half minutes, the chunky pulsing sequences to a solid dance beat and a rousing chorus add a blissful optimism full of Latin spirit. ‘Wonderful Night’ is bouncy danceable electropop that does what it says on the tin. As their own mission statement announces, it’s “Electronic pop, Buenos Aires style!”
Available on the album ‘Gaucho Boy’ via Sin Dormir Records
Described as “the HURTS you can dance to” and “Disney meets Brokeback Mountain”, the opening lines “I’m going to work my way out of this town, I’m going to be someone and know who I am” of ‘Into the Clouds’ are quite a mission statement. THE SOUND OF ARROWS are a duo based in Stockholm presesnting dreamy widescreen synthpop, swathed in beautiful Nordic melancholy. Their musical subtlety is an essential and enlightening listen.
Aavailable on the single ‘Into The Clouds’ via Labrador Records
Following up SUNDAY GIRL’s previous two singles ‘Four Floors’ and her cover of ‘Self Control’, ‘Stop Hey!’ saw overdriven drum sounds and a piercing trebly riff dominate this piece of icy Eurocentric electro, sounding not unlike Ellie Goulding with a 20 cigarettes a day habit backed by MIRRORS and MGMT! This was kooky and stylish avant pop that hinted at something much darker going on in Jade Williams’ mind.
Available on the single ‘Stop Hey!’ via Geffen Records
No, this isn’t a misprint! The hidden track on the reunited Manchester boy band’s Stuart Price produced opus ‘Progress’ is an electronic gem. In a rare lead vocal for Jason Orange, he comes over all apologetic in the manner of Al Stewart over a dreamy backing track that possesses the glacial Scandinavian quality of ROYKSOPP with a sprinkling of Eno-esque textural ambience. Beginning with soothing vocoder before building to a percussive climax, this is simply quite beautiful!
TENEK have successfully smoothed off some of their more industrial edges to deliver their most immediate and accessible song yet. A rousing chorus and a structure not dissimilar to THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s ‘The Things That Dreams Are Made Of’, there are further synth anthems galore on their album ‘On The Wire’ with nods to the MTV-era of TEARS FOR FEARS and A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS. “Heartbeat? Get down!” Synthetic dance rock at its best.
Available on the album ‘On The Wire’ via Toffeetones
VILE ELECTRODES are a colourful trio consisting of Anais Neon, Loz Tronic and Martin Swan who formed due to an unhealthy obsession with analogue synthesizers and fetish porn. ‘Deep Red’, a title inspired by Dario Argento’s ‘Profondo Rosso’, is a gorgeous seven and a half minute synth ballad that comes over like CLIENT fronting classic OMD… tremendously dramatic stuff in the vein of Statues and Stanlow!
Have you ever heard Gary Numan almost jaunty? The fantastic ‘Remains Of Love’ is the poppiest thing that the former Gary Webb never recorded. Juho Paalosmaa is next to crying in the wonderful chorus but it almost sounds like Numan on prozac over Tomi Hyyppä’s crystalline melodies. With that all important air synth factor, VILLA NAH took the important elements of classic electronic pop and connected it to sharp, complimentary dance rhythms.
“Synthesizers can be explored and explored, and the music that can be made with electronic instruments is infinite in its breadth. KRAFTWERK may have said ‘we are the robots’, but anyone need only listen to Trans-Europe Express and compare it to most of the turgid, boring guitar-based rock that has been produced over the last 30 years to realise that electronic music can be deeply emotional. And anyone who says electronic music is not real music is just too simple-minded for our patience I’m afraid!”: MIRRORS
2010 saw the return of the male synthpop act, smart boys with their toys and their nods towards the classic era of Synth Britannia. Leading the way were VILLA NAH and MIRRORS who both fused quality songs with vintage sounds and crisp contemporary percussive frameworks. The two units were obviously pressing the right buttons as both opened as special guests to OMD. As a continued sign of their undoubted potential, both were also were invited to support THE HUMAN LEAGUE; an opportunity which unfortunately neither act was able to fulfil due to prior scheduling commitments.
Coming from Finland, VILLA NAH released one of the best long players of the year in ‘Origin’, while closer to home, Brighton-based MIRRORS’ forthcoming album ‘Lights And Offerings’ is likely to be one of the musical highlights of 2011. Meanwhile HURTS, the enigmatic Mancunian duo who many predicted for major success in 2010, rattled the cages of the style over substance brigade.
Whilst the cinematic grandeur displayed in their best songs like ‘Wonderful Life’, ‘Stay’ and ‘Sunday’ was simply outstanding, they did occasionally walk a fine line with their milder paced material, sounding occasionally like TAKE THAT backed by ULTRAVOX. Despite confusing some listeners, their album ‘Happiness’ was an enormous grower and their live shows won over many new fans, especially on the continent where artful intelligence is a highly regarded attribute.
