Tag: Glenn Gregory (Page 3 of 5)

30 LOST SONGS 2010 to 2014

Over the five years since its inception on 15th March 2010,  ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK has aimed to highlight the best new music within the electronic pop world.

But with so much music and only a finite allocation of time, songs have slipped under the radar occasionally, or perhaps only received a glancing mention. However, a bit of time and distance can reveal if these recordings really are actually lost gems and whether the site missed the boat. So here are 30 songs from the cover the period between March 2010 to December 2014 which are worthy of rediscovery.

They have been released as physical product or purchasable / free downloads and are listed in chronological and then alphabetical order.


YVY DEMINA Alley of Aces (2010)

Sounding like night meeting day with an omnipresent gothic allure, YVY DEMINA has been making music since 2007 but despite having songs on compilations, so far she has yet to have a release in her own right. A debut EP scheduled for July 2009 never materialised but the excellent ‘Alley Of Aces’ crept out on the ‘Zwischenfall – A New Decade Vol. 01’ compendium which also featured XENO & OAKLANDER. No more has been heard since…

Available on the compilation album ‘Zwischenfall – A New Decade Vol. 01’ via Real Voice Of Underground

https://soundcloud.com/yvy-demina/yvy-demina-alley-of-aces


LYLEE Sternentanz (2010)

Seductive, Weimer Cabaret styled electropop with a rich, layered atmosphere, ‘Sternentanz’ was a gloriously vibrant song from this promising German songstress. But aside from three mixes of ‘Sternentanz’ and another track titled ‘Kein Weg Zu Weit’ on the single release, that was it. LYLEE’s website has long since gone offline so despite Google, there appears to be no extra information on her whatsoever… so a song and artist truly lost.

Available as a download single via Batleth Records, extended version available on the compilation album ‘electropop.5’ via Conzoom Records

http://www.last.fm/music/Lylee


TIKKLE ME Remind The World (2010)

Sick of female fronted synthpop? Well, tough! We want “synths with balls” cry the electro fraternity still stuck in their shouty, chauvinistic cauldron! But as the feminist synth combo TIKKLE ME put it on their song ‘Remind The World’: “I’ve got no balls you see… I’ve already checked!”. This Swedish collective certainly made a positive impression with some thought provoking lyrics on their feisty self-titled debut album and have tunes too! Their second album ‘What Is Real’ is even better!

Available on the download album ‘Tikkle Me’ via Gaphals

http://tikkleme.se/


047 Featuring LISA PEDERSEN Everything’s Fine (2011)

047 Everythings FineWith some rich Scandipop in the vein of ROBYN courtesy of guest vocalist LISA PEDERSEN, ‘Everything’s Fine’ showed that Swedish electronic duo 047 could produce quality song based material. Sebastian Rutgersson and Peter Engström started out as a chiptune act before expanding their sonic template on their second album proper, ‘Elva’. It is territory they’re continuing in with the much anticipated follow-up, currently being recorded.

Available on the album ‘Elva’ via Killing Music

http://www.047.se/


JOHAN AGEBJÖRN & LE PRIX featuring LAKE HEARTBEAT Watch The World Go By (2011)

JOHAN AGEBJÖRN is better known as cult Swedish songstress SALLY SHAPIRO’s right hand man, but for his debut solo album, he brought in a number of guest vocalists like QUEEN OF HEARTS for ‘Casablanca Nights’, a rather danceable electronic pop album. ‘Watch The World Go By’ was an uptempo highlight with a longing, melancholic vocal from Janne Kask of LAKE HEARTBEAT that was treated to the point of being almost feminine.

Available on the download album ‘Casablanca Nights’ via Paper Bag

http://www.johanagebjorn.info/


CITIZENS! True Romance (2011)

Produced by FRANZ FERDINAND’s Alex Koupranos, CITIZENS! ‘True Romance’ had a hint of HOT CHIP collaborating with Vince Clarke about it. Catchy and quirky, it was released in late 2011 and even had a slight passing resemblance to the CCS remix of LYKKE LI’s ‘Little Bit’. From a so-called indie band, ‘True Romance’ had a fresh, synth assisted approach that didn’t involve too many guitar interventions.

Available on the album ‘Here We Are’ via Kitsuné

http://www.citizenscitizens.com/


HIGH PLACES Year Off (2011)

HIGH PLACES are a duo based in Brooklyn. Dark but danceable, Mary Pearson’s half spoken / half wispy vocals on the haunting ‘Year Off’ are unearthly. As a percussive mantra takes hold, the cacophony of synthetic sound produced by musical partner Rob Barber only enhances the cerebral experience of this magnificent track, with an electronic bassline solid enough to knock your head on.

Available on the album ‘Original Colors’ via Thrill Jockey Records

https://www.facebook.com/pages/High-Places/83873543030


NIKI & THE DOVE Mother Protect (2011)

While quite obviously derived from THE KNIFE and the hanutronica mood of the times, ‘Mother Protect’ was a great brooding tune from NIKI & THE DOVE. Malin Dahlstrom had a menacing growl that strangely sat between Karin Dreijer and Cyndi Lauper on this doom laden percussive rattle. The pair had potential and while THE KNIFE go to Eurovision of ‘DJ, Ease My Mind’ was another good tune in their cannon, they lacked consistency and the debut album ‘Instinct’ was not quite as impressive.

Available on the EP ‘The Drummer EP’ via Sub Pop

http://www.nikiandthedove.com


SPLENDOR PROJEKT Darkest Days (2011)

Full of European melancholy, ‘Darkest Days’ did what it said on the tin and appeared on the ‘Electropop.6’ compilation alongside VILE ELECTRODES and OBLIQUE. The vehicle of French producer Peter Rainman whose remixed for artists on labels such as Dependent, A Different Drum and Out Of Line, to date this has been his last offering as SPLENDOR PROJEKT. It is often quite puzzling how some musical ventures never get beyond a few released songs, while other less satisfactory acts keep going on and on…

Available on the compilation album ‘electropop.6’ via Conzoom Records

http://www.discogs.com/artist/1034736-Splendor-Projekt


PATRICK WOLF In The City – Richard X Mix (2011)

the-city-patrick-wolf1PATRICK WOLF once claimed to have had his image and act nicked by LA ROUX, but he seemed to do alright for himself as a kind of 21st Century’s answer to MARC ALMOND. With the synthetically accessible Richard X remix of ‘This City’, he actually came over like the lost Glaswegian band H20 through a Eurodisco filter. If Wolf actually stopped worrying about having his thunder stolen and actually did more stuff like this, he might then be able to outstrip LA ROUX.

Available on the download single ‘In The City’ via Hideout Recordings

http://www.patrickwolf.com


CHROMATICS Kill For Love (2012)

Hailing from Portland, CHROMATICS were one of the brace North American electronic acts who appeared on the ‘Drive – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ with their song ‘Tick Of The Clock’. ‘Kill For Love’ from their fourth album of the same name could have been THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN if they were a female fronted synth band. With a lo-fi, punkier edge to their sound, CHROMATICS straddle several camps and bring a unique template to the alternative music table.

