Electronically Yours

This has been such an amazing year for the synthesizer that the last year of the noughties really needs a whole article of its own to do it justice.

So while Orac works on his list of songs of 2009, here is my chronological list of the best 50 electro-oriented songs, from the start of the 21st Century until the end of 2008.


The only restriction? One song per artist for any given calendar year.

Looking back, was 2006 really such a lame year for the sound of the synthesizer? Well, it was when The Presets' debut album 'Beams' came out. This is the one which 'The Fly' said was ' simply the best electro album since Depeche Mode's 'Violator'!'....yes, things were that bad!

Kylie Minogue - Can't Get You Out of My Head (2000)

Written by Mud's guitarist Rob Davis and former popster Cathy Dennis with Jimmy Sommerville in mind, Kylie's greatest song ever had all the Moroder-esque qualities to be massive.


Accompanied by a futuristic promo video featuring red and blacked garbed 'Man Machine' dancers, electronic pop music started the century at the top of the mainstream.

Prayer For The Unborn (Andy Gray remix) - Gary Numan (2000)

Gary Numan came up with this haunting tale about his still-born first child for his industrial rock album 'Pure'.
With this 'bleepy' remix by Perfecto stalwart Andy Gray, its cold wave Polymoog sweeps make this track equal to anything from his late 70's 'machine music' heyday and the stand-out from his current 'Tonight Matthew, I will be Trent Reznor' routine!

Lovely Head - Goldfrapp (2000)

The duo's superb stratospheric debut had Ennio Morricone's widescreen inflections but to accompany an ascent to the Matterhorn rather than a trek through a Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western.

Will Gregory's mad Korg treatments on Alison Goldfrapp's operatic screaming are one of the most thrilling musical moments of the 21st century so far.
And the 'Lovely Head' has nothing to do with where your hair is!

Now That I Found You - Ladytron (2000)

Ladytron became one of the first bands for many years to primarily use synthesizers as their tools of expression and attain critical acclaim. Their debut '604' showed electro potential in their initial quest to find 'yesterday's tomorrow'.
It's love all in this sexually ambiguous story of trying to pull at a women's tennis match!

Sunglasses At Night - Tiga & Zytherius (2001)

A brilliant electro cover of Corey Hart's cult 80's classic that was a part of the short lived 'Electroclash' movement.

Syncopated beats, distorted vocals and chunky sequences provided a wonderful dance mix. Tiga has since eventually carved out a career as a solo artist while Zytherius has reverted back to his real name Jori Hulkkonnen (wasn't he was a racing driver?) and worked with John Foxx and Client.

You & Us - Miss Kittin & The Hacker (2001)

Describing the relationship between artist and fan, this is another throbbing Moroder-inspired cacophony with dirty clanking 808 rhythms used to great effect.
The 'swimmy' ARP synths drown any sorrows as the pulsing euphoria takes hold. Miss Kittin doesn't sing as much as speak but her sexy Swiss charm carries off this superb 'Electroclash' anthem.

All I Ever Wanted - The Human League (2001)

Not to be out done by 'Electroclash', The League made a triumphant artistic return with a pulsing octave shift dance number that retained all the League's classic hallmarks while remaining relevant and current. Unfortunately, record company difficulties stalled any momentum on the progress of the promising parent album 'Secrets'.

Adagio For Strings (Ferry Corsten remix) - William Orbit (2001)

Remixed by Dutch DJ Ferry Corsten, what was originally a synth textured ambient classical cover was turned into trance anthem, sounding not unlike the best of Jean-Michel Jarre set to a four-to-the-floor drum beat.
Most will be familiar with Samuel Barber's emotive masterpiece from the film 'Platoon'.

Glorious - Marc Almond (2001)

Despite the Soft Cell reunion, the best song Mr Almond produced this decade was this appropriately titled electronic torch ballad which combined the best of his unique vocal histrionics with a big production not heard since his work with Trevor Horn in 1991.


Update: With a serious motorbike accident in 2004 far behind him, Marc has a new album of self penned songs entitled 'Variety' out in 2010 - celebrating a whopping 30 years as a recording artist.

(With thanks to Steve Millam)

Harlot - Felix Da Housecat with Melistar (2001)

Blatantly sampling 'The Sound Of The Crowd', guest vocalist Melistar joins Felix to ironically wax lyrical about the joys of using feminine charms to get by in life! Some great analogue riffage adds to this bridge linking past, present and future. Felix was very forward thinking and knew she was a feline...the European female's here!

Agenda Suicide (Adult Remix) - The Faint (2001)

The Faint sounded like Blur mixed with Wire but backed by squelchy synths. Taking their lead from early Ultravox, they quietly carved out a niche for a rockier electro sound. This remix by electro experimentalists Adult gave 'Agenda Suicide' a precise machine driven edge.

Here To Stay - New Order (2002)

They came back in 2001 with an album of dreadful stodgy rock but for the film '24 Hour Party People', New Order returned to the wondrous 'Hacienda' friendly dance sound of their classic singles for this one-off collaboration with The Chemical Brothers.

This is probably their only recent song which stands up to the best of their back catalogue.

Southern Sun - Oakenfold with Carla Werner (2002)

Paul Oakenfold has always had solid electronics in his dance palette of productions and remixes. Here, he puts a more haunting top-end European synth sound with his syncopated beats to accompany Carla Wener's sweet vocal talents. Much better than his rotten 'Starry Eyed Surprise' with that bloke from Linkin' Biscuit!

Remind Me (Someone Else's Radio mix) - Royksopp (2002)

From their acclaimed 'chill-out' album 'Melody AM', this Norwegian duo showed beneath the Scandinavian ambience, there were more Krafty intentions. This 'Robotnik' styled remix took the song to more mechanised heights. The classy animated promo won MTV Europe's Best Music Video Award.

Seventeen - Ladytron (2002)

Octave shifts galore to satirical lyrics about the Pop Idol/X-Factor/Next Year's Top Model generation.

The tactile nature of analogue synthesis allowed Ladytron to develop a brooding but accessible sound that was one of the key milestones in the revival of electronic pop music in the 21st Century.



The Floating World - Simple Minds (2002)

This instrumental closed their rather dull 'Cry' album. It's basically a thumping rave version of the 'Dr Who' theme and nothing like the FM pomp rock of their fame years.
However, closer scrutiny reveals this track was actually written by one Vincent Clarke and was more like an update of the Minds pioneering early 80's electro experiments. This unlikely collaboration was Simple Minds' best piece of work in nearly 15 years.

Freak Like Me - Sugababes (2002)

Gary Numan goes urban on this very clever reworking of Richard X's mash-up based around 'Are 'Friends' Electric?'. Who would have thought the music from this discordant classic would have been No1 again after over 20 years!

For the record, Adina Howard's R'n'B original of 'Freak Like Me' is painfully boring but she's probably very happy with her cut of the royalties, as no doubt is Mr Numan!

Pray - Syntax (2003)

'I Feel Love' meets The Psychedelic Furs on this Dutch trio's debut single. The 8 minute full length version has a hypnotic quality while spacey synths and full-fat analogue sequences recall a bygone disco age, updating the template for a new century.

Rock 'N' Roll Machine - Client (2003)

Ex-Dubstar singer Sarah Blackwood and ex-Technique synthesist Kate Homes teamed up for some military chic stylings. Sarah gives her Northern lass dead pan delivery over Kate's Eurocentric electro backing.