Interestingly, TAKE THAT themselves released their album ‘Progress’ with Stuart Price aka LES RYTHMES DIGITALES at the producer’s helm. Featuring a strong electronic flavour, there was also a song called ‘Eight Letters’ based on ‘Vienna’ which resulted in the rather unusual credit ‘written by Barlow / Donald / Orange / Owen / Williams / Ure / Cross / Cann / Currie’!
Attracting cult followings in 2010 were DELPHIC and CHEW LIPS. DELPHIC captured the Factory Records aesthetic of the mutant disco pioneered by NEW ORDER and A CERTAIN RATIO, but were unable to attract mainstream recognition probably due to their reliance on grooves and jams rather than actual songs… they can only get better with time.
CHEW LIPS are YEAH YEAH YEAHS with synths and while they had several brilliant numbers in their cannon, not all were included on their rather short debut album ‘Unicorn’. This didn’t allow them to play to their strengths on record although this was fully exploited in their live show. Again, they will learn.
And not wishing to get wholly involved in the main skirmish, THE SOUND OF ARROWS maintained a low profile while recording their debut album in London but delivered some impressive concert showcases of their lush Nordic musicality. Their optimistic and aspirational ‘Disney meets Brokeback Mountain’ tone may be the fresh approach to electropop in 2011.
Kookiness was the order of the day with the raven haired beauties MARINA & THE DIAMONDS and EMILIE SIMON. Marina Lambrini Diamandis kept the spirit of SPARKS alive with some fe-Mael intuition on her superb debut ‘The Family Jewels’ while EMILIE SIMON crossed the channel for some ‘one girl and her synth’ shows to fill the gap left by the absence of LITTLE BOOTS in 2010.
As could have been expected after the promotional lash of last year, Victoria Hesketh took a break before starting work on her new album. Hertfordshire’s SUNDAY GIRL could be the next lady-in-waiting providing she can expand on the very promising material like All The Songs and Stop Hey! that was premiered in the latter part of the year.
Meanwhile LA ROUX toured the world and recorded a ‘Stones cover ‘Under Your Thumb’ for the ‘Sidetracked’ influences DJ mix compilation before giving old mate SKREAM the iTunes bonus track Saviour for a dubstep rework as Finally and guesting with CHROMEO. However, Elly Jackson appears to have forgotten that No.1 rule of not biting the hand that feeds you by exclaiming “… I don’t want to make synth music for the rest of my f*cking life!” and declaring the electropop genre “over”!
In the battle of Synth Britannia, OMD released their first collection of new material for 14 years while THE HUMAN LEAGUE delayed their full album return until 2011. THE HUMAN LEAGUE have the backing of electronic music guru Mark Jones’ Wall Of Sound label and thus far have played a ‘less is more’ approach. Despite not having an official website until this year, some clever viral marketing sent interest in their single ‘Night People’ sky high and provided good business for their now almost traditional Christmas UK tour.
While OMD’s ‘History of Modern’ album had several outstanding tracks worthy of comparison with past glories, it was confusingly launched with an Aretha Franklin mash-up that wasn’t on the final tracklisting and a nauseating Britpop pastiche as lead single. Ironically one of the statements made in its sleeve notes was “Modern is not… Oasis”!
It was as if audiences who had traditionally been sceptical of the whole synthesizer axis were now being targeted.
However, electronic pop’s spiritual homeland of Germany welcomed OMD back like one of their own and respectable business for ‘History of Modern’ was generated.
A-HA though are proof that consistently high quality new material is still a possiblity 25 years after your commercial heyday with the focus of their final album ‘Foot Of The Mountain’ very much on their synthesizer roots. In late 2010, they bid farewell with a final tour and a superb double CD compilation called ’25’ which featured not only their hits but the best of their much under valued album tracks.
Photo by Tracey Welch
Among the acts celebrating their legacies, HEAVEN 17 enhanced their reputation no-end by participating in a brilliant BBC6 Music collaboration with “the falsetto from the ghetto” LA ROUX. And if that wasn’t enough, they had not one but two BBC TV programmes featuring their highly regarded album ‘Penthouse & Pavement’ including their triumphant Sheffield Magna gig.
HOWARD JONES didn’t look a day older, proving that a vegetarian diet and a clean living spirituality was the key to eternal youth! He played ‘Human’s Lib’ and ‘Dream Into Action’ in full for the first time at Indigo2.
Former sparring partners ULTRAVOX and JOHN FOXX played very different types of live shows in 2010. ULTRAVOX almost went back to basics with the retrospective ‘Return To Eden 2’ tour while JOHN FOXX curated an audio/visual extravaganza at the Short Circuit Festival featuring a deluge of analogue synths and some new material to a mixed reception.
