New York based duo THE MYSTIC UNDERGROUND are Vladimir Valette on vocals and Benedetto Socci on keyboards.
Their sound endorses all the elements of the Big Apple’s electro disco heritage and recalls INFORMATION SOCIETY, KON KAN, BOBBY ‘O’, NEW ORDER, PET SHOP BOYS and DEPECHE MODE.
With their passionate buzzy glam stomp entitled ‘Discord & Panic’, a descending synth riff captures a tension that is in the duo’s own words: “life…set to a dance beat”.
Earlier single ‘April Fool’s Day’ has been described by Vladimir as “a kitchen-sink drama on wheels”. He also added “Everything came together just swimmingly where both lyrically and musically, we believe April Fool’s Day encapsulates who we are as a band at the moment”. Heavy on sampled orchestra stabs, it’s not a scary monster!
Meanwhile, ‘Pride Of St Mark’s’ runs at a more frantic pace. Definitely ”pop songs for the disenchanted, disillusioned and disenfranchised”.
Jori Hulkkonen is one of Europe’s most highly regarded electronic music producers.
One of 2010’s best albums, ‘Origin’ by VILLA NAH is one of his co-productions. Although he released his first album ‘Selkäsaari Tracks’ in 1996, he first came to the world’s wider attention as part of TIGA & ZYNTHERIUS on their 2001 electro cover of Corey Hart’s ‘Sunglasses At Night’ which became a massive international club hit.
In 2005, he collaborated with John Foxx on ‘Dislocated’ as part of his fifth solo album ‘Dualizm’. This also featured Jerry Valuri on the track ‘Lo-Fiction’ and led to the formation of their duo PROCESSORY and the release of a self-titled debut in 2007.
Up for the odd spot of artistic mischief, he assembled THE ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, an experimental avant-garde techno ensemble of nine fellow conspirators each controlling Roland TB-303 Bassline computers, all conducted and mixed by Hulkkonen while operating various Roland drum machines. Described as “performance art meets acid house”, the collective famously supported KRAFTWERK on their Helsinki date in 2009.
As well as undertaking remixes for CLIENT and ROBYN among many, in 2010 he released his seventh solo album ‘Man From Earth’ which featured VILLA NAH and again Jerry Valuri who sang on two songs including the brilliant title track which made ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s Top 30 songs of that year.
Never one to stand still, together with DJ Alex Nieminen, he has just released a cover version of NEW ORDER’s ‘Subculture’ under the moniker STOP MODERNISTS. The original track saw the Factory Quartet at the start of their Italo inspired sub-PET SHOP BOYS imperial phase so this rework appropriately enough features none other than Chris Lowe on lead vocals.
But it’s PROCESSORY that is Jori Hulkkonen’s main focus at the moment. The new album ‘Change Is Gradual’ is a more synthetic and collaborative effort than its predecessor with hints of a lo-fi gothique and the reclusive Valuri’s anguished vocals providing a foreboding atmosphere over the retro-futuristic instrumentation.
Perhaps initially less dance oriented than his better known work, this is an ambitious 18 track neo-concept album in three acts. And as the title suggests, there is a progressive escapist vibe running throughout. Album opener ‘Young Italians’ has strong moody overtones filled with grainy Emulator strings. ‘Farewell, Welfare’ is creepily dystopian and built around some gloriously weird noises while the collections highlight ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ actually concocts some very introspective moods at The Finland Stationbut nothing has been proved.
‘Recovery Measures’ bleeps up the pace and is more readily accessible. But on the more downbeat side ‘Human, Unfortunately’ could be a eulogy from ‘Blade Runner’ and this minimal wave continues with closing numbers ‘In The Unlikely Event Of An All Life Erasing Gamma-Ray Burst, This Is The Soundtrack’ and ‘Adaptation For Survival’. These are spacey takes on the similarly apocalyptic themes explored on MUSE’s three part ‘Exogenesis Symphony’.
With the album now released, Jori Hulkkonen kindly spoke about ‘Change Is Gradual’ and his varied musical adventures to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK
You have recorded under a variety of guises; as yourself, ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, KEBACID, DRUMMAN, STOP MODERNISTS and PROCESSORY. Another person who had as many identities as this is fellow producer Stuart Price. What made you decide to wear so many hats?
Originally, when I signed my debut album followed by an artist contract with the French label F Communications in the mid 90s, it was agreed that I may still release music on other labels, but not use the name I would use on F Comm. And as I decided early on to work my artist albums under my real name, it was only natural to develop pseudonyms for music on other labels. And as I worked with many different labels, I always tended to come up with a new name. To date I think I’ve recorded under about 20 different names.