Initially with support from Depeche Mode's Andrew Fletcher via his imprint Toast Hawaii and Mute Records, Client have certainly been an important pioneering inspiration in the early part of the decade that has made it cool for women to take up the synthesizer.

No Client, almost certainly no Marsheaux!


Me & You - Camouflage (2003)

Germany's answer to Depeche Mode returned in 2003 to this offer this magnificent dark paean to love. More directly melodic than the Basildon boys later material, the vocals are a wonderful accented cross of both Messrs Gahan and Gore while the screaming lead synth screams out like vintage Gary Numan.

Strict Machine - Goldfrapp (2003)

This became ubiquitous as incidental music to any TV documentary about the adult entertainment industry.
With its 6/8 glam beat, it was full of glitter and glitz. Alison Goldfrapp's sexy space age air hostess outfit accessorised by thigh length boots became an iconic image while the Goldfrapp electro-glam sound was later borrowed by pop princesses Rachel Stevens, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears!

Opening doors everywhere, Ms Goldfrapp has probably been the most influential female music figure this decade.


So in the ultimate back-handed compliment, the press gave Madonna the nickname 'Oldfrapp'!

These Are The Things - Black Box Recorder (2003)

A modern day electro shopping list song in the manner of 'The Things That Dreams Are Made Of', this also had the feel of those great French 80's disco songs like 'Voyage Voyage' plus elements of Jean Michel Jarre.
Of course, Sarah Nixey's stern posh girl vocal made sure this had a distinctly British EU veto.

Lazy - XPress2 and David Byrne (2002)

Talking Heads' front man finally made his first ever appearance on TOTP with his usual big suited eccentricity over a contemporary electronica soundtrack. A 'Once In A Lifetime' for the dance generation, Bryne's quirky preacher persona tells us it's ok to be a synth slacker.

Unknown Treasure - Blank & Jones featuring Claudia Brucken (2003)

In between the aborted Propaganda reunion and OneTwo, Claudia Brucken guested with this German dance duo on the most gorgeous electrobeat ballad. It is the classic Claudia; complete with spoken verse and sexy ice maiden delivery in chorus.


The Camera - Karl Bartos (2003)

With an opening burst of Klingklang styled elastic bassline, the Tonmeister of 'elektronischer schlagzeug' made his return with the 'Communication' album.
Following an ill-advised Johnny Marr-inspired acoustic excursion on his previous 'Electric Music' album, this opener was a brilliant updating of 'The Robots' with vocodered lead vocals and 'Computer World' synths.

His solo live show which featured no less than ten of his Kraftwerk co-writes was nothing short of brilliant.

(Orac - another EMI track so we can't embed the video here - great song though and the video can be reached here).

We Become Silhouettes - The Postal Service (2003)

So called because band members Benjamin Gibbard (singer of indie guitar band Death Cab For Cutie) and producer Jimmy Tamborello actually exchanged musical ideas on DAT by mail. This has a melodic root in the folk tradition but is then fused with incongruous electronics and chattering drum 'n' bass rhythms.
Building with a sound that's like someone has thrown a drum machine down the stairs and switched it back on, it sounds a bit odd at first but just grows on you!

Heartbeats - The Knife (2004)

Swedish sister/brother weirdness with incongruous steel drums fused to rogue analogue synthesis. Karin Dreijer's vocals have a Bjork-like acquired taste but if you like your electro in the eccentric category, this duo are for you.

There was a very dull acoustic cover of this by Jose Martinez for that Sony TV Ad with the bouncing coloured balls.

Will I Ever? (Marsheaux radio mix) - In Vox featuring Andy Bell (2004)

Ever wondered how Erasure would have sounded doing 'Go West'? Here it is in this highly uplifting collaboration featuring two Greek duos. The In Vox original was fairly guitar driven but Marsheaux's remix adds a distinct electronic sheen to make it a pop masterpiece.
Much better than the any of the cover versions which Erasure were attempting at this point.

t.A.T.u. - Not Gonna Get Us (2004)

One of the reasons for the success of Russia's favourite faux lesbians was having Trevor Horn at the producer's helm. This magnificent single sounded like fleas on helium backed by The Prodigy and thundered like everything had been thrown into the kitchen sink!

October Love Song - Marsheaux (2004)

One of the big appeals of Marsheaux was their passion for the history of electronic pop music as shown by their various cover versions. This obscure bittersweet gem from 1982 by Chris and Cosey was unearthed and given an added twist by Marianthi and Sophie with a sweet, charming Hellenic translation.

Somebody Told Me - The Killers (2004)

Back in 2004, synthpop became the mutant gene in indie rock. Singer Brandon Flowers described this sexually ambiguous ditty in the tradition of Bowie and Morrissey as Duran Duran's 'Rio' with 'chest hair'!

The first five songs on the 'Hot Fuss' album still remain an impressive sequence of music in a period where analogue trickery was figuring highly in many of the 'new wave' of alternative bands.

But it wouldn't last, The Killers decided their next course of action was to become the new Bon Jovi!

An Honest Mistake - The Bravery (2005)

One time 'rivals' of The Killers and winners of the BBC 'Sound of 2005' poll, The Bravery successfully merged Gary Numan and Duran Duran with The Cure for this tale of sexual paranoia in post-911 New York.
Support tours with Depeche Mode followed but their UK record company lost interest in their second album, not knowing what to do with them.

The band ditching their synths didn't help!

Destroy Everything You Touch - Ladytron (2005)

This almost sounds like a Cold War rave which is quite appropriate given the dangerous times that we all live in.

This was the perfect balance between their earlier synth pop and their developing darker industrial mood which was staring to display more gothic grandeur.




Jane Falls Down - The Modern (2005)

This once promising band took the best of New Romantic thrill, a tight Stephen Hague production and a revival in synthpop to construct a brilliant single that had a killer chorus and solid beats reinforced by a big reverberating bassline.
Despite a support slot with Heaven 17, a chart rigging scandal involving over enthusiastic fans on their second single 'Industry' destroyed all momentum and the band retreated, re-emerging later as Matinee Club before becoming The Modern again!

Very - Moby (2005)

Like it or not, Moby helped subliminally sell electronic music to the masses with his albums 'Play' and '18', albeit featuring samples of gospels singers to lull the sceptical 'real music' brigade into a false sense of security.
He did away with samples for his song based album 'Hotel' and its highlight was this tremendous 'Goldfrapp versus Giorgio Moroder at Studio 54' pastiche featuring the dulcet tones of guest vocalist Laura Dawn.

Number 1 - Goldfrapp (2005)

Lusty OMD with beautiful analogue melodies and buzzy noises used to full counter melodic effect. In some ways, the vocal delivery was almost like a female Bryan Ferry!

Ms Goldfrapp was once filmed describing synth sounds by colours...this song seems to feature all the colours of the rainbow.
Lovely!

A Pain That I'm Used To (Marsheaux remix) - Depeche Mode (2005)

Already a magnificent brooding epic in its original form, this mighty Mode opener to the 'Playing The Angel' album was brilliantly transformed by Marsheaux, adding their own sparkling top end dynamic. Although never officially released, this was voted top remix in a poll of DM fans.
A worthy mention though must be made of Goldfrapp's atmospheric reworking which did make it onto CD.