Available on the album ‘Kill For Love’ via Italians Do It Better

https://www.facebook.com/CHROMATICSBAND


COMPUTE Goodbye (2012)

Gothenburg’s Ulrika Mild is COMPUTE whose first two releases ‘This’ in 2009 and ‘The Distance’ in 2012 impressed with their wispy, emotive DIY synthpop. Since then, she also found time to record a fabulous cover of ‘Goodbye’, written by Paul McCartney and first recorded by Mary Hopkin, for a tribute CD that also featured Swedish synth veterans PAGE with a great electro version of SLADE’s ‘Coz I Luv You’. Known for taking her time over things, COMPUTE’s third release is still eagerly awaited.

Available on the download compilation album ‘The Seventies Revisited’ via Friends of Electronically Yours

http://www.compute.se


MORTEN HARKET Scared Of Heights (2012)

Following the second disbandment of A-HA in 2010, MORTEN HARKET has sat again in that awkward artistic hinterland where he has the voice and the cheekbones, but is more challenged in the songwriting department. However, the spritely ‘Scared Of Heights’ written by Espen Lind, a mentor on the Norwegian version of ‘The Voice’, recalled the best of A-HA’s classic singles with Harket’s trademark falsetto allowed to let rip. However, Harket is unlikely to ever escape A-HA…

Available on the album ‘Out Of My Hands’ via Island / Universal Music

http://mortenharket.com/


LIZ & LASZLO Rien À Paris (2012)

While bandmate Sean McBride was busy with his MARTIAL CANTEREL solo project, XENO & OAKLANDER’s Liz Wendelbo took a parallel busman’s holiday and contributed string synths and vocals to some tracks recorded by Xavier Paradis of AUTOMELODI fame. Perhaps lighter than XENO & OAKLANDER and more obviously in key, ‘Rien À Paris’ captured Wendelbo’s Gallic charms in a manner than was Francoise Hardy rather than her usual Jane Birkin.

Available as a download single via Visage Music

https://www.facebook.com/lizandlaszlo


PURITY RING Belispeak (2012)

The act that influenced CHVRCHES, Edmonton duo PURITY RING combined synths and glitch techniques with a clattering, off-kilter drum machine backbone. Megan James’ vocals aren’t that far off Lauren Mayberry’s sweet tones but while ‘Belispeak’ was a good tune full of invention and atmosphere, overall PURITY RING have perhaps lacked the pop oriented immediacy and focus of their Glaswegian contemporaries. Where they head next in the light of this will be interesting…

Available on the album ‘Shrines’ via 4AD

http://purityringsongs.com/


TOMORROW’S WORLD So Long My Love (2012)

The enticing project of NEW PONY CLUB’s Lou Hayter and Jean-Benoît Dunckel from AIR, ‘So Long My Love’ was a wonderfully motorik number with hypnotic drum machine, brash synth effects and sexy nonchalance all thrown into the bargain. Such an interesting combination had so much potential, but the resultant self-titled album released in 2013 lacked the vibrancy of this calling card and was sadly a disappointment.

Available on the album ‘Tomorrow’s World’ via Homebase

http://tomorrowsworld.fr/


CLUB 8 Stop Taking My Time (2013)

Club-8-Stop-Taking-My-TimeReleased on Sweden’s Labrador Records who launched THE SOUND OF ARROWS, ‘Stop Taking My Time’ was proof that a danceable electronic tune didn’t have to be a journey into death by four-to-the-floor or longer than five minutes. With Karolina Komstedt’s dramatically assertive vocal and a bursting bassline, CLUB 8 showed in a crisp 180 seconds that glorious, uplifting synthpop could still have an impact.

Available on the album ‘Above The City’ via Labrador Records

http://www.club-8.org/


DELPHIC Baiya (2013)

DELPHIC BaiyaLike fellow Mancunians HURTS, DELPHIC were hailed as one of the great hopes for male fronted electronic pop with a sound not unlike A CERTAIN RATIO gone right! Their debut album ‘Acolyte’ showed what they could be capable of, if they could only turn their extended jams into songs. However, the follow-up album ‘Collections’ disappointed with a misguided excursion into rap. The launch single ‘Baiya’ though was a cracker, combining the anthemic vocal pomp of MUSE with the rhythmical overtures of PRINCE.

Available on the album ‘Collections’ via Polydor Records

https://www.facebook.com/delphicmusic


FORT ROMEAU Stay True (2013)

Ghostly are the innovative label founded by American electronic musician MATTHEW DEAR and home to electro-punksters ADULT. Their roster also includes a number of interesting acts like London based FORT ROMEAU. The project of producer Michael Greene, ‘Stay True’ takes on a pulsating electro influence, but is allowed to breathe and progress with the space permitted by the length of the piece.

Available as a download EP via Ghostly Records

http://ghostly.com/artists/fort-romeau


ISAAC JUNKIE featuring GLENN GREGORY Something About You (2013)

Having toured both ‘Penthouse & Pavement’ and ‘The Luxury Gap’, HEAVEN 17 really needed to record new material to maintain their credibility. It could be argued that this collaboration with Mexican producer ISAAC JUNKIE and GLENN GREGORY went part of the way in kick starting that. A marvellously trancey electronic dance tune, the only thing that stops ‘Something About You’ from being perfect is the way Mr Gregory’s vocals have been processed and distorted.

Available on the single ‘Something About You’ via Isaac Junkie Records ‎

https://soundcloud.com/isaacjunkie


KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS Oostende (2013)

KeepShellyInAthens_AtHomeLike MARSHEAUX crossed with POLLY SCATTERGOOD, the dream laden chillwave of ‘Oostende’ showcased what COCTEAU TWINS might have sounded like had they been a synth duo. Comprising of the gorgeous afflicted voice of Sarah P,. and the mysterious RΠЯ, KEEP SHELLY IN ATHENS actually hailed from the Greek capital, but sounded like they’d emerged from a frozen Fjord in Narvik. Sarah P. subsequently departed in 2014, but KEEP SHELLY ATHENS continue today with new singer Myrtha.

Available on the album ‘At Home’ via Cascine

http://keepshellyinathens.blogspot.co.uk/p/blog-page.html


KITE The Rhythm (2013)

Despite having released their five EPs in five years, this Swedish duo have tended to be overlooked. There was a two year wait for KITE’s most recent EP ‘V’, but it was worth the wait when Nicklas Stenemo and Christian Berg offered some fine, if mournful electropop in the shape of ‘The Rhythm’. With layers of exuberant synth sounds and Stenemo’s almost chant like vocals full of brooding sadness but with a glimmer of hope, the next EP ‘VI’ is set for a Spring 2015 release.

Available on the EP ‘V’ via Progress Productions

https://www.facebook.com/KiteHQ


NATTEFROST Will I Get To Your Heart? (2013)

NATTEFROST is Danish musician Bjørn Jeppesen whose tenth album ‘Futurized’ encompassed many of the spacey elements of yesterday’s tomorrow that fans of JEAN MICHEL JARRE and KRAFTWERK would enjoy. Featuring as a guest vocalist, Michel Moers of Belgian synth subversives TELEX, his Gallic nonchalance on ‘Will I Get to Your Heart?’ is particularly good with sequenced percussive effects and rich synth sweeps providing some old fashioned synthpop.

Available on the album ‘Futurized’ via Sireena Records

http://www.nattefrost.dk/


MULU featuring RUSSELL MAEL David – Frozen Smoke Remix (2013)

Frozen smokeSPARKS have never just been an exclusively synthpop act but with the Mael Brothers more orchestrated in their instrumental template these days, it is rare to hear the magnificent nuances of Russell Mael on an electronic track in the 21st Century. This rather good collaboration with MULU remained strangely unreleased until dance act FROZEN SMOKE threw caution to the wind and let their synth dominated remix with its meaty snare sounds out. Singer Laura Campbell sounded totally glorious next to the younger Mael.