ACID SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA had the honour of supporting KRAFTWERK in the summer of 2009. How did it feel to support the mighty Kling Klang foursome? Any stories about that event?
The whole visual side of the ASO is lending heavily from the imagery of KRAFTWERK, so getting the opening slot for them was pretty amazing.
Ralf Hütter told me after the show he was very impressed by the whole concept and our performance, making the experience a truly exceptional one.
When did PROCESSORY come into being with Jerry Valuri?
I’ve known Jerry for 15 years, and even before ‘Lo-Fiction’, which was recorded in 2004, we experimented with his vocals. Jerry had never done any singing before so it was a long learning curve. I think the first record released with Jerry’s voice is Man From Solaris which was released on 12″ vinyl in 2001. In 2002 it was included on my album ‘Different’ which featured another song with Jerry, ‘Four Seasons, Four Loves’.
‘Lo-Fiction’ was the first proper song thing where Jerry wrote his vocals and lyrics on top of a musical idea I had. We were both going through on a very deep phase with THE SMITHS. After the success of the song – but more importantly because it being a very cool experience for both of us – we decided to start working on an album As it was a proper collaboration, we didn’t even consider doing the album as a JORI HULKKONEN record, but we wanted to create its own little universe. Our self titled debut album was released in 2007.
So what makes PROCESSORY different from your last solo album ‘Man From Earth’ which also featured Jerry Valuri on two tracks?
The two tracks on ‘Man From Earth’ with Jerry were both written by me, Jerry just re-sang my vocals as I’m not such a great vocalist. Same thing with the VILLA NAH collaboration on that album, ‘Re Last Year’.
The idea with PROCESSORY, although I do all the final mixes, is to bounce ideas back and forth, musically, lyrically and thematically. So it’s a real collaboration, whereas on JORI HULKKONEN records, I’m a dictator who doesn’t negotiate.
‘Change Is Gradual’ is divided into three parts. What was the idea or thought behind this?
Two reasons. First of all, it’s very long record, pretty much the maximum length of a CD. We felt that dividing it into three parts maybe makes it more accessible. Secondly, the album took about one year to record. There were three phases we went through and that’s roughly the partition you have. Originally we wanted to make a slow, dark album, which is the first part, mixing a variety of influences from new age to dub.
The second part features more traditional pop songs, which I was kind of against initially, as I didn’t want the record to sound too much like the VILLA NAH album I had produced earlier that year. But the songs took their own direction and became something totally different. The last part is more based on productional ideas leaning towards dance music, lending to Detroit techno and disco and generally have a more upbeat vibe to them. After recording everything, we thought maybe we should release three separate mini-albums but eventually came up with this three part solution.
Which would you say are the key tracks on the ‘Change Is Gradual’ album and why?
Tough, it’s still too close, I could probably answer this better in a few years, but ‘Trickle Down’ was the first track we recorded for the new album and it laid down some basic directions. ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ and ‘Non-Aggression Principle’ are probably my favourite songs on the album at the moment, they both turned out exactly as I wanted plus the album closer ‘Adaptation For Survival’, that kind of sums up the vibe of the whole album.
Do CD and vinyl versions of the album have same tracks?
‘Change Is Gradual’ is available only on CD and digital, then there will be a series of three 12″ vinyl EPs that feature both originals from the album but also remixes by the likes of AEROPLANE, HERCULES & THE LOVE AFFAIR and CFCF
You also co-produced VILLA NAH’s ‘Origin’. How did you meet Juho and Tomi?
In 2008, a friend of mine had seen them live and gave me the link to their MySpace page thinking I might like it. They had the demo versions of ‘Daylight’, ‘Ways To Be’, ‘Envelope’ and ‘Emerald Hills’ up there and I was instantly hooked. I’d spent so much time listening to these songs on MySpace that when we started working on them later in 2009 in my studio, changing them felt somehow wrong. So those particular songs didn’t change that much from the demo stage.
At the time in 2008, I was organizing a small weekender festival in Helsinki and I booked them to play there. Also at the show were the guys running the Keys Of Life label. We were all totally blown away by their performance so the plan of recording an EP that I’d produce was made the same night.
One thing striking about ‘Origin’ was that it was dance influenced but very sparse and not in-your-face like most club recordings. What was the main thing that you brought to it?
There was a lot of material to begin with. The guys had written a lot of songs in the previous couple of years, so someone outside their songwriting duo having a fresh pair of ears was crucial in picking a group of songs that would make a good album. Secondly I brought in options. I would hear potential in a certain song that could be fulfilled with a different approach; a good example being ‘All The Days’ which was quite different when we started work on it.
How do you assess VILLA NAH’s potential as a synthpop act in the 21st Century?