Down And Dirty - Berlin (2005)

Now just consisting of founder member Terri Nunn, Berlin always walked a fine line between AOR and New Romantic, sometimes sounding like Ultravox fronted by Heart!!
Here, the more Germanic sound of their earlier 'Pleasure Victim' and 'Love Life' albums dominates. The machine rhythm is almost metallically tingling as the fuzzy synth bass cuts into your brain while Ms Nunn shouts various profanities at a hapless lover!

I'm With Stupid - Pet Shop Boys (2006)

After the acoustic nightmare of the 'Release' album, Tennant and Lowe returned to form with their satirical observation of Bush and Blair's special relationship, accompanied by a 'Little Britain' promo video.

Produced by Trevor Horn, it had everything including brass stabs, a meaty funky bassline and a huge percussive wall of sound just like his old Frankie Goes To Hollywood adventures! Unfortunately, the 'Fundamental' album was not quite as good.
What on earth was the inclusion of 'Numb' all about?

(Orac: we wanted to include a video for this track but EMI UK don't appear to understand Youtube or how it works with blogs...so here's a direct link to the official video).

Home (MHC remix) - OneTwo (2007)

OneTwo are Propaganda's Claudia Brucken and OMD's Paul Humphreys. Despite the 'Item' album having a long gestation period, the final result was largely worthwhile. Working on this remix with production duo The Manhattan Clique (MHC's Philip Larsen is part of OneTwo's live band); the icy cool of the original is maintained while enhanced dancefloor effect.

Sleepwalker - Frost (2007)

Some beautiful electronic dance from this enigmatic Norwegian lady with the soaring soprano. The gorgeous synth vibrato that puts you into a trance, it's the sort of song you would want to play at a rave in the snow! Her cover of OMD's 'Messages' is also worthy of a listen.

Dream Of A Disco - Marsheaux (2007)

'Hey! You! Flock Of Seagulls!'...an interpolation of 'Space Age Love Song', this has become the Greek electro maidens' signature tune.
A great duet with Marianthi's wispy verse and Sophie's singalong chorus, this had everyone going at the first EY event and their return date at The Scala in 2009.

Silent Shout - The Knife (2007)

Hypnotic neo-rave with the expected quota of Nordic eccentricity, the sharp appregiators and ambient percussion melt with Karin Dreijer's heavily manipulated low register vocals providing a menacing counterpoint to her sibling's vibrant electronic lattice.

Long winter nights certainly seem to have their effect but this is an act that demands more from the listener rather than just handing it all on a plate!

Stuck On Repeat - Little Boots (2008)

Using key Giorgio Moroder and Italo disco influences, this is the song that launched 'The Cult of Boots'. It's dreamboat synthpop driven by a throbbing sequence, solid beats and a great vocal topline. Its slight 'Emo' edge makes it a much darker proposition than Kylie.
In full length form, it was a 'Blue Monday' for the 21st Century.

With a Yamaha Tenori-on providing her own Blackpool Illuminations, Lady Victoria Hesketh became heir apparent once Alison Goldfrapp abdicated her electro queen crown.



X Minus One - Parralox (2008)

Australia was never known for producing pure synthesizer pop acts despite having given the world the Fairlight CMI. But here, Melbourne's Parralox conceptualised what would have happened if Madonna had joined The Human League.
80's New York electro disco lives on this 'New Order meets Madge at the Danceteria' classic. John Von Ahlen's sampled orchestral stabs and Linn drums dominate while the gigantic riff glistens like a glitterball.

Book your ride in the big yellow taxi now!

Magic - Ladyhawke (2008)

And just when you get one Antipodean playing with synths, you get another!! This was 'Enjoy The Silence' rewritten for the 'L Word' electro generation.
A perfect balance of synthetics and guitars, it's probably the sort of song Kim Wilde would have recorded had she started out now.

The double claptrap hook in the chorus adds to the hypnotic chugging train ride.

You Made Your Bed - Red Blooded Women (2008)

Pure octave shift disco heaven on this ode to the Ikea generation by modern electro's answer to Bananarama. Despite being all under 25, these ladies grew up to the sound of the synthesizer and learned to dance to the beat of electronic drums via their mums' Erasure and A-Ha singles.

Paying girl group homage to both Yazoo and Depeche Mode, Red Blooded Women don't sound too unlike Girls Aloud being produced by Daniel Miller!


Mirrorball (Marsheaux Remix) - Electrobelle (2008)

The original was good but the magnificent Marsheaux remix from the 'EY Vol1' compilation toughened 'Mirrorball' up to a Eurocentric dancefloor splendour. The gift Marsheaux have when remixing is they always manage to complement a song with their stamp while retaining the essence of the original...not an easy thing to do! With 'air-synth' riffage and interluding attacks, many established bands would have killed for a track like this.

Human - The Killers (2008)

A soaring rework of the Alphaville's 'Forever Young' which adds a great if grammatically confusing Hunter S Thompson referencing refrain of 'are we human or are we dancer?'
This glorious return to the synth rock sound of 'Hot Fuss' sees symphonic textures and minimal guitar set to a pounding motorik beat.

Who's That Girl? - Robyn (2008)

Robyn is often at her best when in collaboration with electro artists such as Kleerup and Royksopp.

So working here with The Knife, the percussive stutter is fused with a spirited chorus to ensure an international pop hit with an analogue edge.


Ms Carlsson needs to do more stuff like this in the future and steer clear of the R'n'B!

Additional notes by orac...
The track that re-wired EY....




As the 'Noughties' draw to a close, we've been meaning to to showcase a track that was released in 2002.
Like all great forward thinking left of center tracks - it vanished without a trace...

The track in question is FC Kahuna's sultry 'Machine Says Yes' - a track we raved about back when the site was called 'Secrets Online' in 2002 - desperately hoping that it would be a huge hit.
The spectacular crash of 'Electroclash' probably sealed it's fate but like the League's 'All I Ever Wanted' a year earlier, 'Machine Says Yes' would prove pivital to us here at EY HQ - eventually leading us to seek out a new angle on what was then a very tired and dormant genre.

This is the track that opened the door to 'Titty Fronted Electro'.

A sublime and brilliantly produced track eight years on from its intitial release - 'Machine Says Yes' has proved to be a blueprint for a movement that needed to change....






And finally before we unleash an EY Top 20 of the bestest electro tracks of 2009 - here's another performance from Jools Holland in 2003 that had a massive effect on the future direction of EY.


The Noughties very much belonged to the very gifted Alison Goldfrapp whose music paved the way for other girls and their synths.

Let us all raise a glass of sparkly wine to Miss Goldfrapp :)

Monday 21st December 2009 at London's O2 Arena and there are no less than FOUR 'Synth Britannia' heroes performing at various points of the evening.

Headlining are Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, aka the PET SHOP BOYS but in support are NEW ORDER's Bernard Sumner and Stephen Morris in their new guise of BAD LIEUTENANT.






The two acts have been invariably linked; both were influenced by Italo/New York disco and produced by Stephen Hague. Sumner and Tennant together recorded one of the greatest singles of all time 'Getting Away With It' as ELECTRONIC with Johnny Marr. So this live 'reunion' is wonderfully apt.

To be honest, not a lot was expected from BAD LIEUTENANT. The drudgey guitar rock from the less than impressive debut album was not what people really wanted but tonight, more than half the set has been fleshed out with songs from Sumner's varied musical past.
First surprise is two songs in; Sumner put away his guitar and Morris got off his drumstool to stand by a synth. The familiar chunky bass sequence of 'Bizzare Love Triangle' then came blaring out to the first big cheer of the night.

