Electroclash
Encyclopedia
Electroclash is a style of music
that fuses New Wave
and electronic dance music
. It emerged in New York and Detroit in the later 1990s, pioneered by acts including I-F
and those associated with Gerald Donald
, and is associated with acts including Peaches
, Adult, and Fischerspooner
. It was popularised by the Electroclash Festival in 2001 and 2002 and subsequent European tours, but faded as a distinctive style in the early 2000s.
to describe music that combined synthpop
, techno
, punk
and performance art
. The genre was a reaction to the rigid formulations of techno music, putting an emphasis on song writing, showmanship and a sense of humour, described by The Guardian
as one of "the two most significant upheavals in recent dance music history". The visual aesthetic of electroclash has been associated with the 1982 cult film
Liquid Sky
.
with their track "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" (1998). The style was pursued by artists including Felix da Housecat
, Peaches
and Chicks on Speed
. During the early years, Ladytron
were sometimes labeled as electroclash, but they rejected this tag. Goldfrapp
's albums Black Cherry (2003) and Supernature
(2005) incorporated electroclash influences.
It came to media attention in 2001, when the Electroclash Festival was held in New York. The Electroclash Festival was held again in 2002 with subsequent live tours across the US and Europe in 2003 and then 2004. Other notable artists who performed at the festivals and subsequent tours include: Scissor Sisters
, ADULT.
, Fischerspooner
, Erol Alkan
, Princess Superstar
, Mignon
, Miss Kittin
& The Hacker
, Mount Sims
, Tiga
and Spalding Rockwell
. The style spread to scenes in London and Berlin, but rapidly faded as a recognisable genre as acts began to experiment with a variety of forms of music.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
that fuses New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
. It emerged in New York and Detroit in the later 1990s, pioneered by acts including I-F
I-F
I-f is the stage name of Ferenc E. van der Sluijs, a Dutch producer and DJ based in The Hague. He is a former member of the Dutch electro-pioneers Unit Moebius....
and those associated with Gerald Donald
Gerald Donald
Gerald Donald is a Detroit techno producer and artist. He is most famous for his work as Drexciya with James Stinson. He is prolific and is involved in many groups and artists.- Arpanet :...
, and is associated with acts including Peaches
Peaches (musician)
Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
, Adult, and Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner is an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. The name is a portmanteau of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner...
. It was popularised by the Electroclash Festival in 2001 and 2002 and subsequent European tours, but faded as a distinctive style in the early 2000s.
Terminology and characteristics
The term electroclash was coined by New York DJ and promoter Larry TeeLarry Tee
Larry Tee is a New York City-based DJ, club promoter, and music producer who coined the musical genre term Electroclash and helped launch the careers of such artists as RuPaul, Scissor Sisters, Fischerspooner, Peaches, W.I.T., and Avenue D, and has collaborated with Amanda Lepore and Princess...
to describe music that combined synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
, techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
. The genre was a reaction to the rigid formulations of techno music, putting an emphasis on song writing, showmanship and a sense of humour, described by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
as one of "the two most significant upheavals in recent dance music history". The visual aesthetic of electroclash has been associated with the 1982 cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
Liquid Sky
Liquid Sky
Liquid Sky is an independent American film. It debuted at the Montreal Film festival in August 1982 and was well received at several film festivals thereafter. It was produced with a budget of $500,000. It became the most successful independent film of 1983 grossing $1.7 million dollars in the...
.
History
Electroclash emerged in New York at the end of the 1990s. It was pioneered by I-FI-F
I-f is the stage name of Ferenc E. van der Sluijs, a Dutch producer and DJ based in The Hague. He is a former member of the Dutch electro-pioneers Unit Moebius....
with their track "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass" (1998). The style was pursued by artists including Felix da Housecat
Felix da Housecat
Felix da Housecat is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electroclash. His name was inspired by Felix the Cat....
, Peaches
Peaches (musician)
Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
and Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed
Chicks on Speed is a multi-national musical ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997, when members Melissa Logan, Kiki Moorse and Alex Murray-Leslie met at the Academy of Fine Arts....
. During the early years, Ladytron
Ladytron
Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in 1999 in Liverpool, Merseyside. The group consists of Helen Marnie , Mira Aroyo , Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu .Their sound blends electropop with New Wave and shoegazing elements. Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop"...
were sometimes labeled as electroclash, but they rejected this tag. Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo, formed in 1999 in London, England, that consists of Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory ....
's albums Black Cherry (2003) and Supernature
Supernature (Goldfrapp album)
Supernature is the third studio album by English electronic duo Goldfrapp. It was released in the United Kingdom on 22 August 2005 by Mute Records, and received mostly favourable reviews. Most critics complimented its blend of pop and electronic music, while others called it uninspiring...
(2005) incorporated electroclash influences.
It came to media attention in 2001, when the Electroclash Festival was held in New York. The Electroclash Festival was held again in 2002 with subsequent live tours across the US and Europe in 2003 and then 2004. Other notable artists who performed at the festivals and subsequent tours include: Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York" who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism...
, ADULT.
ADULT.
ADULT. is an American band from Detroit, Michigan that integrates vocals with drum machines, analog synths and electronic/punk elements. While popular in their home city of Detroit, they are also very popular in Germany and the United Kingdom.-History:ADULT...
, Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner
Fischerspooner is an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. The name is a portmanteau of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner...
, Erol Alkan
Erol Alkan
Erol Alkan is a London-based electro DJ of Turkish Cypriot descent.-DJ and club promoter:In 1993, Erol Alkan started DJing in various Indie nightclubs in London....
, Princess Superstar
Princess Superstar
Princess Superstar is an American emcee and DJ.Her musical style, as she describes it, is flip-flop — a mixture of 'hip hop, electroclash and electronica'.-Background:...
, Mignon
Mignon (musician)
Mignon Baer is a punk-rock and electronica musician. She is notable for her high energy stage shows and the use of provocative horror imagery.- Music and Performance :...
, Miss Kittin
Miss Kittin
Miss Kittin is an electronic music DJ, vocalist, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worked with other musicians such as Chicks on Speed, Felix da Housecat and Golden Boy...
& The Hacker
The Hacker
Michel Amato, better known by the stage name The Hacker, is a French electroclash and techno producer who has worked extensively with Miss Kittin. His work has been influenced by Electro artists like Kraftwerk, New Wave artists such as The Cure and Depeche Mode, as well as the French rave scene of...
, Mount Sims
Mount Sims
Mount Sims is the stage name of Matthew Sims, a Berlin-based American DJ, performance artist, producer and musician. Starting Mount Sims as a purely electronic music act, later releases have also shown influences from post punk, new wave and darkwave...
, Tiga
Tiga (musician)
Tiga is the stage name of Montreal-born DJ/producer Tiga James Sontag . His album Sexor won the 2007 Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year.-Career:He graduated from Selwyn House School, a prestigious school in Westmount...
and Spalding Rockwell
Spalding Rockwell
Spalding Rockwell is a band composed of Mary Louise "ML" Platt and Nicole "Nikki" Lombardi. They are primarily known for their collaboration with Armand Van Helden entitled "Hear My Name" and are featured in the music video. "Hear My Name" reached number 7 on the Billboard dance chart, was top 30...
. The style spread to scenes in London and Berlin, but rapidly faded as a recognisable genre as acts began to experiment with a variety of forms of music.
Popularity chart
Successful records from electroclash movement include:| Year | Song | Label | Artist | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
UK Dance UK Dance Chart The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | "Silver Screen Shower Scene Silver Screen Shower Scene "Silver Screen Shower Scene" is the first single from Felix da Housecat's album Kittenz and Thee Glitz. It features French electronic musician Miss Kittin... " |
City Rockers | Felix da Housecat Felix da Housecat Felix da Housecat is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electroclash. His name was inspired by Felix the Cat.... featuring Miss Kittin Miss Kittin Miss Kittin is an electronic music DJ, vocalist, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worked with other musicians such as Chicks on Speed, Felix da Housecat and Golden Boy... |
#39 | #2 |
| "Emerge Emerge (song) "Emerge" is an electroclash song and the first single from debut album #1 by Fischerspooner. The song was originally released in 2001 through International DeeJay Gigolo Records and later jointly rereleased in 2002 by Fischerspooner's imprint label FS Studios and Ministry of Sound... " |
Capitol | Fischerspooner Fischerspooner Fischerspooner is an electroclash duo and performance troupe formed in 1998 in New York. The name is a portmanteau of the founders' last names, Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner... |
#25 | ― | |
| 2002 | "Set It Off Set It Off (Peaches song) "Set It Off" is a song written and recorded by Peaches. The song was released as the lead promo single from her debut album The Teaches of Peaches... " |
Kitty-Yo | Peaches Peaches (musician) Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics... |
#36 | ― |
| "Sunglasses at Night Sunglasses at Night "Sunglasses at Night" is a song recorded by Canadian singer Corey Hart. It was the first single to be released off his debut album, 1983's First Offense, and became a hit single in the United States, rising to #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1984... " |
City Rockers | Tiga Tiga (musician) Tiga is the stage name of Montreal-born DJ/producer Tiga James Sontag . His album Sexor won the 2007 Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year.-Career:He graduated from Selwyn House School, a prestigious school in Westmount... and Zyntherius Jori Hulkkonen Jori Hulkkonen, born 28 September 1973, is a Finnish DJ and a producer of house music, originally from Kemi, Finland. Hulkkonen started his career in the early 1990s when he worked with Jukka Hautamäki, Tuomas Salmela and Ari Ruokamo for their own label Lumi Records... |
#25 | ― | |
| "Rippin Kittin Rippin Kittin "Rippin Kittin" is the first single from the duo Miss Kittin and Golden Boy's album Or.-Critical reception:Pitchfork Media placed "Rippin Kittin" at number four-hundred thirty-five on its Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s list... " |
Zomba Records | Golden Boy Golden Boy (artist) Golden Boy is a visual artist/musician best known for his collaborations with Miss Kittin such as the club hit "Rippin Kittin."-Career:A resident of Zurich, Switzerland, Altenburger first found recognition as a visual artist, winning the 1991 Swiss Federal Prize for Design and the 1994 Swiss... with Miss Kittin Miss Kittin Miss Kittin is an electronic music DJ, vocalist, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worked with other musicians such as Chicks on Speed, Felix da Housecat and Golden Boy... |
#67 | #1 |