It all depends on them really, what they want to do. They have a lot going on for them though; great songwriting, a very good debut album to build on and definitely not least, Juho’s magical voice.
Many people internationally first became aware of you via TIGA & ZYNTHERIUS’ cover of ‘Sunglasses At Night’ in 2001. How was that song chosen to be covered and what was it like to be swept along by the Electroclash movement of that time?
As with most things, it was all very accidental and not very planned at all. I was in Montreal promoting my new mix CD ‘Helsinki Mix Sessions’ released on Tiga’s Turbo label in 2000, and we just had some spare time to mess around in Tiga’s home studio.
We tried a few cover versions including ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’, ‘Small Town Boy’ and ‘When Doves Cry’ before trying ‘Sunglasses At Night’. I’d originally found the song back in ’84 on a 12″ called ‘West End Sunglasses’, a megamix of Corey Hart’s ‘Sunglasses’ and the original version of PET SHOP BOYS’ ‘West End Girls’, and the synthline just felt very cool to use with the 808 beat. It took us a couple of months before re-listening to what we’d done and sending it off to DJ Hell. We weren’t really expecting that much of the whole thing. I’m glad I used a pseudonym for that release as even though I loved a lot of the music that was around and connected with Electroclash, the whole scene felt a bit distant to me.
You’ve continued to occasionally produce / co-write with Tiga on his solo albums. It is good that you still work together but was a permanent partnership never really a possibility?
After ‘Glasses’, we actually started work on a TIGA & ZYNTHERIUS album and it was very close to being finished, titled ‘The Strings That / Us’. Eventually we concluded that keeping T&Z as a one hit wonder was a lot better – and cooler – alternative though so we agreed on focusing our solo careers, with some songs of those sessions ending up on our albums, such as ‘Dying In Beauty’ on my ‘Dualizm’ album, and Highschool on Tiga’s Sexor. Because we do work together pretty well as songwriters, we’ve tried to get in a studio at least once year and actually we’ve accumulated quite a few unreleased songs that have never made it on either of our albums.
You collaborated with John Foxx on two tracks ‘Dislocated’ from ‘Dualizm’ and ‘Never Been Here Before’ from ‘Errare Machinale Est’. How did you first come to be working with him?
I believe it was around the time John Foxx & Louis Gordon’s album ‘Crash & Burn’ came out, I got in touch with John’s manager Steve Malins. John Foxx’s ‘Metamatic’ is one of my all-time favourite albums.
For me it was a fantastic opportunity to get a chance to work with one of the people who had shaped my musical world. ‘Dislocated’ was written by me, with John and the sound of ‘Metamatic’ in mind, whereas ‘Never Been Here Before’ was a co-write, sounding more contemporary club music.
Would you like to do a full collaborative album like the JOHN FOXX & THE MATHS project ‘Interplay’?
We’ve talked about further collaborations, and yes I’m sure more music will be coming sometime in the future from us in one form or another.
And you have also recorded a cover version of NEW ORDER’s ‘Subculture’ with PET SHOP BOYS’ Chris Lowe on lead vocals?
The idea of re-recording ‘Subculture’ by NEW ORDER is something I’d considered for a long time. In fact, my first cover version of the song goes back to 1990. The idea was to take what me and STOP MODERNISTS partner Alex Nieminen felt was an underrated song, make a late 80s deep house interpretation and bring some extra twist with having Chris on the vocals.
It’s very hard – impossible, actually – to explain how important this record is to me. PET SHOP BOYS have been the most important musical influence for me, and to be part of the official PSB canon in way completes a circle that started in the mid 80s when hearing ‘West End Girls’ for the first time and deciding “that’s what I want to do”
Where do you stand on the balance between using vintage and modern equipment. Do you have any particular favourite synthesizers or devices that are important elements to the Jori Hulkkonen sound?
I love hardware, and I love vintage synths and drum machines, but at the same time I love new technology and software and follow what’s going on in there.
I think using old machines but then mixing and manipulating in a virtual environment gives you the best of both worlds, and that’s where I’ve been at for the last ten years. I don’t think I have any trademark synths. Seems over time that when I work with a new piece of equipment, hardware or software, I always end up trying to make them sound the same!
Have you had any formal musical training or are you self-taught?
Self taught – that was the one thing that got me into electronic music, the idea that you could do everything by yourself, in your bedroom with no real musical education. It felt truly radical.
You have done remixes for many acts. Has there been a particular one that has stood out for you which has been personally a great artistic success?
I think ‘This Boy’s In Love’e by THE PRESETS is a 10 out of 10 remix on my standards. It’s difficult to say why but somehow everything just clicked when I was making it and it still sounds fresh.
What projects are you working on next?