Other NEW ORDER tracks followed like 'Crystal' but the highlight was a full-fat electronic version of Sumner's CHEMICAL BROTHERS collaboration 'Out Of Control' leading straight into a euphoric 'Temptation' which sounds enormous and has many of the audience taking to the 'raincoat shuffle'.



It never seems to fail as a live track. With the crowd won over, BAD LIEUTENANT's last one is JOY DIVISION's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart'. However, Sumner spoils it with ridiculous shouts of 'C'MON' in the chorus that come over like Liam Gallagher's embarrassing uncle at a Mancunian wedding!



Overall, a good start to proceedings but the classics really show up how average the BAD LIEUTENANT material is, guitars not withstanding.

The PET SHOP BOYS show that follows is simply visually stunning. Arriving with coloured cubes on their heads, Tennant and Lowe begin with their fourth No.1 'Heart'. There are some great arty film clips that are projected among the white bricks which are very PINK FLOYD 'The Wall' and continue the 'cubist' theme.





Demolished and rebuilt at various stages, the bricks make great props on a brightly lit stage.

Augmented by a well choreographed team of four dancer/singers who change into a variety of colourful and zany costumes, the theatrical element that is essential to any PET SHOP BOYS event does not disappoint.




Tennant and Lowe are well aware that they appear very static on stage so always carefully think through how to deliver a performance that is as much about art as well as pop.

Many of the hit singles such as 'Left To My Own Devices', 'Jealousy', 'It's A Sin' and 'Being Boring' are featured plus songs from this year's 'Yes' album which work well within the context of a concert presentation.

Luckily, there are no songs from the acoustic nightmare 'Release' or the disappointing 'Fundamental' albums but they do 'New York City Boy' which must surely rank as one of PSB's worst singles ever!




Thankfully, a spirited rendition of 'Se A Vida E' manages to save the occasion with Chris Lowe pounding away at electronic drums from within his giant Rubik's Cube shaped booth.

There are some exuberant audience singalongs, particularly to 'Always On My Mind', 'Suburbia' and 'Go West' which is cleverly joined at the hip to the rhythm track of 'Paninaro'.

The friendly atmosphere in the crowd makes it all the more enjoyable. Biggest cheer of the night is saved for the brilliant 'What Have I Done To Deserve This Is?' where the image projection and distinctive vocals of the legend that is the late DUSTY SPRINGFIELD are greeted with roars of approval.

Among some interesting choices in the set, we get lost B-side 'Do I Have To?' as well as 'Two Divided By Zero', 'Why Can't We Live Together?' and 'Kings Cross'. The covers towards the end are a major surprise featuring an upbeat Latin-styled electro version of Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida' segued with refrains from 'Domino Dancing' and a stark 'house' re-working of Madness' 'My Girl'.

Finishing with their first magnificent No.1 'West End Girls' and ironically, their seasonal offering 'It Often Doesn't Snow At Christmas', a vibrant two hours of top class entertainment in sound and vision is concluded.

As anti-rock as one can get, the intelligent wit and above all, complex and intricate songwriting of the PET SHOP BOYS affirms why their 2009 Brit Award for 'Outstanding Contribution To Music' has been fully deserved.

The whole evening simply turns out to be a glorious celebration of the dancier end of new wave electronic pop.

EY TRIVIA NOTE - If you play the 7 inch vinyl version of Coldplay's 'Fix You' backwards, Chris Martin appears to be saying; 'Satan's favourite electro band is The Presets!'

Upcoming festive entertainment includes The EY Top 20 electro tracks of 2009 plus our pick of the greatest albums of the year.


Update constructed by Orac to the lovely Florence & The Machine album 'Lungs'.

EY is delighted to be able to confirm tonight that The Mighty Human League have secured a major record contract - the first since 2001 and the album 'Secrets' that was released in 2001 on Papillon Records.







(Image: Philip at the secret Battersea Power Station gig - image: Anthony Dangio)





Secrets Forum Moderator Stig Olsen kindly contacted EY this morning with the news that Sir Philip Oakey had signed the contract with Wall Of Sound MD Mark Jones in London at 10.30am last Friday.


This meeting took place the night before the League played a secret gig in a purpose built transparent venue within the listed 'ruins' of the London's iconic Battersea Power Station.






The Human League are the first band to be allowed to play within the listed building due to safety fears. The last people to be allowed in to use this derelict site was the production team for the movie 'Superman 2' that was filmed back in 1980.



We have no details about the new material only that it must be impressive to warrant a deal with such a respected label (Wall Of Sound is also home to EY faves Royksopp).

EY promised some time back that we would return to the League when we had concrete info about new material and you can rest assured that we will be following developments very closely and will report news from official sources if and when we get it.

(Image: Nick and Susan Sulley at the secret Battersea Power Station gig last Thursday - image: Anthony Dangio)

For EY, the news of the League securing such an impressive deal having had no contract for much of the decade could possibly result in the best Christmas we've had since 'Don't You Want Me' reached number One in the UK back in 1981... and ushered in a golden era of analogue pop - a moment in time that still continues to inspire this site.





For readers who have been with us since the days when we were called 'Secrets-Online' - a site inspired by the League's 'Secrets' album, The Mighty League will need no introduction.
But for those who are finding electro via La Roux, Little Boots, Marsheaux and Parralox, here are a few pop facts as to why the League remain so special...



1: The Mighty Human League changed pop music in the UK forever with the first album to fully embrace the synth and drum patterns with plenty of bass. 1981's 'Dare' went on to sell 5 million copies and it is still the definitive electronic blueprint for perfect, pristine pop.

2: 'Don't You Want Me' is officially the bestest Crimbo single ever.

It also reached Number One in the States and ushered in the biggest UK pop invasion since The Beatles in 1966 providing Number One hits for Soft Cell, Duran Duran and even Culture Club somehow managed to get in on the act.




'Don't You Want Me' is also the 24th biggest selling single of ALL time outselling most of the singles released by The Beatles.



3: Acts inspired by Human League include Depeche Mode, Bjork and more recently Little Boots who even managed to get Sir Philip Oakey to sing on her debut album.






4: The Human League have the best singles catalogue in the world - described by NME in 2003 as 'The Electronic Beatles' - they are one of the few UK bands to have more than one US Number One.
The Jam & Lewis produced 'Human' topped the US charts in 1986.


Genre defining hits that should be downloaded on to every mp3 player in the cosmos include: 'Open Your Heart', 'Love Action'. 'Mirror Man', '(Keep Feeling) Fascination', 'The Lebanon', 'Life On Your Own', 'Louise', 'Together In Electric Dreams and 'All I Ever Wanted'.

5: Despite countless personal setbacks, fall-outs and record company hassles, The League continue to bounce back.
In 1995, Philip Joanne and Susan returned with a new label - East West - and released the finest pop single of that year - 'Tell Me When' - that led to a record breaking five appearances on the much missed Top Of The Pops.

6: In 2001, the League released the critically acclaimed 'Secrets' but disaster struck later in the year when the label collapsed.
In that time, the band have concentrated on producing some of the finest live electronic shows of the decade resulting in appearances at the V Festival and countless other festivals in the UK and across the world.


The last UK tour Steel City resulted in more press attention here in the UK than any other tour of 2008.