Originally available as a free download via Soundcloud, currently unavailable

http://www.allsparks.com/

https://soundcloud.com/frozensmoke


NIGHT ENGINE Give Me A Chance (2013)

Art rockers NIGHT ENGINE are possibly the most interesting guitar driven band to come out of the UK for some time. What separates them from the pack is their use of whirring synths for their solos. The rousing ‘Give Me A Chance’ fuses DAVID BOWIE and TALKING HEADS before digressing into a punchy end section which would conscript the quartet into TUBEWAY ARMY. And this is without mentioning that lanky vocalist / guitarist Phil McDonnell has that menacing air of Thin White Duke about him too.

Available on the download EP ‘Night Engine’ via Demand Vinyl / Something In Construction

http://www.nightengine.net/


TAXX Is It Love? (2013)

TAXX Is it loveMining the heritage of Italo disco, enigmatic Greek singer / songwriter TAXX aka Taxiarchis Zolotas successfully combined atmospherics, propulsive bass sequences and a solid electro beat on the immensely catchy ‘Is It Love?’. With a moodiness reminiscent of PET SHOP BOYS, but with spacey buzzes and a harder kick, TAXX’s homage to the club based sub-genre was a worthy excursion into classic European pop.

Available on the download single ‘Is It Love?’ via Undo Records

https://www.facebook.com/pages/TAXX/136706069723907


TRENTMØLLER featuring SUNE ROSE WAGNER Deceive (2013)

Anders Trentemøller made a name for himself when he remixed DEPECHE MODE’s ‘Wrong’ in 2009. He succeeded not only in stamping his own vision with a far superior interpretation but highlighted shortcomings in DM’s production department. The muted synth trumpets and spacey swirls of ‘Deceive’ driven by an incessant drum machine made for a positively nocturnal atmosphere . And when crossed with an eerie vocal turn by Sune Rose Wagner, it all came over brilliantly like DM meeting DEATH IN VEGAS.

Available on the album ‘Lost’ via In My Room

http://www.anderstrentemoller.com/


ELECTRIC YOUTH feat ROOM 8 Without You (2014)

Hailing from Canada, ELECTRIC YOUTH’s collaboration with COLLEGE entitled ‘A Real Hero’ was included on ‘Drive – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack’ in 2011. Their debut album ‘Innerworld’ finally came out in Autumn 2014 and one of its highlights was another collaboration, this time with ROOM8 called ‘Without You’. The bridge and chorus are particularly tremendous. Now if this electronic ditty had come out thirty years ago, there is no doubt it would have ended up in a Brat Pack movie.

Available on the album ‘Innerworld’ via Last Gang Entertainment / Secretly Canadian

http://www.electricyouthmusic.com/


EMIKA Let’s Dance (2014)

Pitch shifted to an almost asexual resonance, EMIKA delivered a wonderfully unique cover of one of Bowie’s best known tunes. The stabbing synth melody only vaguely sounds like it may have been derived from the original ‘Let’s Dance’. Indeed, this is more of a tribute with EMIKA herself describing it as “A new time-travel, gender twisting experiment in honour of one of my favourite artists…” – indeed, DURAN DURAN’s ‘Union Of The Snake’ sounds more obviously like a cover of ‘Let’s Dance’ than this does 😉

Available on the CD ‘David Bowie – Recovered’ free with Rolling Stone Germany – May 2014

http://www.emika.co.uk/


TAYLOR SWIFT New Romantics (2014)

The now New York based pop princess moved away from her Nashville roots for her first overtly pop album ‘1989’. Whereas tracks like ‘Blank Space’ and ‘Out Of The Woods’ merely flirted with synthpop in the mould of CHVRCHES, the appropriately titled deluxe bonus track ‘New Romantics’ almost went the full hog! In fact, if Miss Swift’s inherent Americanisms were not so apparent, this enticing number could easily be mistaken for the dreamy allure of Scandipodean twins SAY LOU LOU.

Available on the album ‘1989 – Deluxe edition’ via Big Machine Records

http://www.taylorswift.com


Text by Chi Ming Lai
26th February 2015, updated 2nd August 2017

2014 END OF YEAR REVIEW

Integrated Circuits
Photo by Jack Robinson / Getty Images

Photo by Jack Robinson / Getty Images

With 2013 having been one of the strongest years in electronic pop since its post-punk heyday, 2014 was always going to struggle to compete,

This was despite it being the 50th Anniversary of the Moog synthesizer’s first prototype demonstration at the Audio Engineering Society convention in October 1964.

While 2014 was nowhere near in terms of the high profile releases of 2013 or even 2011, it certainly surpassed the comparatively quiet year of 2012.

But there were still a lot of live shows as momentum continued in support of the previous year’s releases with NINE INCH NAILS, GARY NUMAN, DEPECHE MODE, CHVRCHES, FEATHERS, GOLDFRAPP, COVENANT and SOFT METALS among those doing the rounds.

Electronic pioneer KARL BARTOS began the year with his first concert tour since 2003 in Germany. His ‘Off the Record’ live presentation highlighted the best of his KRAFTWERK co-compositions alongside excellent new material.

Coincidentally, on the same night Herr Bartos opened in Cologne, Ralf Hütter picked up a Lifetime Achievement Grammy on behalf of KRAFTWERK, thus finally validating electronic music in the traditionally synthphobic territory of the USA. And by the end of the year, there was even a belated nomination for The Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame.

Staying in Germany, cult trio CAMOUFLAGE celebrated over 30 years in the business with a lavish package ‘The Box 1983-2013’ and a best of CD ‘The Singles’.

CLAUDIA BRÜCKEN though surprised everyone by strapping on an acoustic guitar for her third solo album ‘Where Else?’, but its mix of electronics and six string proved to be well received by her fans.

And on the subject of Germanic influences, Belgian duo METROLAND returned with their Kling Klang flavoured technopop courtesy of the multi-formatted single ‘Thalys’, a tie-in with the European high speed train operator and a rather original cover of ‘Close To Me’ for ‘A Strange Play – An Alfa Matrix Tribute To THE CURE’. Meanwhile, iEUROPEAN teamed up with Wolfgang Flür for some ‘Activity Of Sound’. Flür himself delighted KRAFTWERK fans by announcing he would be playing London gigs in the New Year.

MemeTune Studio in London’s trendy Shoreditch proved to be a hotbed of electronic activity throughout 2014.

Already the location for the largest array of vintage synthesizers in the UK, from the complex emerged fabulous music from the likes of HANNAH PEEL, GAZELLE TWIN and WRANGLER featuring ex-CABARET VOLTAIRE frontman Stephen Mallinder.

MemeTune even found time to curate its own live event ‘MUS_IIC.01’.

Well known for his connections with that stable, JOHN FOXX came back from a break (by his recent prolific standards) with the audio / visual collaboration ‘Evidence Of Time Travel’ in partnership with STEVE D’AGOSTINO.