DEPECHE MODE completed their ‘Tour Of The Universe’ and capped it all with a special show at the Royal Albert Hall for The Teenage Cancer Trust where Alan Wilder was reunited with the band for the first time in 16 years during the encore of ‘Somebody’. It was an emotional night for many including the band. Does this lay out the foundations for, if not a reunion, at least some future work together?
GOLDFRAPP returned with ‘Head First’, a mid-Atlantic AOR styled electronic romp that had echoes of Laura Branigan and Olivia Newton-John. Some found it uninspiring but what could not be denied was the catchiness of the tunes. Given time, it will become a future guilty pleasure.
Meanwhile LADYTRON prepared a career spanning compilation Ladytron ’00-10′ to reinforce their reputation as one of the key electronic based acts of the last decade but they began the year contributing a pair of excellent bonus tracks to Christina Aguilera’s album ‘Bionic’ in ‘Birds Of Prey’ and ‘Little Dreamer’.
Swedish songstress Robyn continued her feisty independent spirit by releasing her ‘Body Talk’ trilogy and the excellent single ‘Dancing On My Own’, while both Lady Gaga and Kylie kept electronically produced pop in the mainstream consciousness.
Across the water, New York’s THE GOLDEN FILTER added a crisp vibe to the electronic dancefloor via some dreamy Scandinavian influences and frantic tribal percussion while their neighbours THE HUNDRED IN THE HANDS brought a mechanised twist to new wave on their self-titled debut. And for the perfect after party soundtrack in the Big Apple, ARP provided some gorgeous modern day ambience with the album ‘The Soft Wave’. Meanwhile, another North American based duo LOLA DUTRONIC relaunched their brand of dreamy Gallic flavoured electro-lounge pop with the ‘Musique’ EP.
Elsewhere internationally, the vivacious SHH became the latest in a line of Argentine musicians basing themselves in London for an assault on the UK and European market while Texans HYPERBUBBLE brought their own ‘bionic bubblepunk’ with the impressive ‘Candy Apple Daydreams’. MARSHEAUX had a quiet year, only releasing a cover of BILLY IDOL’s Eyes Without a Face for an Amnesty International compilation.
Promising newcomers VILE ELECTRODES steadily gained fans on the London club circuit with their mix of fetish porn and analogue synths while following some line-up changes, THE VANITY CLAUSE finally released their first album ‘Fractured’. And the quirky Sheffield based duo THE CHANTEUSE & THE CLAW unleashed a superb debut single in ‘Are You One?’.
Overall in 2010, the spark generated by the new generation of synthesizer acts and the willingness of others to incorporate more electronic sounds into their work accounted for yet another productive year with the heritage acts also getting the cultural recognition they fully deserved. Ever supportive, The Guardian even featured a piece on the older incarnation entitled Forgive Us Our Synths which interestingly was almost two years after their prophetic Slaves To Synth article hit the public consciousness.
There were more quality albums and live shows of interest to the electro fan than in many years past with acts such as MIRRORS, VILLA NAH and HURTS fulfilling the role of worthy successors to the classic Synth Britanniageneration. Hopefully, other acts will be following in their footsteps. In fact, despite being ignored by the BBC Sound Of 2011 and New To Q listings which appear to have been locked into some evil parallel universe where good taste does not seem to reside, “… fey, gay, pseudo-intellectualsynth b*llocks” still rules!
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK Contributor Listings Of 2010
STEVE GRAY
Best Album: TENEK On The Wire
Best Song: HURTS Unspoken
Best Gig: DEPECHE MODE at London Royal Albert Hall
Best Video: MIRRORS Ways To An End
Most Promising New Act: MIRRORS
CHI MING LAI
Best Album: VILLA NAH Origin
Best Song: MIRRORS Ways To An End
Best Gig: HEAVEN 17 at Sheffield Magna
Best Video: HURTS Wonderful Life
Most Promising New Act: THE SOUND OF ARROWS
RICHARD PRICE
Best Album: HURTS Happiness
Best Song: OMD History Of Modern (Part I)
Best Gig: THE HUMAN LEAGUE + HEAVEN 17 at Galway Festival
Best Video: HURTS Stay
Most Promising New Act: MIRRORS
JOHAN WEJEDAL
Best Album: PAGE Nu
Best Song: POLAROID MILITIA Astana My Hero
Best Gig: PAGE at Gothenburg Synthklubben
Best Video: VILE ELECTRODES Deep Red
Most Promising New Act: THE GIRL & THE ROBOT
“From all over the world comes inspiration. We have been very lucky, because the music we envisioned, the ideas we had of The Man Machine and electro music, have become reality and technology has developed in our direction… and electro is everywhere”: Ralf Hütter, KRAFTWERK
Despite the resurgence of sophisticated electronic pop in 2010 with its own new classic sounding acts such as HURTS and MIRRORS plus the long awaited return of OMD and THE HUMAN LEAGUE, it would appear that British ears are still largely oblivious to the distinct musical quality on offer.