7: In 2004 Q Magazine awarded the League with an 'Innovation In Sound' award in recognition for their groundbreaking work with synths and creating new sounds.






8: We really could waffle on all night about The Human League - about how 1980's 'Travelogue' is a fascinating insight into the future careers of League MK2 and BEF's Heaven 17 but for now we will leave you with a few exclusive pics from the Battersea Power Station gig and some choice Youtube clips of classic EY fave League moments including this very special performance for Jools Holland back in 1995.

Enjoy :)

(Orac would like to thank Stig Olsen for news and pics)

Related Link: Discuss this news story over at the Secrets forum



Update constructed to the remastered 'Dare'

December's issue of the UK's long running and highly regarded music publication - Future Music - have this month given their verdict on Marsheaux's third studio album 'Lumineux Noir'.




EY has long championed these two very talented girls and in an exclusive EY interview earlier this year, OMD's Andy Mc Cluskey talked of his Marsheaux soft spot and their 'wispy, melancholic charm...'

Some people would have you believe that Marsheaux are just a band that EY have hyped up but read on... for this is Future Music talking...

Marsheaux
Lumnieux Noir

Undo

While Little Boots and Ladyhawke have gone on to million-selling success, the crystalline Sexy Pop remains an elusive delicacy for far too many.

On Lumineux Noir the girls have never sounded bigger, more synthetic and unrelentingly tuneful.

If Kylie released Lumineux Noir it be the best thing she'd done since Fever.

At turns sulky, and pouting then energetic and unhinged it's as laser-guided and expertly plotted set of Electronic songs as we've heard this year.

If you don't like verse/chorus, despise harmonies, loath catchy hooks and like your synthery dark, doomy and predictable then avoid.
The rest of you please climb onboard asap.
Text © Daniel Griffiths 2009

ADD THESE TO YOUR PLAYLIST:
Destroy Me, Stand By, Summer
Future Music Rating: 9/10

(This EY update is dedicated to: Aaron Thomas, Gavin Jones, Pedro Pinho, Barry Gilleland and Glenn Austin)

Marianthi at EY6 image - Richard Price 2009



The special German Out Of Line edition of 'Luminuex Noir' can be snapped up in time for Crimbo via this link.
Other related EY gems currently in the MNS Top 10 include Parralox 'State Of Decay' plus a re-entry for 'Electronically Yours Vol 1'.




'Titty fronted bands do rule!!!'' - Elena Charbila (Kid Moxie)

BBC's 6 Music brought together two electro legends for a very special live session at Maida Vale studios in London on December 7th.






The BBC's Sound Of 2009 winner Lady Victoria AKA Little Boots was invited to team up with one of her musical heroes Sir Gary Numan for a unique set that included new versions of electro gems such as 'Are Friends Electric' (famed for one of the best synth rifts of all time) EY's Single Of 2008 'Stuck On Repeat' and a cover version of The Velvet Underground's 'Venus In Furs'.

This BBC Hub session may even lead to more Gary Numan Little Boots collaborations in the future after Gary was very impressed with the results.



'The thing about a collaboration is I think it needs to take you somewhere you wouldn't go on your own,' explained Numan, 'That's the whole point of it, and so, who you collaborate with is very, very important. It would be interesting actually. I'll have to see what could come of that.'






John McClure from Sheffield's Reverend and the Makers was also in the Maida Vale audience and he was very impressed by Lady Victoria: 'Pleasantly surprised actually by Little Boots. I never massively bothered before but she's really good. And Gary Numan? Obviously a legend...'

Readers in the UK have just five days to hear the full session over at the 6 Music website that also includes details of the setlist plus a photo gallery. Simply jump at this very important link.

6 Music will soon be bringing together La Roux and Heaven 17 at Maida Vale and we are very excited by this here at EY HQ.





'EY VOL 1'




Work on 'EY VOL 2' will begin early in the New Year for UNDO/EMI following the success of the first volume that spent an entire month in the Top 5 over at Musicnonstop this summer.


Tracks will include perennial faves such as Parralox, Katsen and Marsheaux with new mixes but we are also on the look out new bands.


At this early stage, it is possible that one or two of Chi Ming Lai's tips for 2010 will be included such as The Dreamers 'I'm Your Man' that we simply adore (the demo can be heard here).




We would also like the Arthur Baker remix of Hurts 'Wonderful Life' for the bonus CD but that might prove to be tricky.
'EY VOL 1' is now back on sale here in the UK via Musicnonstop and recently we heard from Glenn Austin who told us why the compilation is one of his personal faves of 2009....


'One of my highlights of 2009 was the release of 'Electronically Yours Volume 1'.


This really is a modern-day Some Bizarre, the influential 1981 compilation which helped to launch the careers of electro bands such as Depeche Mode, Soft Cell, Blancmange, and Naked Lunch who I always had a soft spot for, but it also has to be said the electro gems there had to fight for dominance amongst other dross such as Blah Blah Blah, Jell, The Fast Set and the like, so for me half of it was skipped over.






You can't say that about EY1 - pure joy from start to finish! From the superb 'Mirrorball' opener from Electrobelle (an intriguing hybrid of the Human League meets Pulp!), to the more atmospheric Fotonovela grower 'Unfair', this compilation is full of little gems.







My personal highlights are the two versions of 'Mirrorball' , The Ultrasonics' 'Perfect Girl', Katsen's 'Where Nobody Can Find Us', Technologic's 'We are Technology', and Northern Kind's 'On & On'. And of course, some excellent fare from more established acts like Marsheaux, Parralox and Client.

A good test of any album is its playability a few months after its release. EY1 simply lives in my car! Some Bizarre's impact wasn't immediately recognised, and hopefully one day EY1 will be seen as an equally important point in history as another launch pad for some of the EY1 acts.

How long until EY2?'


Glenn's Top three albums of 2009 include:

1: Marsheaux 'Lumineux Noir'
2: Parralox: 'State Of Decay'
3: Electronically Yours Vol 1

Coming next - Chi Ming Lai looks back over the electro landscape of 2009 in his end of year review with some sharp words for those who spent too much time in forums claiming that Little Boots and La Roux were the 'wrong kind' of electro.
It is a great read :)

More decent 'Lad Band' electro...

Hot Chip are BACK and we couldn't be more delighted here at EY HQ as we've always had a bit of a smoochy BEF sized soft spot for them.




'One Life Stand' is a bit bonkers but it has a warm and catchy chorus whilst some of the wobbly synth leads take us back to DM's 'forgotten' classic 'A Broken Frame' and the track 'Monument'.

Since waking up at 7AM on a Saturday morning in a fiery mood - the song has no doubt annoyed our neighbours with seven successive plays (we should really turn down the volume a wee bit).








EY would like to dedicate 'One Life Stand' to all those unfortunate souls (and top Northern comedy band Motorbikes In Taiwan) who have been frothing at the mouth this year whenever Little Boots, La Roux or Lady Gaga have been mentioned.

We love you all.

'One Life Stand' is released February 1st 2010.


EY Rating 9/10





Coming up next...when Little Boots met Sir Gary Numan at the BBC...

'EY VOL 1' act Kid Moxie recently released the lavish album 'Selector' on Europe's finest label for electro - Undo Records.


The haunting and spinetingly new single 'Tsunami' is likely to figure in the up and coming EY countdown to the best tracks of 2009.