There’s plenty of stuff that I’m working on, as an artist, producer and remixer. The next release I have lined up is another collaboration album, this one I did with Via Tania from Sydney, Australia. We’re called THE TANIA & JORI CONTINENTS and our album is called ‘Continent One’. It’ll be out this summer on the Australian label Other Tongues. It’s a mix of synth and chamber pop. Tania has the most amazing voice.
Is there anyone else you’d be interested in working with?
Yes, and I’m working on it!
ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its sincerest thanks to Jori Hulkkonen
Special thanks also to Tapio Normall for his valued assistance and contribution
PROCESSORY ‘Change Is Gradual’ is released by Sugarcane Records
‘Subculture’ by STOP MODERNISTS featuring Chris Lowe is released by Keys Of Life Records
LADY GAGA first came to prominence in Summer 2008 when her debut album ‘The Fame’ was released in the US and her song ‘Just Dance’ became a huge hit. This was superior pop R’n’B but despite slices of synth, there didn’t appear to be anything at the time which stood out within a modern electronic pop context.
Then in December 2008, Caroline Sullivan’s now prophetic article for The Guardian entitled ‘Slaves To Synth’ was published. Her piece proudly announced that in 2009, female fronted electro pop would be the next big thing with her focus not only on LADYHAWKE, LA ROUX and LITTLE BOOTS but also LADY GAGA.
At the time, a full European campaign had yet to be fully engaged but by January 2009, the former Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta had reached No1 in the UK with ‘Just Dance’ and ‘The Fame’ began. While the album had far too many songs on it, several cuts proved to be space age pop at its finest and indicated there was more than meets the eye.
LADY GAGA’s well thought out publicity machine ran like a dream. There were her controversial promo videos and extravagant live appearances which included amongst several props, a pyrotechnic brassiere! And there was her quirky interview style; who could forget her appearance on the BBC’s Tonight With Jonathan Ross sipping from her infamous china tea cup! The brilliant ‘Poker Face’ was released as a follow-up single. LADY GAGA was now in a bizarre way spearheading the Revenge Of The Synth. Many young ears had now been opened to sound of electronic music for the first time.
As the year progressed, many LADY GAGA fans were finding that acts such as LA ROUX and LITTLE BOOTS were appealing to them too.
Although a total theatrical queen (she says she is a gay man trapped in a woman’s body!), combined with her vivid imagination and classical training, this has done all the musical talking. Thanks her main collaborator Swedish producer RedOne, a European retro-futuristic sheen highlighted all the melodic and dynamic structures within her best songs.
This sound came fully to the fore with ‘Bad Romance’ from ‘The Fame Monster’ 2CD repackage in late 2009. Observers who had admitted to not being in the slightest bit interested before had now succumbed to the joys of LADY GAGA. This was hardly a surprise because when all the hype dies down, what always survives and prevails in music are good tunes.
‘The Fame Monster’ also appeared to reflect an enhanced European musical sensibility. In an age where free downloading is the norm, the Haus Of Gaga has actually sold in vast quantities. And now with new album ‘Born This Way’, LADY GAGA prepares for total world domination with an even more immediate Euro friendly sound.
Despite the war cry of “Don’t be a drag, just be a queen” to signal her return as cheerleader for the downtrodden outsider, the title track was a comparative disappointment compared with the quality and impact of ‘Bad Romance’. Structural similarities with Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’ haven’t helped in the critical assessment.
Also, the terribly cheesy but enjoyable Latino dance romp ‘Americano’ is likely to make some listeners throw things. As with her debut collection, there are just too many tracks to make ‘Born This Way’ a wholly satisfying listen. By the law of averages, the LADY GAGA catalogue is not all good stuff with some dire rock numbers and generic urban fodder included.
But the RedOne and Fernando Garibay productions in particular with their synthetic pop feel are quite superb. If all the best bits were taken from the Gaga musical portfolio, there would be a fantastic eighteen track Best Of in there. But with the incredible number of superior remixes out there too, it is difficult for the curious to actually know where to start.
So ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK proudly brings you a synics guide to LADY GAGA, specially tailored for the more discerning synthpop fan…
Just Dance
Her first big hit featuring rapper Colby O’Donis, it was nominated for a ‘Best Dance Recording’ Grammy in 2009 but eventually lost out to DAFT PUNK’s ‘Harder Better Faster Stronger’. Although rhythmically rooted to modern R’n’B, the song’s arrangement touched many bases and became a good introduction to LADY GAGA. The mash-up with ‘Confusion’ put together by DJ EARWORM under the title ‘Just Dance to New Order’ is one of the many variations worth checking out.