Other Synth Britannia stalwarts were in action too. OMD celebrated their ‘Dazzle Ships’ era with a pair of concerts at the Museum Of Liverpool and SIMPLE MINDS continued their grandiose demeanour with ‘Big Music’. Meanwhile, MIDGE URE released a fine collection of songs entitled ‘Fragile’, his first of original solo material in 12 years; it also featured a great collaboration with MOBY entitled ‘Dark Dark Night’. As well as that, he worked on a track with Dutch composer Stephen Emmer for an orchestral laden crooner album called ‘International Blue’ which additionally featured his pal Glenn Gregory.

Mr Gregory wasn’t idle either, recording ‘Pray’ b/w ‘Illumination’, HEAVEN 17’s first new material since 2005’s Before After’.

He even found time to impersonate DAVID BOWIE for some special live shows performing ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ with Tony Visconti and Woody Woodmansey as HOLY HOLY.

And to cap it all, HEAVEN 17 presented ‘The Tour Of Synthetic Delights’ with BLANCMANGE, proving that heritage events could be both nostalgic and credible if the line-up was right.

After last year’s seasonal offering ‘Snow Globe’, ERASURE made a full return in 2014 with ‘The Violet Flame’, the marriage of Andy Bell and Vince Clarke showcasing their best work since 2005’s ‘Nightbird’. Interestingly, ‘The Violet Flame’ was launched via the crowdfunding platform Pledge Music, although this appeared to be more as a promotional tool and fan networking opportunity.

CHINA CRISIS went the Pledge Music route too, announcing their first album in 20 years entitled ‘Autumn In the Neighbourhood’ while also crowdfunded, YELLO’s Boris Blank delivered ‘Electrified’, a solo box set of unreleased material.

Not to be outdone, his YELLO bandmate Dieter Meier responded with his grouchy solo offering ‘Out Of Chaos’ which appeared to be a tribute to Tom Waits. And unexpectedly on the back of ‘Don’t You Want Me?’ becoming a terrace chant for Aberdeen FC’s Scottish League Cup victory, ex-HUMAN LEAGUE member Jo Callis launched a new project called FINGER HALO.

The enduring legacy of many of these veterans was celebrated in ‘Mad World: An Oral History of the New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s’, possibly the best book of its kind about that musical era which the Americans like to refer to as New Wave. Featuring brand new interviews with key protagonists like GARY NUMAN, OMD, NEW ORDER, DURAN DURAN, YAZOO, ULTRAVOX, A-HA and HEAVEN 17, it was a high quality publication that made up for some previously clumsy attempts by others at documenting the period.

Also a good read was Bernard Sumner’s memoirs ‘Chapter and Verse’ which covered his career to date with JOY DIVISION and NEW ORDER.

Coincidentally, Mark Reeder, the man often credited with introducing electronic dance music to Sumner, had a career spanning compendium called ‘Collaborator’ issued containing his earlier work as a member SHARK VEGAS, right up to his more recent remixes of DURAN DURAN’s John Taylor and Sumner’s various projects with BLANK & JONES and WESTBAM.

It was a particularly active year for the industrial scene; AESTHETIC PERFECTION toured Europe with their more accessible but still aggressive ‘Til Death’ opus while ASSEMBLAGE 23 frontman Tom Shear continued developing his SURVEILLANCE side project with ‘Oceania Remixed’. Swedish trio LEGEND gained acclaim for their live performances in support of their debut album ‘Fearless’, Texan duo IRIS released a new album ‘Radiant’ and DIE KRUPPS blasted their way into the South East of England for their first UK dates since 2008.

In more contemporary circles, LA ROUX finally released a second album, appropriately named ‘Trouble In Paradise’. Singer Elly Jackson had split with silent partner Ben Langmaid due to good old fashioned musical differences and as expected, the songs were less synthpoppy than the self-titled debut. Reaching for more disco orientated leanings such as CHIC, GRACE JONES and TOM TOM CLUB, this was if nothing, a more superior offering to either what LITTLE BOOTS or LADYHAWKE managed with their sophomore albums. North of the border, MARNIE did her bit for the Scottish Independence Campaign with the rousingly anthemic ‘Wolves’.

imogen + taylorThe delightfully eccentric IMOGEN HEAP showcased her innovative collaborative developments in music technology via her new album ‘Sparks’ and even squeezed in a collaboration with pop princess TAYLOR SWIFT for the latter’s million selling album ‘1989’.

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK commented in 2012 about how CHVRCHES‘ ‘The Mother We Share’ sounded like “Taylor Swift gone electro”, so in a give some, take some back move, the young songstress came up with ‘Out Of The Woods’, a ditty quite obviously influenced by the Glaswegian trio and a synth laden tune entitled ‘New Romantics’ on the bonus edition.

By coincidence with her slight passing resemblance to Miss Swift, QUEEN OF HEARTS launched her debut musical charter ‘Cocoon’ after several years in the making to confirm that pop was indeed not a dirty word.

In the leftfield electronica arena, Warp Records issued ‘High Life’, a collaboration by KARL HYDE and BRIAN ENO while there was also the long awaited new album from APHEX TWIN entitled ‘Syro’. And former MASSIVE ATTACK producer DAVIDGE released an impressive debut collection of songs ‘Slo Light’ that featured SANDIE SHAW, CATE LE BON and EMI GREEN among its vocalists.

One act establishing themselves as major players in the modern electronic scene were Canada’s TR/ST. Led by the polarising “Eeyore gone goth” moodiness of Robert Alfons, the ironically titled ‘Joyland’ was an excellent second album that captured the sleazy nature of a 21st Century SOFT CELL and attached it to the grumpiness of Leonard Cohen.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn minimal duo XENO & OAKLANDER gave the world ‘Par Avion’, possibly their most accessible and colourful work yet. Also from the area came the shadowy huskiness of AZAR SWAN and the alternative mystique of REXXY. Over in LA, NIGHT CLUB showed further promise with their best offering yet in their third EP ‘Black Leather Heart’ while in San Antonio, HYPERBUBBLE launched an ‘Attack Of The Titans’.

Baltimore’s FUTURE ISLANDS however divided opinion; their fans included Andy McCluskey, Vince Clarke, Martyn Ware, Rusty Egan and Jori Hulkkonen, but their unintentionally amusing live appearance on ‘The David Letterman Show’ performing ‘Seasons’ came over to some observers like a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit on the 80s. However, with two sold out dates at London’s Roundhouse in March 2015, Samuel T. Herring and Co are the ones having the last laugh.

The Nordic region proved itself again to be the centre of electronic creativity. The dream partnership of ROBYN and RÖYKSOPP reconvened after the success of 2010’s ‘The Girl & The Robot’ to ‘Do It Again’ while RÖYKSOPP themselves released what they announced to be their last album, appropriately titled ‘The Inevitable End’.

Also featuring on that album was Nordic vocalist of the moment SUSANNE SUNDFØR who has her own new eagerly awaited long player ‘Ten Love Songs’ out in 2015.

KARIN PARK and MARGARET BERGER provided another united Scandinavian front when they performed together at Norway’s Melodi Grand Prix while Finnish duo SIN COS TAN delivered their third long player in as many years with a concept album called ‘Blown Away’.

From Sweden came the welcome return of KLEERUP with ‘As If We Never Won’, the first of two new EPs before an album to follow-up the brilliant self-titled debut from 2008. Meanwhile, EMMON delivered her fourth album ‘Aon’ as well as a baby. There was more glacial oddness from IAMAMIWHOAMI with her second album ‘Blue’ while the brooding Nordic Noir pop of stunning identical twins SAY LOU LOU started to gain a foothold in readiness for their first long player ‘Lucid Dreaming’.