EY invited Greek born Chief Moxie and LA based film actress Eleni Charbila to send us a track by track guide to 'Selector' plus update us on her career stateside and recent praise from the legendary film composer Angelo Badalamenti....

Selector:
Eleni: This is a song about a girl falling in love with a superhero...he doesn't look like one, except when a scar he has on his body starts glowing in the dark... ;)
This song is very early Gary Numan influenced although definitely more poppy..

What Kind Of Girl:
Love gone wrong..song is based around a haunting melody played by the the keyboard ...everything else in the song is to serve that melody ...perhaps one of the most vulnerable songs on the album along with Tsunami.

French Disco In Space:
Definitely the most fun on the album! Completed with a little rap in French it's about a dream disco in space where people can either dance against gravity or get swallowed up by the vortex!

Tsunami:
One day my friend told me he had a dream about a tsunami but couldn't remember what he saw...30 minutes after he told me that, the song was already written and recorded trying to recreate in my mind an atmosphere that would feel like a 'mute catastrophe'

Medium Pleasure:
Almost the title of the album (in fact George from Undo was disappointed that I changed that to Selector!) is a song about relishing in the medium pleasures around us

Polytechnic:
The most 60's sounding song, (even has guitar in it!) its purely about student life, boys, bikes and park life.

Mechanique:
Glamour-izing the machine and fetishizing metal objects(!)

Neon Tears:
Post break up destructive thoughts ..revenge, icy keyboards, heavy beats...

Dream in Pale Blue:
Co- wrote this with my good friend and amazingly talented musician Serafim Tsotsonis and it encompasses the feeling of winter, snow, sleeping heavy and dreaming deeply....

Thursday Night Fever:
If we were to shoot a video for this one it would be an animation of a hot blonde on a motorcycle , riding the streets at night and sprinkling the city with glitter!

Love In Transit:
Probably the most honest and real song. its about long distance love, about being far away from home, missing europe and being torn between two continents ..musically influenced by Angelo Badalamenti and music from 'Twin Peaks' in the guitar slides...

and then of course there are the two amazing remixes that Fotonovella and Marsheaux did ...can't speak for them but all i can say was that i absolutely love what they have done with them!!

Orac: Congratulations on 'Tsunami'!

The track is likely to figure in our forthcoming 2009 best of countdown. It's such a haunting track and quite unlike anything we've heard all year. Is this a song that came to you fairly quickly or was there a lot of work involved when composing?

Eleni: Its actually the song that came the easiest out of any other song on the album. It was so easy to write because i had such a clear image in my head about the mood and the story behind it. The feeling behind it was the aftermath of dreaming of a tsunami..

What sort of reaction have you had to the new album 'Selector' back in Greece?

It has only been a little over a month since the album has been out in Greece but the responses have been very positive already ...people recognize some songs from the radio so that's always good in promoting an album.

Last time we spoke to you, you had just completed a film with acting legend Al Pacino of 'Scarface' fame - do you have any over roles lined up?

I actually did a theatre play with him and through that he gave me a small part in his film based on the play! - but yes, I have another movie that I'm shooting in January and it's a thriller about college kids exploring this new vampire trend that's going around these days by forming cults to try to become vampires!
I'm actually the 'good girl' in it...its a very exciting project also because the film will be featuring TWO Kid Moxie songs in it ('Selector' and 'Hollywood Smile').




Looking back over 2009 - are their any of the 'nu-electro' acts that impressed you? La Roux and Little Boots divided the electro community here in the UK though both went on to shift lots of records - what do you think of their impact on music in general.

Can't say i have been very affected by the electro battle between those two acts, but i guess if i had to pick one it would be Little Boots as i find her songs to have more 'pop edge'...

Tell us about your fave records of the year.

Have to say that i was pretty resistant to Lady Gaga at first but 'Fame Monster' is on my top played albums this month!

I'm also revisiting some old favorites like Moroder's 'Midnight Express' soundtrack and italo-disco queen Valerie Dore's Greatest Hits.

What was your personal high point of 2009?

Hmmm....getting an email from Angelo Badalamenti (David Lynch's music composer) telling me he loved my songs (especially 'Tsunami' and 'Dream in Pale Blue')!

I was so honored as he is one of the people i admire the most in this world.

Other high points were being featured in VOGUE magazine, starting to practice Transcendental Meditation (TM) and falling in love with L.A again...

Looking back to Undo EMI's 'Electronically Yours Vol 1' that included your track 'La Romance D'Hiver', what did you think of our little electro CD and what were the tracks that grabbed you?

I really do think every track on the CD was very unique but I have to say that my faves were Marsheaux's 'Sadly' and Fotonovella's 'Unfair'..and that's NOT because we're from the same hometown!!!

New Years resolutions?

Go to Nepal, get over my fear of heights and practice more TM.

Thank you Eleni


Kid Moxie's 'Selector' is now available exclusively from the Undo online store






'Lad Band' electro making a comeback....?
BBC announce Sound Of 2010 nominees!





There has been a bit of online sniping aimed against EY of late, shooting through cyberspace to EY HQ in Ascot from one or two bands who no longer grace the pages of EY.


Some of it has infuriated us (regarding the unworkable EY 'record label') whilst other attacks bemoaning a lack of male electro on EY has admittedly been a bit of a giggle....(Lady Gaga coverage on EY?? Shock! Horror!).




One lesser criticism aimed at the site is that we only like 'Titty fronted electro' ( a tag which we love by the way and was one of the few to make us chuckle).

Earlier this year in a EY news item dated 2nd June, we raved about a track by Hurts (along with Popjustice and Worraplova) entitled 'Wonderful Life' - a band with not one single tit in sight.

This week, the BBC announced the 'long list' for their massively influential Sound Of 2010.
Long term readers will recall how it accurately predicted big success for the eventual winner of 2009 Little Boots, plus La Roux and Florence & The Machine (whose album 'Lungs' is on constant play here at EY HQ).







Amongst the list of nominees for 2010 is Hurts on the strength of just the one track.

They are Orac's hopeful tip to walk away with it in January and perhaps usher in a new dawn of male fronted electro (that doesn't sound like Gary Numan circa 1980 or the tiresome 'industrial' nonsense that has been around in mainland Europe for far too long now).

Link: BBC Sound Of 2010

Australian Sensations Parralox are back with a new album 'State Of Decay' - a CD of shiny brilliance, lush packaging and career defining tracks.

2008's 'Electricity' was a tough collection of heavenly electro to follow but the second studio album has quickly become one of the album contenders of the year here at EY HQ.

With beautiful sonics and pumping basslines - tracks such as 'When The Walls Came Tumbling Down' and the wonderfully complex 'Time' combine to mark a slight change of direction for Parralox.



There are still the nods towards early Madonna and you can imagine a Gothed up Kylie singing some of these new tracks - but there is definitely a bit of a classic New Order vibe running through many of the tracks.

In order to fully appreciate this album, EY recommends that you snap up the limited German Edition that includes the 'bonus' track 'In The Night'.
Our only complaint is that 'In The Night' should really have been included in the main tracklisting.

Our analogue hearts are also warmed by the fact that new gem 'Time' is dedicated in the sleeve notes to the late great creator of 'Blake's 7' - Terry Nation.

To celebrate 'State Of Decay' - EY got Chi Ming Lai to question the Parralox knob fiddler John Von Ahlen on this latest release, the state of the music industry and the glorious pop songs of 2009 that have impressed him the most.....