However, across the Channel in mainland Europe, the artful sound of the synthesizer is being embraced again, especially in electronic music’s spiritual homeland of Germany. So why is this? Is it ‘Der Deutsche Faktor’?
Is Germany more likely to accept synthesized pop presented in a stylish, modernistic manner purely because of its own electronic tradition? And is it really all down to KRAFTWERK? But then if that is the case, why has the majority of the best electropop been produced in the UK where its cultural significance is still mostly ignored by critics and public alike?
The British have always had a strange attitude to its own cultural intelligencia, be they musicians, composers, film makers, artists or writers. The ordinary public somehow see having ideas, values and style as being pretentious or elitist while traits like ignorance and shallowness are somehow embraced. Britain has always looked towards its American cousins for trends in popular music and the street credibility of the scruffy drug fuelled rocker or the expletive laden misogynistic urban spokesman is always somehow seen as more preferable.
But with a heritage of classical and contemporary art all of its own, Europeans didn’t take so kindly to American influences such as rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm ‘n’ blues being brought over in the second half of the 20th Century.
In Germany, this post-war reaction was even stronger. Despite the apparent freedoms compared with their compatriots in the East, Die Bundes Republik was effectively an occupied territory and this provoked a backlash within the student population.
At its extremes, this meant the brutal violence of the Baader-Meinhof gang and Red Army Faction. But on the other side of the coin, young Germans were inspired to be creative either in film as with Wim Wenders, Werner Herzog and Rainer Fassbinder, in art as with Anselm Kiefer and Sigmar Polke, or in music. The Germans have always had a history of self-definition through art and music has often been the centrepiece.
So eschewing blues scales, acts such as CAN, TANGERINE DREAM, CLUSTER, NEU! and KRAFTWERK looked towards the avant-garde traditions of Karl-Heinz Stockhausen for their inspiration and used new instruments such as electronic keyboards, synthesizers and rhythm units to create a whole new German aesthetic.
Although these all acts used electronics in some form, it was KRAFTWERK who in 1975 first fully embraced making music exclusively in this manner, eventually adopting a Gilbert & George demeanour of short hair, suits and ties. Their new pioneering musical form featuring a strict percussive base and an accessible melodicism in the European classical tradition was the antithesis of what had come previously via the North Atlantic.
However, despite KRAFTWERK’s influential success internationally, along with their fellow exponents of this experimental music, they were largely ignored in their homeland.
The instrumentalist nature was simply too abstract for some and although innovative, very rarely did Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, Wolfgang Flür and Karl Bartos write actual pop songs. That was the mantle that the UK was about to take up.
David Bowie and Brian Eno were among the first British artists to adopt these new Mitteleuropa colours with the albums ‘Low’ and ‘Heroes’ each featuring fine examples of their collaborative zenith during an inspired sojourn in West Berlin. As a result, one of the focal points of this expanded interest became The Blitz Club in London where their resident DJ Rusty Egan played this neu musik von Deutschland at its regular ‘Bowie Nights’. Similar scenes were developing throughout post-punk Britain.
Although artists such as ULTRAVOX, TUBEWAY ARMY and THE HUMAN LEAGUE used KRAFTWERK as an important reference point and had synthesizers dominating their sound, the first British act to aspire to KRAFTWERK’s retro-futurist blueprint was ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK. Alongside their suitably clean and tidy presentation, OMD subconsciously put a pop element into the Kling Klang quartet’s electronic template. There was now an emotive lyrical focus incorporated into what had been perceived as the mechanical chill of Teutonic electronic music… the morality with the architecture if you will.
OMD’s music ultimately connected with Germanic ears who traditionally loved strong musical melodies and precise rhythmical frameworks. At its worse, this could mean embracing folk laden schlagermusik but as a positive, opening up to songs sung in a plethora of languages. The eventual result was ‘Maid Of Orleans’ reaching No1 in Germany and becoming the country’s biggest selling single in 1982; this at a time when the West German market was the largest in the world after America and Japan.
A precedent had already been set in 1981 when via The Blitz Club, VISAGE’s ‘Fade To Grey’ reached No1. Although ‘Maid Of Orleans’ and ‘Fade To Grey’ were both Top 10 hits in Britain, neither song has been held with the high regard and cultural gravitas that they both are in Germany.