Nordic friendly music blog Cold War Night Life curated possibly the best electronic event of the year with ‘An Evening With The Swedish Synth’ at London’s 93 Feet East. In a bill supported by the promising TRAIN TO SPAIN and synth rock duo MACHINISTA who delivered a great debut album in ‘Xenoglossy’, the event was headlined by synthpop veterans PAGE. Incidentally, Eddie Bengtsson of PAGE’s solo project SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN produced some interesting covers of OMD and DEVO, both reworked i Svenska.

And all this while ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK bore witness to a puzzled British musician who actually asked with a straight face “What’s so special about Sweden then?”!! ‘An Evening With The Swedish Synth’ was a fine example of what could be achieved when an electronic event was actually curated by electronic music enthusiasts, as this was not always the case in several instances during 2014.

Following a four year hiatus, CLIENT rebooted and released ‘Authority’ with new singer Client N doing a fine impersonation of MARNIE on the single ‘Refuge’. After a long gestation period, Anglo-German collective TWINS NATALIA released their debut long player ‘The Destiny Room’ and pleasantly wallowed in the neu romance of classic synthpop, dressing it with the vocal styles of GRACE JONES and ABBA.

TWINS NATALIA’s ‘The Destiny Room’ was released on Anna Logue Records who in 2015 will issue ‘Signs Of life’, the debut album from enigmatic South East Asian combo QUIETER THAN SPIDERS. Possibly the best new synthpop act to emerge in 2014, as befitting their name, they made their music, edited some videos and just discretely got on with it, thus proving the theory that those who shout loudest are not always necessarily the best…

kid moxie-twin peaksMARSHEAUX celebrated ten years in the business with a compilation called ‘Odyssey’ on the prestigious Les Disques Du Crépuscule label. They also announced an unusual project for 2015, an album covering DEPECHE MODE’s ‘A Broken Frame’ in its entirety. Also on Undo, KID MOXIE released her second album ‘1888’ featuring a collaboration with acclaimed film score composer Angelo Badalamenti to compliment her new cinematic pop approach. Meanwhile, one-time Undo label mates LIEBE started getting traction on MTV Europe and MIKRO maintained their position as Greece’s premier power pop band with their seventh album ‘New’ despite the departure of singer Ria Mazini following its unveiling.

From Dublin came the filmic ambience of POLYDROID while cut from a similar cloth, there was the haunting soundscapes of Trans-Belgian pairing MARI & THE GHOST. There were also several other promising female led talents ranging from the sugary pop of PAWWS and the quietly subversive electro of I AM SNOW ANGEL to the soulful moodiness of HUGH and the mysteriously smoky allure of FIFI RONG.

VILE ELECTRODES confirmed their position as the best independent electronic act in the UK currently when they snared not just one, but two Schallwelle Awards in Germany.

To celebrate the first anniversary of their brilliant debut album ‘The future through a lens’, the sparkling duo of Anais Neon and Martin Swan played alongside DEPECHE MODE tribute act SPEAK & SPELL for a wonderful evening that also featured SARAH BLACKWOOD.

Miss Blackwood gave spirited live vocal performances of several songs from her own career as part of a singing DJ set including ‘Justice’, her recent collaboration for the FOTONOVELA album ‘A Ton Of Love’. There was additionally the bonus of her duetting with SPEAK & SPELL on ‘A Question Of Time’ during their ‘101’ performance celebrating the film’s 25th anniversary.

Analog Angel-in-profilePossibly the best independently released album of 2014 came from Glasgow’s ANALOG ANGEL who freed themselves of their industrial shackles to produce a collection of sophisticated synthpop entitled ‘Trinity’.

Having been around since 2009 and with two albums already to their name, the Scottish trio put their money where their mouths were. Their decision to avoid crowdfunding and invest in their own music was an applaudable decision, especially when other bands, who were still yet to prove themselves, were out with the begging bowls.

Indeed, 2014 was a strange year in which ego appeared to overtake ability and none more so than on the live circuit, where that old adage about needing to learn to walk before running ran true. Wanabee promoters with no notable experience bit off more than they could chew by playing Fantasy Festival, as was proven by the Alt-Fest debacle.

Despite a much publicised crowdfunding exercise, the simple use of a pocket calculator would have shown that an event of such magnitude could not be underwritten by such a comparatively small amount of cash and anticipated ticket sales. When rumours abounded that Alt-Fest was to be cancelled due to a lack of funds, the organisers’ silence and lack of resolve caused much resentment. Risk is all part of the game, but live ventures require solid finance, spirited commitment and an attempt at least to get in the black.

Alt-Fest-cancelledHowever, a few promoters appeared to want to make life difficult for themselves from the off. In its investigations, ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK found that with one poorly attended event back in 2013, there was no way the event could have balanced its books, even if it had sold out its ticket capacity!

Meanwhile, there was another gig in 2014 publicised so covertly with restricted social media and bizarre pricing structures, it was as if the promoters didn’t want anyone to attend! Of course, there was also that tactic of announcing an event almost a year in advance without confirming any of the acts for several months, as if the event was more important than any of the music!

As Whitby Goth Weekend’s Jo Hampshire pointed out: “Alt-Fest had put its tickets on sale while still booking acts including headliners, which is potentially disastrous”! Despite the general feeling that independently curated live initiatives should be anti-corporate, everything is about business at the end of the day.

However, a number of promoters at this end of the market failed to realise this. Any artists performing must be paid their expenses and fees as per any agreement, regardless of the final ticket sales unless terms such as door percentages or ticket sale buy-ons have been arranged.

But as one-time TECHNIQUE singer Xan Tyler pointed out: “Musicians get ripped off at every turn, online stores take a huge cut, Spotify don’t remunerate artists properly, venues expect you to play for bugger all (and in some case they expect you to pay to play). If you want to make money from the music industry, don’t be a musician!”

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK is coming into its fifth anniversary and continues to maintain a readership of discerning music fans, despite protestations in some quarters to the contrary.

The site’s manifesto has always been about celebrating the best in new and classic electronic pop music.

It has never made claims about supporting unsigned acts or any music that happens use a synthesizer.

As Client A put it franklyin the Autumn: “in the electronica age, anyone can be a musician but that also makes it a free for all with every tom, dick or curly clogging up the internet with their crap music…”

Meanwhile, NIGHT CLUB added: “People forget about things so quickly these days because the internet is so inundated with crap…”

So ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK considers what music it features very, very carefully. it may not manage to be first, like many so-called buzz blogs try to be, but it has always had longevity in mind, even if that is difficult to predict.


ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK Contributor Listings of 2014

PAUL BODDY

Best Album: TODD TERJE It’s Album Time
Best Song: RÖYKSOPP & ROBYN Do It Again
Best Gig: NINE INCH NAILS at Nottingham Arena
Best Video: MAPS You Will Find A Way
Most Promising New Act: TODD TERJE


DEB DANAHAY

Best Album: RÖYKSOPP The Inevitable End
Best Song: RÖYKSOPP featuring JAMIE IRREPRESSIBLE Something In My Heart
Best Gig: COVENANT + LEGEND at Gothenburg Electronic Summer Festival
Best Video: PRINCESS CENTURY Das Schlimmste
Most Promising New Act: LEGEND


IAN FERGUSON

Best Album: MIDGE URE Fragile
Best Song: MIDGE URE Dark, Dark Night
Best Gig: THE RADIOPHONIC WORKSHOP at Glasgow Quayside
Best Video: IMOGEN HEAP The Listening Chair
Most Promising New Act: WRANGLER


MONIKA IZABELA GOSS

Best Album: ERASURE The Violet Flame
Best Song: ANALOG ANGEL Drive
Best Gig: DEPECHE MODE at Strasbourg Zénith
Best Video: DIE KRUPPS Robo Sapien
Most Promising New Act: PAWWS


STEVE GRAY

Best Album: RÖYKSOPP The Inevitable End
Best Song: RÖYKSOPP featuring JAMIE IRREPRESSIBLE I Had This Thing
Best Gig: GARY NUMAN at Hammersmith Apollo
Best Video: KID MOXIE Lacuna
Most Promising New Act: TWINS NATALIA


CHI MING LAI

Best Album: MIDGE URE Fragile
Best Song: ANALOG ANGEL The Last Time
Best Gig: KARL BARTOS at Cologne Live Music Hall
Best Video: LIEBE I Believe In You
Most Promising New Act: QUIETER THAN SPIDERS


SOPHIE NILSSON

Best Album: ERASURE The Violet Flame
Best Song: SISTA MANNEN PÅ JORDEN Stadens Alla Ljus
Best Gig: ANDY BELL in ‘Torsten The Bareback Saint’ at London St James Theatre
Best Video: ANDY BELL I Don’t Like
Most Promising New Act: PULSE


RICHARD PRICE

Best Album: ERASURE The Violet Flame
Best Song: POLLY SCATTERGOOD Subsequently Lost
Best Gig: PET SHOP BOYS at Brighton Dome
Best Video: JOHN FOXX B-Movie
Most Promising New Act: PAWWS


Text by Chi Ming Lai
9th December 2014

A Short Conversation with MIDGE URE

Midge Ure needs no introduction as one of the most highly regarded elder statesmen of the British music scene. Having become fascinated by KRAFTWERK when they hit the UK charts with ‘Autobahn’, he purchased his first synth, a Yamaha CS50 in 1977 and eventually became a prime mover in helping electronic music gain a mainstream acceptance in the UK.

Through his work as a member of VISAGE and ULTRAVOX, songs such as ‘Sleepwalk’, ‘Vienna’, ‘Fade To Grey’, ‘Mind Of A Toy’, ‘The Voice’, ‘The Anvil’, ‘Hymn’, ‘Dancing With Tears In My Eyes’ and ‘Love’s Great Adventure’ have since become recognised standards in Synth Britannia folklore. During this period, he also produced tracks for FATAL CHARM, RONNY and MESSENGERS.

Previously, he’d been a member of THE RICH KIDS and had worked with THIN LIZZY and THE SKIDS. And all this is without mentioning his three UK No1s with SLIK, BAND AID and as a solo artist, plus his charity work with the Band Aid Trust, the Prince’s Trust and Save The Children. The last few years have been particularly busy for Midge Ure.

MIDGE URE Photo by George Hurrell

Photo by George Hurrell

A regular on the live circuit with his endearingly intimate acoustic gigs featuring career highlights in stripped back form, he also undertook a number of key collaborations in Europe with acts such as X-PERIENCE, SCHILLER and JAM & SPOON.

There was of course his own covers album ’10’ in 2009 with Ure’s emotively respectful takes on Peter Green’s ‘Man Of The World’ and Freddie Mercury’s ‘Nevermore’.

But his most high profile project was the reformation of the classic ULTRAVOX line-up. His successful live reunion with Warren Cann, Chris Cross and Billy Currie in 2009 subsequently led to the recording of 2012’s ‘Brilliant’ album. An impressive collection of songs by any standard, the songs ranged from the motorik stomp of ‘Live’ and the ‘U-Vox’ gone right melodic rock of ‘Lie’, to the pulsing electronica of ‘Rise’ and the Odyssey laden ‘Change’. It was a highly apt return as ULTRAVOX’s biggest legacy has probably been the stadium pomp of MUSE… just listen to ‘Apocalypse Please’, ‘Starlight’ and ‘Guiding Light’ if any proof is needed.

2014 has seen Ure contribute to the orchestrated great adventure of ‘International Blue’, an album celebrating the art of the crooner. Assembled by Dutch composer Stephen Emmer, the album also features Ure’s old pal Glenn Gregory from HEAVEN 17. With the release of Ure’s song ‘Taking Back My Time’ as a single and his first solo album of original material in 12 years ‘Fragile’ about to be unleashed, Midge Ure kindly chatted to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK at the world famous Abbey Road Studios about both projects and what the future may hold for ULTRAVOX…

MIDGE URE Taking Back My TimeHow did it feel to be working with an orchestra again on ‘Taking Back My Time’, having done so previously on ‘All In One Day’ and at the ‘Night Of The Proms’ concerts in Germany?

This is slightly different. Stephen Emmer did all the arrangements for the ‘International Blue’ album so I was presented with a backing track that he’d fine honed and worked on.

He thought my voice and my style of melody and lyric writing would suit this project. This is very grown up stuff, it’s really complicated, beautiful musical arrangements… so to sing a track like that, it was an absolute joy because I didn’t do it the same way I would normally approach one of my songs; it was a different key for me, I sing it much lower so it’s a different vocal range and you can hear that.

Were there any particular classic reference points you used for ‘Taking Back My Time’?

Not really… I mean the chord structure and arrangement that Stephen already had were so reminiscent of the Burt Bacharach school of songwriting, that whole Scott Walker thing, the melody instantly came into place so my process of writing for this took maybe two or three days so it wasn’t a huge amount of time to sit there and do it. My big worry was that I wasn’t going to do Stephen’s backing track justice. So I had to make sure I was singing something that was solid and informative plus had interesting plays on words and subject matter. But the melody itself had to embellish and compliment what he’d already put there.

_BOOKLET_v4.inddYou have a new solo album ‘Fragile’ coming out soon. How would you describe it?

I describe it as wearing my musical influences on my sleeve. There are elements of prog rock, a lot of electronics, a lot of electric guitar… it’s very difficult for me to say what it is but if one of the tracks came on right now, you would know it’s me… you’d know from the melodies, counter-melodies, structures and vocals of course.

So it’s very definably me. In a way, it’s a much more grown up record than anything I’ve done before. It’s been worked on over a period of maybe twelve or thirteen years,

There’s a song ‘Let It Rise’ which you originally did with SCHILLER. How have you reworked it to suit your own style?

SCHILLER’s got his very own, very good and distinctive style which is much more of a laid back, trip-hop dance thing. And although when we wrote it, the track suited his style incredibly well, I thought I could take it back again and turn it into something that’s much more me which is precisely what I’ve done.

One of the highlights of ‘Fragile’ entitled ‘Become’ is another of the songs that’s been around?

It’s the first single… that’s kind of harking back to early VISAGE.

You had originally offered ‘Become’ for the VISAGE comeback album?