Chi Ming Lai: Flashback to PARRALOX's debut gig at EY3 last November. Any immediate memories or thoughts come to mind? I thought your set was far too short.

JVA: I have many memories of that night. Firstly, I was amazed at the turnout and how many fans we got to meet in person. Quite a few had traveled from the continent and there was a group of guys who came from Ireland just to see us play.


The highlight was the encore of our set when we reprised the song 'Electricity' and the ENTIRE audience was singing along with us. It was the most poignant moment of my music career, knowing that so many people loved our music (*and knew the lyrics too - I was totally impressed).





I remember in early 2008 when I discussed with Orac the possibility of Parralox playing at EY3, and then having that made reality was extremely satisfying, knowing that we all made it happen ourselves, without relying on major labels.

I agree that our set was too short but we also played with Motorbikes in Tokyo and RBW, so we couldn't exactly do an hour each per set.

For the next EY gig we may play longer, as long as Orac says it's OK!






The mention which 'Sharper Than A Knife' got on the Perez Hilton blog was quite a coup. What effect did it have on PARRALOX ?

Quite a profound one really, both Amii and I suddenly became far too important to talk to mere mortals. Just kidding!
Seriously, we had all these people calling us from out of the blue, wanting to know us, and a few record deals were offered (all of which I rejected of course).




The Perez thing also exposed us to a whole new audience which has been great. The good thing about the music we make is that it is hopefully universal. That is, the songs can be enjoyed by many people, and not just lovers of electro.
The music is really for lovers of songs, and not just drum machine freaks (it's OK, I’m one of those too).

I remember the day it happened, all of a sudden I was getting an insane amount of text messages on my mobile phone, and heaps of emails. I called Amii and we were both speechless. We actually went out a few days later and celebrated quite heartily.
Our myspace page went berserk, over 15,000 plays in one day!

I emailed Perez to thank him, and he replied in person which was lovely. One of our fans in New York sent him then CD, which is how the whole thing happened, much to our amazement!  We will also go to USA (Baltimore) to shoot a film clip for one of our tracks that featured in the Life After Lisa series, so that's all a by-product of the Perez exposure.

Congratulations on the new record deal with Conzoom Records. They've done you a nice little page on their website. What are your hopes for new album 'State Of Decay' with this exciting international arrangement?





I had to think quite a bit about signing to Conzoom, as Parralox were doing perfectly well the way we were, liaising heavily with Electronically Yours. But producing/writing/engineering music is only a small part of the music business.


The other side is promotion, management, networking, marketing, distribution etc..and when Ingo (Conzoom) made his proposal it made sense to me.
All of a sudden I had a label (albeit a small one - which is great actually) who could take on many of the duties that I had been doing.
That means I have more time now to focus on the actual music making.
I'm also getting back into music video production, and we shoot our film clip for Hotter in 3 days actually, which I am directing and producing.

It was also important for me to retain 100% creative control and maintain the integrity of the music, something which could never happen if we signed to a major label.

Making good music is more important to me than commercial success.

I hope people enjoy 'State Of Decay' in the same way they enjoyed 'Electricity', and that they can rediscover the joys of good, pop song writing combined with good old fashioned synthesizers.
We also have Ian Burden (The Human League) on board giving us a hand with some basslines etc.
We are working on co-writing some songs as well, but that's still early days and will most likely appear on the third Parralox album, due mid 2010.

'Hotter' is your latest single and I understand it dates back to the 'Electricity' sessions.
Why was it not on that album and how have you managed to retain the essence of PARRALOX while still being able to move forward with your sound?





Well, I have to be diplomatic in how I answer this one. Here goes...'Hotter' was actually song number PLOX16 in production terms (FYI - 'End Of Summer' is PLOX17) I give all our songs production numbers as it makes computer filing much easier, and gives me a chronological order to all the songs too.





Anyway ...I wrote the song as an ironic and cynical commentary on the state of social networking sites, dating sites and the internet in general. I had personally observed how people have become statistics and dehumanised as a by-product of technological progress.


When I presented the song to Roxy she was concerned that people might attribute the song's content to her! After some discussion we agreed not to record that song at that time, and it turned out that we had plenty of tracks for the album anyway.


One week after I met Amii I got her in the studio and 'Hotter' was the first song we recorded (February 2009). Amii pretty much nailed it, and I knew then that I had struck gold (yet again!!). The original production for the track was a little clunky, so I updated it to bring it in line with the current Parralox sound. The demo version may appear at some stage.



I made a conscious decision when recording tracks for the new album that I would try and look forward as much as possible, and not borrow as heavily from the past as I had.



Obviously I love 80's music and I want to retain that element, but I don't want us to become a one-trick-pony or self repeating.

So it was a fine balance to blend in our influences while mixing in a small dose of future shock.

What can we expect with the new album? Will be a glorious dancefest or have you gone a bit darker?


The new album is much darker than the first by design. This is more apparent especially when you read the lyrics. The music is a combination of dance, electro, ballads and stadium electro (I just made that up) tracks.
Some tracks are darker sounding, while others are produced in typical Parralox fashion and sound upbeat. 'Beautiful World' is a clear example of the statement 'Make a sad song happy, and make a happy song sound sad'.

If I told you what the song was about you would be surprised. The subject matter for some of the new songs is quite morbid and serious, although I have hidden the content to a certain degree by the clever use of metaphor and cliche ;)






Also, only true Doctor Who fans will understand the album title reference (or anyone with access to google LOL!).

The title reflects the state of human affairs and emotions. While the first album was about the electric, this album is really about the organic.

Any particular tracks we should be looking out for on 'State Of Decay'?





I'm proud of 'Time', as I consider that to be a sibling track (in spirit) to Factory Friends, the lyrics are a little off beat and they deal with quite a cosmic topic. The song itself is very dreamy.

'Universe, I Love You' is another favourite, although it took me 6 months to write that chorus and I kid you not.

The rest of the UILY was written in my sleep in February 2009, the night after I dreamt of 'Footsteps'.
It's one of the most unashamed pop songs I've written and produced (Human League fans rejoice), but still a bit quirky.



'When The Walls Came Tumbling Down' was a turning point for us, in that we started to explore a different, darker direction while still maintaining the electro roots which keep our passion for this genre so strong.

Throughout the production of the entire album I was watching 'Eraserhead' and 'Twin Peaks', so I think some of this has had an influence, especially in songs like ' Footsteps' which is basically about Sarah Palmer. I've been reading nothing but Isaac Asimov for the last year, so this explains ' How Do You Break A Robot's Heart?'

To be honest, I love every single song on the album and it's difficult to isolate just one as more special than another. I'm sure will find that certain tracks appeal more than others, but both Amii and I are 100% proud of every single song on the album.

The EY special edition CD of 'Electricity' helped PARRALOX get noticed & established. But the landscape has changed even since it was released. Do you have any views about how music is marketed/distributed now and whether the physical format really has had its day?


As time marches on we find more and more artists using the internet to promote their music, and the major labels are shitting themselves with good reason. It is now possible to self fund, promote and sell your own product without the major labels.

Sure you won't reach the same audience or ever have the same distribution networks that Sony/EMI have, but you can at least compete in a small way and get yourself heard. All this means that your promotional AND distribution network is digital, and so therefore your content must also be transmissible via the same network.