‘Fade To Grey’ was recently voted ‘Song of the Decade’ on the prestigious German music show ‘Hit Giganten’ while it was an invitation to perform ‘Maid Of Orleans’ on a celebratory edition of RTL’s ‘Ultimative Chartshow’ in 2005 that was the beginning of the current OMD reunion. Often less judgemental and commercially orientated than the UK, the German market also later allowed other synthesizer acts such as DEPECHE MODE and PET SHOP BOYS to achieve significant success. And more recently, British electro acts such as MESH and CLIENT have been more welcomed here than at home.
Fast forward to 2010 and with the release of their new album ‘History Of Modern’, OMD’s musical legacy in the spiritual homeland of electronic music led to an innovative record deal with Saturn, one of Germany’s leading technology superstores, and a promotional schedule predominantly concentrating on that territory. With the majority of the European tour focused on Germany too, OMD have managed to recapture the hearts of an audience that still recognises intelligent artistic integrity whatever the age of the performer and doesn’t get into debates about how real music doesn’t use synthesizers, or how thoughtful presentation is arty!
In 2010, Germany has again shown itself to be more discerning. The magnificent ‘Wonderful Life’ by Manchester duo HURTS stayed at No2 for several weeks while the song struggled to reach No24 in Britain where they were accused of style over substance. Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson’s ‘Bros Go To Bavaria’ imagery and cinematic grandeur have obviously struck a chord.
Attending HURTS’ show in Cologne, Lola said: “I was surprised that so many people went to see them. I came to the venue just a half hour before doors opened and I didn’t expect so many people to be outside waiting. So I was late and ended up standing behind a gang of very tall people. I couldn’t see that much, but the music was fantastic of course! I loved the charming nature of their performance and their way of communication with the audience. It’s beautiful pop music, I like it”
Following the success of HURTS, one UK act now set to crack the German market are MIRRORS who have strong KRAFTWERK and OMD based principals. The quartet comprises of James New, Ally Young, Josef Page and James Arguile. OMD’s Paul Humphreys had already witnessed their potential: “I went to see them in Camden at Proud. They’re lovely blokes and I was absolutely blown away by them. Their songs are brilliant.”
Playing as support to OMD on their European tour, MIRRORS have been able to showcase their majestic electronic pop-noir such as ‘Hide & Seek’, ‘Fear Of Drowning’ and ‘Into The Heart’ to a crowd that was almost tailor made for them.
However, when asked about this in the summer, their singer James wasn’t getting too presumptuous: “We’ll have to up our game won’t we? I don’t know. It’s going to be really interesting to see how Germany reacts to it. I have every hope that they’re going to really like it.”
And like it they did. Lola attended three shows including Cologne and Hamburg to report:“Support bands often have problems to get enough respect, especially if the crowd is waiting for the main act. But not MIRRORS… the Germans loved them! I’ve heard from a lot of people that they were absolutely delighted with them. It’s not only because of their influences like KRAFTWERK, OMD or any other band. I listened to some tracks before the tour thanks to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK and their great taste in music. I expected a fantastic support act for OMD but I must admit MIRRORS were more than that. Their music is emotional, melodic, epic, intelligent and also powerful and fresh. Well, simply beautiful!”
“Of course the crowd loved MIRRORS!” added Nella who saw the band’s appearance in Hannover, “Great mixture, they had a KRAFTWERK-feeling mixed with Andy-dancing, CHINA CRISIS-singing and HURTS-looking. They will surely be a successful band. They really did a good job… first time ever I thought at a concert: ‘oh, sad, the support act has finished? I want to hear and see more!’ They got lots of applause”. She wasn’t alone in that feeling: “I also heard some ‘Zugabe’ chants after MIRRORS left the stage” remembered Lola.
Photo by Lars Diegmann
In Stuttgart, Lars was also impressed: “I think most of the audience really did like the MIRRORS. We stood in front of stage but we could see the concert hall was well filled as they started to play. Most reactions were very positive. It was a small but very effective stage show. Very charismatic guys, it was fun to watch them make music. Powerful and moving electro-pop with a small theatrical touch… stoic and minimalist. They sound like KRAFTWERK should sound in 2010”.
MIRRORS’ stage presence and presentation are key factors in their appeal: “I was so fascinated by the way Ally played his synthesizer and James’ passionate dancing… I was having flashbacks of Ian Curtis! Oh, and I forgot to mention his excellent voice. Very cool performance!” recalled Lola, “I’m really looking forward to seeing them back in Germany as a main act.” Asked why she thought MIRRORS and also HURTS had got into the heart of the Germans, Lola smiled and gave a Teutonically direct answer: “It’s because Germans like good music!”
But they also connected with the audience: “I’m sure their tour EP sold very well, especially with the autographs they gave at the same time. So everybody had the chance to talk to them. Very nice! I also met them backstage after the Cologne concert. They are such nice and good-looking guys! Those guys are just amazing, adorable and very talented.”