I decided not to get involved when originally Rusty Egan and Steve Strange looked like they were getting VISAGE back together again. But when Rusty wanted to start playing around with remixes using modern electronic computer recording techniques, he asked if I had anything so I gave him ‘Become’. He started playing around with it and changing it; but I kept saying to him “Rusty, I will finish that at some point, it’s just something for you to dabble with”! Then it was going to be a track with Steve singing on it, it was going to be a VISAGE track, it was going to be this, it was going to be that… eventually, I said “it’s mine, I’m gonna finish it!” – Rusty is more than welcome to take it down the route he was taking it, but it’s a very different track to the one I finished, although they were conceived from the same idea.

You also worked with MOBY on this album?

Yes, the track is called ‘Dark Dark Night’ and it was originally going to be for MOBY’s last album… but in true MIDGE URE style, by the time I’d finished it, MOBY’s album was out! So I converted it and turned it into my thing. I’ve never met MOBY or spoke to him, but we’ve got an email / tweeting relationship, so he asked me to do a modern collaboration and that was one of the songs he sent over.

I’ve run it past him, he absolutely loves it and more than happy that I’ve put it on ‘Fragile’. I’m touring in America during the summer and he’s coming to the show at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, so I’ll finally meet up with him.

international-blue-06

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

Is there a concept behind ‘Fragile’?

Yes, subject matter-wise, I always think of an album as a diary and about what affects you.

The period, between this album and the last one ‘Move Me’, is such a long period that there have been many highs and many lows during it. So I just documented most things.

Some of the songs were starting to be conceived way back then, but I never completed them until the last couple of months, so the whole thing still is coherent and works as a unit, as an album. I’ve started playing with instrumental music again, it’s fairly diverse and very distinctly me.

It’s been 12 years since ‘Move Me’ and you’ve mentioned that part of the delay has been the frustration of the modern music industry. What are your hopes and fears regarding the future… if there is one in the conventional sense?

I can’t predict how it is going to go but I can’t imagine it’s going to get any worse in the industry. We seem to have gone through a massive period of mediocrity while there’s still been some great music, writers and musicians out there.

But they seem to be buried under this sea of apathy. I think that the more people understand that the industry as we knew it has completely and utterly gone, then they have to start to do what I’ve had to do for the last thirty years, which is learning how it all works.

So on the ‘Fragile’ album, not only have I played 99% of the instruments, I’ve engineered it, I’ve produced it, I’ve mixed it, shot a video and edited it… you have to be a kind of king of many things. You have to understand how it all works, because there aren’t people out there to do it all for you. There are no budgets out there to throw money at the wall and hoping it will stick! You have to get it right for you, first and foremost. I’m a firm believer that if you absolutely are convinced it’s right, other people will get it.

Photo by Chi Ming Lai

You did some dates with ULTRAVOX supporting SIMPLE MINDS in Autumn 2013… was that to test the water with the view to ULTRAVOX continuing in the future at some point, or just some fun?

I think the ULTRAVOX thing, as we said from day one when we got back together, was that we’ve opened doors now that were certainly closed before.

And now ULTRAVOX can just sit on a shelf until we find something that interests us to do. The idea of just going out every year and doing another tour / another tour / another tour kinda is self defeating because it’s a case of diminishing returns… the more often you go out, the less people will go and see you and it becomes a bit pathetic. And we never set out to make it anything pathetic. We want to keep it quality and keep it right. So it’s still sitting there, still breathing, we’re just waiting for a breath of life to spark it back into action again.

midge & bobThe 30th Anniversary of the original BAND AID recording is approaching. Are there any plans to officially commemorate it?

You know what? I honestly have absolutely no idea! There are no plans to do any celebratory 30th Anniversary things.

We did Live8 ten years ago, we did BAND AID20 ten years ago… there was talk of a new version of the song, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. But watch this space, who knows?


ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Midge Ure

Special thanks to Sacha Taylor-Cox at Impressive PR

‘Fragile’ is released by Hypertension Music on 7th July 2014. Further information can be found at http://www.midgeure.hypertension-music.de/

http://www.midgeure.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Midge-Ure/275159919205373


Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
23rd June 2014

STEPHEN EMMER International Blue Album Launch at Abbey Road Studios

Dutch composer Stephen Emmer’s new album ‘International Blue’ was launched at the world famous Abbey Road Studios with a special live revue featuring its four vocalists Glenn Gregory, Neil Crossley, Liam McKahey and Midge Ure.

The album is in Stephen Emmer’s words “a humble, but yet ambitious project”, bringing back “the lost art of crooning”. Produced by Tony Visconti whose credits have included David Bowie, Marc Bolan and Morrissey, he first picked up on Stephen Emmer’s music via MySpace.

Unable to be present at the event, via a video address, Visconti discussed how he first worked with the Dutchman on the 2008 spoken word album ‘Recitement’ which featured none other than Lou Reed and how he fell in love with Emmer’s cinematic style of composition. He described the songs on ‘International Blue’ as being “well written from a deep tradition of classic standard songwriting” that have “the signature of the crooner stamped all over it”. “The songs are off the beaten track” he added “and not straightforward love songs”, concurring with Emmer’s view that there has always been a spiritual connection between the vocalists of the Post-Punk era and the classic singers of the past such as Frank Sinatra and Scott Walker.

Proceedings in the legendary Studio 2 opened with Glenn Gregory’s tribute to the late Billy Mackenzie entitled ‘Untouchable’ which evoked the haunting drama that the man born William would have been proud of. It has been the calling card for a collection of great ballads that would stand up in any genre. Neil Crossley’s ‘Sleep For England’ interestingly took on more starker tones as one of the album’s more electronically assisted, but still lushly organic numbers. The stylishly quiffed Liam McKahey, formerly of COUSTEAU, rose to the occasion with an intriguing take on the crooner on ‘Blown Away’ in the manner of David Bowie covering Scott Walker. “I didn’t mean to…” the Irishman said later, “…but I’ll take that!”

A big cheer greeted Midge Ure as the diminutive Glaswegian jokingly manhandled a mic stand clearly set up for the considerably taller Glenn Gregory! His track ‘Taking Back My Time’ is clearly an emotive statement of intent on Ure’s part.

His adoption of a lower vocal register affirmed his love of Scott Walker which has been well documented via his 1982 cover of ‘No Regrets’ and ULTRAVOX’s own string laden ‘All In One Day’ in 1986. Coincidentally, his first solo album of new material in 12 years called ‘Fragile’ is out soon.

Liam McKahey returned with ‘Mama’s Mad’, another excellent Bowie / Walker hybrid complimented with a dash of MASSIVE ATTACK. With his own music leaning towards Americana, he clearly found crooning again a re-enlightening experience back to his COUSTEAU roots; he even revealed an interest in collaborating within the field of laid back electronica; “I really like ZERO 7… their music lends itself to good singing” he said afterwards.

The showcase concluded with Glenn Gregory giving a spirited rendition of ‘Let The Silence Hold You’, the second of four tracks featuring his dulcet tones on ‘International Blue’. Indeed, Gregory’s songs on the ‘International Blue’ album are perhaps the ones which the album hangs itself on. ‘A Break In The Weather’ for example reimagines ‘Wild Is The Wind’ as a John Barry era Bond theme, while ‘In The Mirror Reflected’ captures the spirited piano intro of Dusty Springfield’s version of ‘Going Back’ and references ‘To Sir With Love’ in the chorus.