Naughtiness personified, the lush intricacies and melodic complexity of ‘LoveGame’ revolve around a repetitive backing track. The genius of this song has been highlighted by a superb orchestral arrangement by Walt Ribeiro. On the ‘Chew Fu Ghettohouse Fix’, what better than to have a noisy duet with the ‘Anti-Christ Superstar’ himself, MARILYN MANSON. A sped up heavy house remix with lots of shouting from the one time Brian Warner, this rework keeps both Goths and pop princesses happy on the dancefloor!
With its staccato vocal and what sounded like backing provided by a bunch of robotic stormtroopers, the brilliant ‘Poker Face’ amusingly recalled BONEY M with its “Mumm-mumm-mumm-maah” refrain. The song has since become ubiquitous and spawned some amusing mash-ups featuring renditions by actor Christopher Walken and South Park’s Eric Cartman who incidentally sounds like DIVINE in his version!
Seemingly about fame, this actually is the most disturbing stalker’s anthem since MORRISSEY’s ‘The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get’. While the original R’n’B flavour suits the track, the DEMOLITION CREW offer this superb remix which is more New York electro disco with pulsing arpeggios and syncopated machine rhythms galore.
Pur-lease! The reggae version on ‘The Fame’ is actually quite lame. But given a danceable poptastic treatment, it was rescued from down the dumper by this PET SHOP BOYS remix. Messrs Tennant and Lowe were already big fans of LADY GAGA and enhanced her standing no-end when she joined them to sing ‘What Have I Done To Deserve This?’? as part of their BRITS 2009 medley performance.
The album’s title track is a great funky disco number with a very catchy chorus, but here it’s given the squelchy bassline and buzzy synth treatment by Guena LG. It is also specially fortified with a solid four-to-the-floor dance beat. Although appearing to be obsessed with the cult of celebrity, she was actually poking fun at attention seeking rich kids, something she would be well qualified for as a former class mate of Paris Hilton!
The almost Italo disco styled “woah-oh, oh-oh-ooaaah” refrain, layered synthetics and big chorus suddenly woke people up. It was at this point that Gaga synics began to change their minds. Ending with Ms Germanotta sitting on a bed with a burnt corpse, there are hints of some strange things going on upstairs. This all adds up to making her such a fascinating character. Oooh la la!
LADY GAGA fused danceable pop with a New York performance art cool that hadn’t really been seen since MADONNA. T. ‘Alejandro’ offered a modern day electro take on ‘La Isla Bonita’ with its blissful Hispanic feel. One of the great LADY GAGA traits is her uplifting choruses, always simple but very effective. And speaking of MADONNA, their bitch fight on Saturday Night Live in 2009 showed that she had a sense of humour too.
“Don’t call me Gaga” she exclaims: “I’ve never seen one like that before!” It starts like a typical Euro tune but then the drums pound away in accented syncopation. Often referring to her enthusiastic followers as Little Monsters, the dark lyrics almost have as many deviant sexual thoughts as an episode of True Blood: “That boy is a monster, he ate my heart and then he ate my brain!”
Highlighting the dangers of cosmetic surgery, this is brilliantly euphoric with a classic synthpop feel that features strong hints of ‘True Faith’ and Strangelove shaped by Fernando Garibay who impressed enough here to attain a more significant role in the production of the ‘Born This Way’ album. ‘Dance In The Dark’ is probably the nearest LADY GAGA will come to doing a NEW ORDER or DEPECHE MODE cover although there was actually a rumour going round that she was considering covering ‘People Are People’!!
A duet with BEYONCE that has R’n’B producer Rodney Jerkins at the controls, ‘Telephone’ turns out to be a bouncy work-out reminiscent of some of the more interesting urban/electro fusions that divas like RIHANNA have taken into the charts in recent times. Whereas ‘The Fame’ was very much an electro R’n’B album, most of the eight songs on ‘The Fame Monster’ bonus CD could probably be defined as more electropop with some R’n’B influences thrown in.
On ‘Marry The Night’, the opening salvo on ‘Born This Way’, LADY GAGA does a rippin kittin as she goes all warrior queen via DONNA SUMMER with this club friendly celebration of hedonism. Almost like a 21st Century take on PET SHOP BOYS’ ‘Tonight Is Forever’, producer Fernando Garibay adds some darker electronic progressions compared with the brighter digi-pop of his predecessor RedOne while the chorus soars with uncradled euphoria. Listen out for the DURAN DURAN sample too…
Despite a touch of Maria Callas operatics in the intro, ‘Government Hooker’ launches into some dysfunctional electropop in the vein of GIRLS ALOUD at their XENOMANIA-led best with a chunky bass triplet in the engine room powering away alongside the Casio bleeps and percussive Man Machine blips. This sly dig at history’s political sex scandals is one of the ‘Born This Way’ album’s highlights.