So is the intelligent sartorial elegance of acts like MIRRORS and HURTS more likely to appeal to the Germans? “Possibly…” Lola replied, “but I myself must admit, I like their smart style”
Of their European jaunt, James New from MIRRORS said: “This tour with OMD has been a complete revelation for us. For the most part, our journey in the UK has been fantastic but in Germany and Europe the reaction to our music has been genuinely overwhelming. People’s enthusiasm has only fed our own and I think we would all say that these past shows have been the best of our career so far.”
OMD’s Andy McCluskey himself remarked enthusiastically during the tour: “MIRRORS are doing brilliantly… good guys and really great music.” However, with the way MIRRORS have been impressing, there clearly appears to be a changing of the guard happening right before German eyes.
This was reflected by OMD’s drummer Mal Holmes who amusingly said: “MIRRORS do OMD better than OMD do OMD… they look and sound great!” Lola summed things up by saying: “I must admit, I will always love OMD’s music. But it seems that MIRRORS could be their worthy successors.”
Just as when THE HUMAN LEAGUE’s Philip Oakey appeared on stage with LITTE BOOTS at Heaven in 2009 and HEAVEN 17 performed with LA ROUX on BBC 6Music, the electro torch is steadily being handed over. Synth Britannia’s elder statesmen are playing their part in helping the youngsters take electropop into the next generation.
In the meantime, HURTS have reached No2 with their ‘Happiness’ album and will reinforce their success by touring Germany again in 2011. The pair even commented: “we’ve been in and out of Germany like it’s our back garden”.
And with a superb debut album ‘Lights & Offerings’ ready to be released by Skint Records early next year, MIRRORS look set to gain a foothold in mainland Europe. Whether the UK wakes up and decides to join in the party with its EU neighbours remains to be seen.
MIRRORS have successfully captured that retro-futuristic desideratum of post-punk bands like OMD and JOY DIVISION but for the 21st Century.
With echoes of DEPECHE MODE’s Dave Gahan fused with XTC’s Andy Partridge apparent in lead vocalist James New’s altering tonality, this is complimented by a dense but fine melodic drama created in a style that could be best described as a very English take on modern pop.
Despite the obvious reference points, MIRRORS’ approach remains fresh, artful and lively. Also featuring Ally Young on synthesizers and backing vocals, James ‘Tate’ Arguile on synthesizers and Josef Page on electronic percussion (not drums… ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK recognises this as an important distinction!), MIRRORS’ pop noir sound will soon be heard in electronic music’s spiritual homeland of Germany where they will play as special guests to OMD on their forthcoming tour of Europe.
Wearing their intelligence on their sleeves, MIRRORS are likely to baffle OMD’s more casual audience but are certain to be embraced by those who understand the lush legacy of Humphreys and McCluskey’s innovative years.
A brilliant new single ‘Ways To An End’ has just been released to formally launch MIRRORS into the wider public consciousness. Prior to one of their many London gigs this summer, James New talked about MIRRORS and their vehicle for refraction.
How did the synthesizer first get into the heart of MIRRORS?
The synthesizer, when did that happen? Me and one of the other members were in a band before which was not an electronic band, more of a traditional rock band. We started moving into synthesizers mostly because we were finding ourselves bored of tradition. We felt like we’d done enough of that kind of music. What naturally happened as with most people who get into electronic music, we found a couple of KRAFTWERK records.
Admittedly, I hold my hand up and say I was quite late to get into it, maybe 19-20 years old. But from that moment, it became a really important thing to us, especially those electronic artists that combined soul or that human element to electronic music… that really interested us. So it was a gradual thing and we moved to Brighton as well which really helped. It opened our minds up to new things, new club nights. It just socially made more sense to us.
Brighton has a reputation for being a hedonistic party capital, so is your pop noir sound a reaction to your surroundings?
That’s interesting you should say that… if it is, then it’s sub-conscientiously. I’ve never thought of it in that way because we pride ourselves in making something very human, warm and quite soulful. I don’t know if it’s meant to be but what we were trying to do was put ourselves in a bubble outside of things that we saw around us. So in that respect, then possibility it was because we were trying to do something that was the antithesis to what we’d been seeing in the music industry over the last five years. We felt that a band hadn’t done what we keep being told is a pretentious thing… I don’t think it’s pretentious, I think it’s having ideas personally!
We wanted to do something that was considered from the ground up. That was something that we’d thought about and talked about before we’d even written any music. I think in that sense, we were trying to avoid being anything that we’d seen around us. Obviously, being part of Brighton culture, maybe we were.
So what would you say to those people who may consider MIRRORS to be aloof or pretentious?
I think this country particularly, we’ve always had this ‘thing’ when an artist comes along and has ideas for themselves and tries to do something a bit different, especially since the times of OASIS, THE LIBERTINES and ARCTIC MONKEYS. And I can go on, they were great bands at the time…
I certainly jumped on my bed listening to ‘Definitely Maybe’! I’m sure pretty much every kid of my age did! But what we wanted to do something that was interactive and exciting for people.