Sadly, this means more mp3s and less CDs are being sold. The younger generation have no concept of vinyl records and they see CDs as an antiquated format. That might be true, given the nature of the digital world we live in, in which every man and his dog has an iPod.
I still believe in keeping the physical format alive though, as music is more than just vibrations in the air.

One of the agreements I have with our new label is that ALL of our releases must be made available on CD, even if they are only as Limited Edtions. I put too much work into my music to have it downgraded to a 5Meg file!

I know there are lots of people out there who still want to 'hold the music in their hands' and nothing will ever beat listening to a CD and reading the cover and admiring the artwork at the same time.

Seeing a thumbnail of the album cover while listening to an mp3 is not the same.
I've said it before, but bands like Parralox wouldn't be able to compete without the support of websites/blogs such as EY.
Even though we are still small (in the grand scheme of things) we still need to reach an audience, and without the traditional promotional pathways that record companies offer, we need to seek out alternative methods.
It's better for us to do it this way, as we deal directly with the people (such as yourself) who love the music , and not some corporate A&R person who doesn't understand us, or is only interested in us after someone ELSE shows some interest.

We can create our won way I think. There is still a place for the physical format of music (CD, Vinyl) even if it is shrinking every day. The only thing you need to know is that Parralox will always release it's music 'in the real world' as well as digital format.

Packaging is such an important part of pop music, and without a real CD in your hands, you lose some of that impact.

I saw a great sticker to advertise Hi-Fi which said ' BAD SOUND IS KILLING GOOD MUSIC'. It's funny but I've really got back to buying CDs again in a big way because I really miss that 'body' which music has when you play a properly mastered CD through a good system as opposed to an MP3. As a renowned 'studio boffin' with a drive for perfection, have you any views about the way music 'quality' is heading.

Is this maybe why people are still going to gigs in large numbers even if they're not buying music as much?






I know people are saying that CDs are dead, and it might be true, but I refuse to let it go. Bad sound is not only killing music, but it is misinforming the younger generation.

Music has always been an expression of individuality and statement of style, but to some people the actual sound quality is secondary to the delivery medium, and that's a shame as they are missing out on the chance to explore the fine details that high fidelity music has to offer.

I put so much work into my music, and the thought of having all these beautiful sounds crushed down to some shitty mp3 quality really saddens me. People really have forgotten (or the teenagers who just don't know any different) the joys of high fidelity audio.
To hear your favourite music in full bandwidth uncompressed sound (and glorious stereo) is how all music should be heard.

I myself listen to a lot of mp3s but I always come back to Vinyl, CDs or WAV files as I really want to hear every single detail in the music.

Why spend $100,000 recording an album and getting it mastered to perfection when the end result is compressed to a 128kbps mp3! It's like printing the Mona Lisa on a paper napkin and telling the world that this is a good painting. Yes, the original is a good painting, but the copy is just a cheap knock-off that you can't take seriously.


But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As technology develops, you will find that soon it will be common for people to download WAV/AIF files that are uncompressed, in other words, you will be able to download CD quality audio files with no loss at all (forget about FLAC, I'm talking bit for bit copies of the original masters).

Only then will people be able to appreciate the music (as long as they don't ruin THAT experience by wearing tiny headphones LOL). I suspect that the audiophiles out there would have half decent sound set-ups anyway, and computer speakers are so much higher in quality now then ever before.




The real reason that people are going to gigs in large numbers is because the bands and record labels know the real way to make direct money is by putting on a live show (in relation to dwindling CD sales).

You can't download the experience of being in a crowd and seeing a band, and this is why bands are doing more gigs now that ever before. I laugh when I see some older bands re-appear and do what I call their 'retirement fund tour'.



We all know that people are illegally downloading music in greater numbers these days, so they only way to keep a band financially viable is to do lots of gigs. This also has the side-effect of promoting the band, which is what you want to do anyway.


If you don't doubt that CD sales are in decline then just compare how many music stores there are now, compared to 10 years ago.

All the lovely little independent, boutique vinyl stores are disappearing, sadly.



Will PARRALOX be doing gigs to promote 'State Of Decay'? When can we expect to see you in the UK and Europe?

Yes, we are coming to UK and Germany in early 2010 to promote our third single and soon to be released remix album. We had originally planned to come around at this time of the year, but we got caught up with finalising our album, plus the 2 singles that we are releasing this year as well as the three videoclips that we are recording as well!

Time just got the better of us and we had to decide what was more important, and clearly getting the album finished was the number one thing.

What are your favourite albums or songs from 2009 so far?



'Lady Gaga - Bad Romance'

I've NEVER been a Lady Gaga fan, but after I saw the video for this I changed my mind.

She is the world's biggest pop star at this point in time, and I'm sure Madonna and Marilyn Manson must be stewing in their juices wishing they had done a video half as good.

Note to Madonna - stop flashing your snatch to the world, we aren't interested! Take a leaf out of Lady G's book.


'Beyonce - Sweet Dreams'.

Yes I know you think I'm mad, but this is actually quite an electro track. The backing music is just one step away from 'Being Boiled', and had the Human League been starting out now, I'm sure they would sound exactly the same (Martyn Ware, please confirm!).


'Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow'.

No I'm not kidding. This song is pure electronics and Kraftwerk would approve, of that I have no doubt! In general I find R&B Rap to be boring and offensive, but the sheer futurist/retro vision of the track more than compensates for any loathing I have of gangsta rap (which this track isn't anyway).
If you listen to the instrumental version then you would be forgiven for thinking that Kraftwerk had a love child with Herbie Hancock.
'Royksopp - The Girl And The Robot' actually the album itself isn't too bad, but this track is a real standout.


'La Roux - In For The Kill'

Elly's voice is great, the song is amazing, but the original mix is awful. The Skream remix is the truest representation of that track as it really brings out the raw emotions.

Fever Ray's album is brilliant from start to finish.
Honestly, I wish Parralox had the same success that those guys (Fever Ray/The Knife) have. I'd love for us to have understated, but lengthy careers.

I have intentionally ignored Depeche Mode and Pet Shop Boys' new albums as I consider them both to be extremely disappointing. Both bands are capable of better song-writing IMHO, and as role models these guys have a certain standard to maintain.

We don't expect reinvention of genres, just good songs that we can fall in love with.

(JVA - thank you very much and see you in 2010!)


Parralox Release Schedule 2009

Available now
Hotter (Single) (Digital Download)
Hotter (Single) (Limited Edition CD)

I Am Human (Single) (Digital Download)
I Am Human (Single) (Limited Edition CD)

State Of Decay (Album) (Digital Download)
State Of Decay (Album) (Limited Edition CD)

Undo @ Sister Ray!



London's most famous record store - Sister Ray - a haven for pure electro in Soho, London is now stocking selected Undo goodies.

It is a big honour to us that a store that has been an oasis for the likes of Martin Gore in the past has sampled the likes of 'EY VOL 1' and Marsheaux's 'Lumineux Noir' and decided to stock both titles in their Soho store.



Both deluxe Greek versions of both titles retail at just under 14 squid whilst eager shoppers can also snap up copies of the extremely limited CD edition of Marsheaux's 'Breakthrough' CD single that contains the definitive Marshy Extended Remix (and one of the best remixes we've heard all year).

For more info on Sister Ray and why it is so important, please jump here.

(With huge thanks to Paul B)