MIRRORS take the discordant verse backing on their ‘Une Autre Monde Mix – Nuit’ and keep Gaga’s bizarre intonation that lets her get away with saying “arse” rather a lot but remove the very poppy chorus that was not wholly unlike that of ‘Bad Romance’. The result gives things an extra darker resonance in keeping with the implied blasphemy. The edgier synthpop continues with the pulsing middle eight that somehow manages to have both feet in The World Of Mirrors and The Haus of Gaga.
Almost reborn in the USA, this is a guilty pleasure that sounds like it’s been lifted straight off the soundtrack of ‘St Elmo’s Fire’. ‘Hair’ is Gaga in full ‘Brat Pack’ mode with sax, piano, compressed drums and power chords thrown into the melting pot plus the sort of voice that the big bouffanted Wilson sisters from HEART used to belt out regularly on MTV. Although not as interesting as album closer ‘The Edge Of Glory’, this is immensely catchy and gives Belinda Carlisle a run for her money.
“I don’t speak German but I can if you like! Ich bin mir absolut klar, ich trag den Namen Monster”; the Germanic dance influences on ‘Scheiße’ come to the fore with Ms Germanotta monologuing in Deutsch while RedOne provides his futuristic trance sheen on this thunderous, highly enjoyable warehouse romp. Only SCOOTER and lots of shouting are missing from this party!
A superb mid-paced beat driven ballad in the vein of Madonna with Gregorian chants, pizzicato stabs, vintage synths and increasingly prevalent religious references in the mix. “I won’t crucify the things you do” she says. If ‘Judas’ is LADY GAGA’s ‘Like A Prayer’, then ‘Bloody Mary’ could well be her ‘Oh Father’.
This superbly bizarre and anthemic number may well be constructed like a Springsteen stomper complete with a wholly authentic Clarence Clemons sax break, but ‘The Edge Of Glory’ strangely ends up sounding like PAT BENATAR mashed up with LA DÜSSELDORF over a Teutonic techno beat! Another Fernando Garibay production, he ably fills the mantle previously held by RedOne as chief helmsmen.
BBC4’s marvellous ‘Synth Britannia’ celebrated the rise of the synthesizer and how it changed popular music forever, particularly in the UK. Superbly produced and directed by Ben Whalley with interlinking cultural commentary provided by ‘Rip It Up And Start Again’ author Simon Reynolds, it was an empathetic documentary that captured the spirit of a golden era.
The contributors to the programme read like a ‘Who’s Who?’ of electronic music: Wolfgang Flür; Daniel Miller; Richard H Kirk; John Foxx; Gary Numan; Phil Oakey; Martyn Ware; Andy McCluskey; Paul Humphreys, Martin Gore; Vince Clarke; Andy Fletcher; Midge Ure; Dave Ball; Alison Moyet; Susanne Sulley; Joanne Catherall; Bernard Sumner; Neil Tennant; Chris Lowe.
They were to become the heroes of the revolution, rebels with a cause, poster boys and girls of the VCO! Although there were a few errors, especially with regards dates like when OMD signed to Factory and the single of ULTRAVOX’s ‘Vienna’ was released, this was an entertaining 90 minutes.
The new attitude brought about by punk in 1977 was still a bit too rock’n’roll for some like the young Daniel Miller, learning three chords was still three too many! But armed with newly affordable silicon-chipped technology by Korg and Roland from Japan, the true DIY spirit encouraged by the new wave would be fully exploited. Wonderful and weird sounds could be made using just one finger, knob twiddling would become the new art! Daniel Miller and Martyn Ware gleefully tell of their first synth purchase, in both cases it was the Korg 700s. The accessibility of the budget priced synthesizer offered the ultimate challenge to musical convention. It was electric dreams over acoustic nightmares!
Like some on this programme, my first introduction to the sound of the synthesizer came via KRAFTWERK and Walter (now Wendy) Carlos. In the summer of 1976, my junior school teacher was the young and pretty Miss Neilson.
She’d already shown her Bohemian colours by naming our pet guinea pig ‘Bilbo’!! But one day in PE, she made Class4 interpret movement to ‘Autobahn’ and the soundtrack to ‘A Clockwork Orange’!!!
Although too young to really appreciate what was going on, my aural palette was being shaped by this fantastic cacophony of electronics. Noveltyinstrumental hits like Jean Michel Jarre’s ‘Oxygene Part VI’ and SPACE’s ‘Magic Fly’ soon followed and caught my pre-teen futuristic mind as I eagerly waited for the next episode of ‘Space 1999’! The importance of science fiction in the development and imagination of electronic music cannot be underestimated with ‘Dr Who’ and the writings of JG Ballard being particularly important influences.
Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ was Year Zero for modern electronic pop music as we know it. Producer Giorgio Moroder‘s throbbing sequencers and dance beats were “the future of the future”.
But Gary Numan’s first appearance in May 1979 on ‘Top Of The Pops’ was for many including myself, their ‘Ziggy Stardust’ moment in the birth of synthpop, ‘Are ‘Friends’ Electric?’ was cold and detached, the discordant Moog machinery and the haunted vocal sneer connected with many during this gloomy period in Britain. It seems unbelievable now, but it was the talk of school the following morning. Electronic music had just found its first pop star!
Unemployment in the UK was at an all time high. Margaret Thatcher was now in power while across the Atlantic, Ronald Reagan was “President Elect”! With fascist gods in motion, the Cold War had heightened to the point where no-one’s future on this earth could be guaranteed. Whilst OMD’s ‘Enola Gay’ related to the nuclear holocaust paranoia of the time via some incongruous melodic warmth, there were a number of other pop-orientated bands just around the corner.
The new Mk2 version of THE HUMAN LEAGUE, SOFT CELL and DEPECHE MODE all possessed a defiant spirit of optimism in the face of adversity because ultimately “everybody needs love and affection”! The music was emotive and avant, all at the same time! “We never wanted to be KRAFTWERK” says Phil Oakey, “we wanted to be a pop band!”
Photo by Chi Ming Lai
The use of synthesizers was a statement of intent, like an act of artistic subversion. But as Marc Almond once said, you can only truly subvert when you have access to the mainstream. How can you change the world if no-one hears you? Musically, the best way to achieve this was going to be through pop songs! Whilst owing a debt to KRAFTWERK and taking advantage of the door opened by Gary Numan, these acts managed to appeal to people who didn’t necessarily know what a Linn Drum Computer was! Joanne Catherall and Susanne Sulley amusingly recalled when the UK’s first Linn LM-1 was delivered to Martin Rushent’s Genetic Studios for the making of ‘Dare’: “They were all very excited… OK boys!”
There are several technology driven insights like Paul Humphreys playing ‘Enola Gay’ on the Korg Micro-Preset, John Foxx demonstrating the ARP Odyssey and Daniel Miller operating the ARP 2600 which was used on all the early DEPECHE MODE albums. There were often misconceptions about how this stuff worked though. “The number of people who thought that the equipment wrote the song for you: ‘well anybody can do it with the equipment you’ve got!'” remembers Andy McCluskey, “F*** OFF!!”
“You’ve got to remember it was the first time ever that someone could sit and make a record on their own” says Midge Ure, stating the recording of EURYTHMICS ‘Sweet Dreams’ in a basement on an 8 track tape machine as an example! But as the success of synthesizer continued, the backlash set in. Numan was particularly the victim of some venomous media attacks; not only was he doing electronic music but he had none of the anti-hero stance of punk… he wanted to be a popstar: “I don’t speak for the people because I don’t know them!” he exclaimed!
Andy Fletcher tells of the Battle Royale that DEPECHE MODE were always having with the press. People insisted it wasn’t proper music. The Musicians Union even tried to ban the use of synths in studios and live performance! I remember fellow classmates unceremoniously smashed up and burned a copy of ‘Cars’… AND THEN presented me with the remains! If I wasn’t already feeling isolated, then this sort of intimidation was certainly going to seal it!
Martin Gore quotes a disgruntled rock journalist who described the genre as being for “alienated youth everywhere, and Germans!” As an outsider with a typical post-war ‘Boys Own’ fascination for Airfix kits and Messerschmitts, this music would define me! What did these narrow-minded hooligans know?
Worshipping America was not what I wanted! To me, soul and jazz funk (much like R’n’B today) was the horrid soundtrack of the school bully! SYNTHPOP and its Mittel Europa romanticism appealed to my sense of elitism. I could wear my intelligence on my sleeve, it would become my badge of honour! Pretentious… MOI?
Photo courtesy of Alex Machairas
The move towards today’s electronic based dance music as pioneered by Giorgio Moroder is symbolised by the success of NEW ORDER and PET SHOP BOYS. Legend has it that KRAFTWERK were so impressed by the sound of ‘Blue Monday’, they sent an engineer down to Britannia Row Studios to check out the equipment only to find out it was comparatively unsophisticated! But ‘Synth Britannia’ actually goes on to suggest that the success of the third generation acts like Howard Jones and THOMPSON TWINS was the death of this fantastic period. “There was too much synthpop around, it was all very well being on a synth but actually the melodies and how some of the songs were structured was quite traditional and trite…” sighs Simon Reynolds, “it wasn’t that inventive as electronic music!” – he was right!