It isn’t about being pretentious, it’s about making something… all we genuinely want to do is make something that is still a pop band, still great music but that’s thinking a little bit out of the box, especially when it comes to live shows and what we can achieve.
Who are your influences that maybe electronic music connoisseurs wouldn’t expect?
We’re really big fans of a lot of post-punk which I think you can hear, and obviously Krautrock elements as well. We’re into ’70s’ electronic music as well because we’re always being called the ’80s’ band and…it’s a horrible term!
We’ve actually banned our writers from using the term ’80s’ on ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK
Oh really? Excellent!! That’s a brilliant thing! *laughs*
I think we have more ’70s’ reference points in all honesty, I genuinely do. All of us have different areas. Josef for instance is a massive hip-hop fan and it definitely has an influence… his beats, he can’t help himself! He has to put a bit of WU TANG CLAN in!!
Your look and presentation has strong elements of European Modernism, how important is this aspect of MIRRORS?
It was the first thing we talked about. We were fed up with how everything looked around us and we were definitely fed up with this celebration of scruffy indie rock music. And now, two or three years later, it does feel out of date to everyone. At the time, it still wasn’t totally over saturating itself.
We thought the opposite of that. A lot of the time, we say it references GILBERT & GEORGE. The idea that we wanted was something that represented us in our lives… a lifestyle choice. The suits, it’s a great idea. It disciplines you to work a little bit… we didn’t have jobs but it was ‘our job’! And it was that idea of living your life as four characters in a little bubble. *laughs*
Your set-up includes some vintage synths. Do you have any opinions about how the music should be constructed in relation to the use of new and old technology?
Oh, it’s difficult! Obviously this is something that we’ve been trying to balance with the making of our debut record. I think for me in terms of synthesizers, you can’t beat the sound of old analogue synthesizers, most producers will tell you that!
But there are techniques in production that certainly we’ve learnt because we’ve used different producers, we used Richard X, Ed Bueller… we went through some big producers as we were considering making quite a modern sounding record. I’d like to think we’ve still made quite a contemporary sounding record through the compressors and the microphones that we use; we use Protools instead of tape reel etc.
There’s definitely a balance that we have but in terms of synthesizers, always buy analogue. Don’t tour them though ’cause they go the f*** out of tune all the time!! My favourite synth is the Dave Smith Prophet that we use live; it seems to do a bit of everything. It sounds like an old Moog and it’s part digital so it doesn’t go ridiculously out of tune!
Can you briefly describe the dynamic in MIRRORS with regards songwriting and playing live?
Well actually, it’s far more traditional. In terms of writing music, I write most of the melodies on piano and when I’m happy the melody sounds great, I take it to the band and we build the song from that point onwards. So it can take on several manifestations before we go “actually, that’s the way the song should sound”. But we build from the studio, we don’t sit in a room and play together. It’s “these are the key elements of the song, how do we build it?”.
… it’s a layering thing?
Absolutely… block-by-block-by-block-by-block! And then the lyrics become part of that block process.
Live, we always say it’s like a conventional band and when we’re explaining it to sound engineers in very simplified terms, there’s Josef who plays drums, Tate does most of the bass, Ally does most of the lead lines and I’m sort of like the rhythm/vocalist.
Josef is a standing sticksman in the Klingklang tradition thus adhering to the rhythmical aesthetic of MIRRORS. When you were conceiving the band, did he take much convincing to play electronic percussion?
He’s not actually a drummer! Josef came to the band last, the three of us had made a few demos and knew we wanted to be a four-piece. Josef was into the right kind of things, he wasn’t necessarily biggest into that sort of early ’80s’ vibe but he’s a massive music fan. And since then, he’s become entirely part of this, so he gets every element of what we do. He’s a great bass player and he has such a great sense of rhythm that it made sense to him instantly. So he now plays quite a lot, it’s challenging what he’s playing. In some senses, it’s harder than playing a drum kit because he’s got to keep it really tight with us.
We rehearsed a couple of actual drummers previous to Josef and they weren’t as good frankly! He’s also helped produced this record so he’s a fourth of everything we do. We made it a few months ago, he was fully involved in the band by that point. In terms of making this record, he’s entirely an equal.
Does the album have a title yet? How’s it coming along and what does it sound like?
It’s called ‘Lights & Offerings’, it’s 95% complete and going to be mastered soon. Then it’s officially finished. It’s pretty much there, it’s obviously our debut but if I was going to describe it, I’d say really great pop songs… but it’s very densely produced, heavily layered, emotional, soulful electronic music. If those words mean anything to you, then you’re going to love our record.
I would say it will be out early next year. It’s not going to be around for the OMD tour, we’re going to put out a little European EP as we go out there. But we’re going to keep the album back until next year. Hopefully we’ll be one of those much talked about ‘Best of 2011’ bands or whatever the hell they do!
You successfully supported DELPHIC last spring…
I don’t know how you qualify “successfully”? *laughs*
People either click or they don’t, it polarises (people) our live show. People will love it but there are people who genuinely don’t love it!
Yes, I’ve seen that in some reviews and I’m a bit surprised but then again, people who write those kinds of reviews often don’t understand electronic music…
Absolutely, we got a hilarious thing on YouTube that I saw the other day. There was some footage of us playing with DELPHIC and quite a young kid I assume just said “What the hell kind of show is this? No one’s really moving, waste of money in my opinion!”… and I thought “that’s the typical response to MIRRORS”! But you know what? If that’s how you feel, you’re never going to really understand this band and that’s fine by me! *laughs*
So how are you looking forward to supporting OMD in Europe later this year?
It’s going to be amazing. Obviously, they’re a reference point of MIRRORS so it will be really exciting. And that they picked us out really means a lot to us, they’re a band that we look up to. They’re one of those bands who did something… great pop songs! But the difference I think between what they do and what we do is that our sound is much denser, it’s much more epic and I think potentially more euphoric. But in terms of songwriting electronically, they’re right up there!
How do you like the challenge of basically selling electronic pop music to the Germans?
We’ll have to up our game won’t we? *laughs*
I don’t know. It’s going to be really interesting to see how Germany reacts to it. I have every hope that they’re going to really like it. As I said, we do get compared to these bands but we have an awful lot of contemporary reference points as well…
Our drum sounds come from a more modern techno backdrop, production wise it’s more like ANIMAL COLLECTIVE or THE HORRORS. Again, quite modern in the way we look at things. But with those little elements, especially in our attitude, those bands that put themselves on a pedestal, that’s where we really take inspiration from those bands in the day!
Have you heard any of the other new electronic based acts like HURTS, VILLA NAH or THE SOUND OF ARROWS? Do you see them as rivals or comrades in arms?
Neither! What may have happened is bands like HURTS had a similar idea to us at the same time. It just triggered in their brains that things were a little bit boring, not just in music but everything! For us it came very naturally, and I’m sure for all those bands, it did as well.
But we like to think that it’s our own world. It’s why we put on our own club nights and when we play, we try to make it an experience that is very much that of MIRRORS and nothing else. So you know what, other electronic bands, they can go and I’m sure there’ll be something that comes out that I like… I haven’t heard it yet! *laughs*
You’ve done some great remixes for bands such WHITE LIES and AU REVOIR SIMONE.
The WHITE LIES one was our first remix actually, that’s probably the one I like the least. We didn’t really know what we were doing although it’s still relatively decent. We’re a lot better now. WHITE LIES are doing one for us now. I did AU REVOIR SIMONE in my bedroom in half a day.
That Un Autre Monde remix of ‘Tell Me’ was brilliant, you made those girls sound delectably suicidal!
That was the plan… sort of gothic disco I was going for there!
What approach do you take for reworking other people’s tracks?
Artists love the idea of remixes if they can generally do it. There’s no pressure on and you’re effectively moulding someone else’s music into something you like. But you’re not going to be judged for it much at the end of the day… well, you will be but it’s so much less pressure than making a record.
And what are your hopes and dreams for MIRRORS?
We’d like our record to do pretty well. We’re not aspiring to be Radio1 fodder or anything like that. We want it to be a critically acclaimed record that does well. The interesting thing about where we are is that it feels like the only bands doing well are the ones that have a level of realness to them. THE XX are a good example of that, I don’t really love THE XX but I do appreciate there’s a band that’s has real honesty. They produced it themselves; it’s an honest minimal record. It just so easy these days to just hear the same sort of crap!
I’m hoping for us to make a record that’s perceived as pretty good. And hopefully with our live shows, what we’d really like is to dent people’s perception of what pop music can be… that’s why we’re doing this!
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to MIRRORS
Special thanks also to Debbie Ball at Create Spark
‘Ways To An End’ b/w ‘Broken By Silence’ is released by Skint Records and available now as a 7 inch vinyl single or a download EP
They also play following dates as special guests on OMD’s 2010 European tour:
Cologne E-Werk (11th November), Hannover Capitol (12th November), Leipzig Haus Auensee (13th November), Stuttgart Theaterhaus (15th November), Munich Tonhalle (16th November), Berlin Tempodrom (18th November), Hamburg Docks (19th November), Luxembourg Den Atelier (21st November), Brussels Ancienne Belgique (22nd November), Amsterdam Paradiso (23rd November), Le Casino De Paris (25th November)
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