Unfortunately by the mid-80s, most of our heroes had given up the fight and went conventional. “We were all a bit lost by then” says Phil Oakey, “like we didn’t have anything to prove!” After declaring in 1980 that ‘Travelogue’ contained “synthesizers and vocals only”, THE HUMAN LEAGUE had by the disappointing ‘Hysteria’ credited Jo Callis with “guitars, keyboards, vocals”, sadly in that order!
Meanwhile OMD went from listing all their equipment on their ‘Dazzle Ships’ and ‘Junk Culture’ albums to Paul Humphreys simply being on “vocals, electronic keyboards, piano” for ‘Crush’! The lure of dollars to water down the synthesized sound for synthobic America just couldn’t be resisted anymore! This classic era of quality synthpop was sadly now over!
However, while the others fragmented, DEPECHE MODE got darker and stuck to their electronic blueprint, eventually achieving massive success in the US from 1988. So it would seem these pioneering acts’ original Eurocentric electronic manifestos had been right after all.
Their legacy is evident today: LITTLE BOOTS and LA ROUX have hit the Top 10, and collaborated on the marvellous BBC6 Music ‘Back To The Phuture’ live sessions with Gary Numan and HEAVEN 17 respectively; rock band MUSE credit “synths and programming” on their new album while featuring a song that sounds like ‘Vienna’; and a girl group cover of ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ is a ‘Comic Relief’ charity single!
Meanwhile, the synthpop era’s big international No1s ‘Don’t You Want Me?’ and ‘Tainted Love’ are still being played at weddings and night clubs, ironically often being sung along to by the same bully boys who were setting fire to Gary Numan records years earlier!! “It was exciting to be part of a musical movement that had never been done before, it was a fine time” smiles Vince Clarke.
‘Synth Britannia’ ends appropriately enough with ‘Together in Electric Dreams’ and this final quote from Andy McCluskey: “We were trying to do something new, that is specifically why we chose electronics, we wanted to sweep away all of the rock clichés! And then what happens towards the end of the 80s and even worse, the mid 90s? Everybody decides guitars are back, synthesizers are somehow old fashioned AND, we get Oasis!!”
McCluskey holds his hand to his head in despair but today, most of the acts featured in ‘Synth Britannia’ are still playing to packed audiences around the world. What was originally an electric dream is now a full blown reality. JUSTICE and a job well done 🙂
Ohm Sweet Ohm! The ‘Synth Britannia’ Soundtrack
DEPECHE MODE New Life
WENDY CARLOS William Tell Overture
WENDY CARLOS Title Music from ‘A Clockwork Orange’
KRAFTWERK Autobahn
THE CLASH White Riot
THE NORMAL TVOD
THE NORMAL Warm Leatherette
THE FUTURE 4JG
THE HUMAN LEAGUE Being Boiled
DONNA SUMMER I Feel Love
CABARET VOLTAIRE Seconds Too Late
CABARET VOLTAIRE Nag Nag Nag
OMD Messages
OMD Enola Gay
JOY DIVISION Atmosphere
JOHN FOXX Underpass
THROBBING GRISTLE Still Walking
THROBBING GRISTLE Hot on the Heels of Love
FAD GADGET Back to Nature
SILICON TEENS Memphis Tennessee
TUBEWAY ARMY Are ‘Friends’ Electric?
GARY NUMAN Cars
VISAGE Fade to Grey
THE FLYING LIZARDS Money
DEPECHE MODE New Life
DEPECHE MODE Just Can’t Get Enough
DEPECHE MODE Sometimes I Wish I Was Dead
THE HUMAN LEAGUE Don’t You Want Me
HEAVEN 17 – Penthouse & Pavement
CABARET VOLTAIRE Landslide
SOFT CELL Tainted Love
YAZOO Only You
YAZOO Don’t Go
OMD Maid of Orleans
EURYTHMICS Sweet Dreams
ULTRAVOX Vienna
KRAFTWERK The Model
DEPECHE MODE Everything Counts
DEPECHE MODE Master and Servant
PET SHOP BOYS West End Girls
NEW ORDER Ceremony
NEW ORDER Blue Monday
PHILIP OAKEY & GIORGIO MORODER Together in Electric Dreams
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LADY GAGA’s well thought out publicity machine ran like a dream. There were her controversial promo videos and extravagant live appearances which included amongst several props, a pyrotechnic brassiere! And there was her quirky interview style; who could forget her appearance on the BBC’s Tonight With Jonathan Ross sipping from her infamous china tea cup! The brilliant ‘Poker Face’ was released as a follow-up single. LADY GAGA was now in a bizarre way spearheading the Revenge Of The Synth. Many young ears had now been opened to sound of electronic music for the first time.
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