Overall, it has been great to be hear Gregory perform all-new material again and this experience certainly bodes well for the new HEAVEN 17 album which is currently being recorded.

For Glenn Gregory himself, a possible career as a 21st Century crooner is beckoning if all else fails. Either that, or he will become a Bowie impersonator as his upcoming Autumn shows with Tony Visconti, Woody Woodmansey and Steve Norman performing ‘The Man Who Sold The World’ album will indicate 😉

Afterwards, all the protagonists mingled with press and punters alike; and it was here that ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK caught up with Stephen Emmer for a quick chat about how he got into composing orchestrated pop and how this all related to his intriguing musical past…

You were in the band MINNY POPS who supported JOY DIVISION in 1980 at that gig in Bury where the riot took place?

Yes, we were touring the UK and Europe as support to JOY DIVISION, but we weren’t aware at the time of the troubles internally with Ian Curtis’ health and all of that. What happened, was there was this sold out gig in Bury and we knew Ian wouldn’t be performing as he was ill. But the crowd obviously found out when he didn’t appear for the JOY DIVISION set. Back then, gigs were far more aggressive so if people didn’t like you, they would bottle you! We were not bottled and after we had done our slot, we went down to the dressing room. Then JOY DIVISON’s manager Rob Gretton, who sadly is no longer with us, suddenly shouted “BLOCK YER FOOKIN’ DOOR!” in his Mancunian accent, which for us Dutch was hard to understand and decipher! We were like “WHAT?!” *laughs*

Shortly after that, the audience got onto the stage and showed their dismay that Ian Curtis wasn’t going to perform by having some huge fights in the corridor by the dressing room! We could hear all of it but luckily, we had our door barricaded! When it was all over, we came out and that was that. We didn’t think much of it at the time, but it was only later that this whole anecdote has become of such cultural significance.

Really, it was just an evening with a bit of an incident that has become part of rock history! However, MINNY POPS are not included in that scene from the ‘Control’ film, but the director Anton Corbijn… he got to know JOY DIVISION through us!!

You have four great vocalists on ‘International Blue’, but would Ian Curtis have fitted in with this project had he been around today?

That’s a good question, I think so… the sonority of New Wave singing with electro bands has always intrigued me. I was a part-time journalist then back in Holland with a magazine called ‘Vinyl’, but nobody within journalism ever saw the relationship between these singers like Ian Curtis doing things like ‘She’s Lost Control’ with that low voice and Frank Sinatra… it’s like Sinatra but more dark! So it dawned on me that these singers, they should perform that kind of material and I could write for them. And that’s how ‘International Blue’ got started. It’s a bit more remote from New Wave but still a little electronic alongside the orchestral; it is very logical that these are the kind of singers who suit this genre best.

stephen emmer vogue estateYou started as a guitarist with MINNY POPS, so how did you branch into orchestrations? Are you classically trained?

No, I’m not… after all the electronic pop music I did with ASSOCIATES, THE LOTUS EATERS and ACT in the UK, I went back to Holland doing assignments for TV themes, documentaries, film and commercials. What I learnt there was you have to arrange in every genre. Tony Visconti gave me a great compliment and said “Stephen Emmer as an arranger and composer, knows the rules best through that experience in media music – so he also knows how to use, or not use a cliché in music”.

So I made a very thorough study of arranging with an orchestra, although my pedigree is in electronics. I had a solo record in 1982 called ‘Vogue Estate’ which featured Billy Mackenzie and Martha Ladly. It was produced by Michael Dempsey who was in THE CURE and ASSOCIATES with this young guy called Flood who is now a legend!

Is there any other New Wave vocalist you would like to have worked with on ‘International Blue’?

Yes, in fact I bumped into him last night as we were eating in the same restaurant… he was on my list but it didn’t come off! I’d never met him before but I decided to go up to him… it was Ian McCulloch of ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN. He has this Jim Morrison type of voice that I would like to work with… so we might do so in the future.

international-blue-01The album’s lead single ‘Untouchable’ is about Billy Mackenzie. What was it like working with him?

He was a very sweet guy and a true gypsy at heart. When we recorded together on the track ‘Wish On’ from ‘Vogue Estate’, we weren’t sure he was going to show up because he was very random in his behaviour. He arrived, but when it was his turn to sing, we saw he was underneath a table in the mixing room with a bottle of blackcurrant and rum fast asleep! He woke up and apologised, sung the song and left half drunk! *laughs*

Warner Brothers had invested a lot of money in him and thought he would become the next David Bowie, but he was more of an artist’s artist. He suffered from being pushed into the realm of bigger gigs and all of that.

It’s a shame, because out of most of the vocalists of that period, only he could take a TR808 and have a vocal battle with it… which vocalist would do that? He was great!

If Billy Mackenzie had been able to adopt a more conventional approach to being a pop star, do you think ASSOCIATES could have been as big as A-HA?

I think so… coincidentally, Morten Harket recently asked me to write a song for him.


ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to STEPHEN EMMER

Special thanks also to Sacha Taylor-Cox at Impressive PR

STEPHEN EMMER’s ‘International Blue’ is released on 7th July 2014 via Electric Fairytale Recordings

http://www.stephenemmer.com/


Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
Photos by Chi Ming Lai
16th June 2014

Untouchable: A Short Conversation with GLENN GREGORY

This month sees the launch of a new project created by Dutch film composer Stephen Emmer, a one-time member of MINNY POPS, whose previous collaborators have included Billy Mackenzie and Lou Reed on his solo albums ‘Vogue Estate’ (1982) and ‘Recitement’ (2008) respectively.

He also worked with Claudia Brücken on the ACT album ‘Laughter, Tears & Rage’.

Titled ‘International Blue’, the album is a concept that pays homage to the art of the pop crooner, but with a twist. So imagine a combination of Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker, Nick Cave and David Bowie.

Produced by Tony Visconti whose work with David Bowie and Marc Bolan had gone down in legend, the orchestral collection connects with the Synth Britannia world via the casting of HEAVEN 17’s Glenn Gregory and ULTRAVOX’s Midge Ure among its line-up of guest vocalists.

The first single ‘Untouchable’ featuring Glenn Gregory is a poignant ballad of loss and heartbreak; it has also been written as a tribute to the late Billy Mackenzie of ASSOCIATES, a mutual friend of both Emmer and Gregory. Recorded at the world famous Abbey Road Studios, the song is swathed in multilayered textures and smooth reverb to provide a perfect setting for celebration as well as remembrance.

Glenn Gregory kindly took time out from recording the new HEAVEN 17 album to chat about his three contributions to the album, Billy Mackenzie and why pop, not rock, rules…

How did the collaboration with Stephen come about?

It was a Facebook thing funnily enough! I got a message from Stephen who had this connected past from working with Billy Mackenzie and Claudia Brücken. He suggested working together and sent me a link to two spoken word albums. They had really interesting people on like Lou Reed and I thought “I love the sound of this, it’s really lush and interesting”.

We got on very well on the telephone and spoke for two hours. We knew a lot of the same people so I was surprised we’d never met before. He sent me a track and recording went very well, I was pleased with the vocal. Shortly after that he sent me another one which then became ‘A Break In The Weather’ and that was even better as we had got a bit of rapport by then as we’d talked about the art of the crooner, Scott Walker and how beautiful those type of songs are. There was no consideration for making it suitable for radio, it was “it goes where it goes” and that freedom was really nice. It got me into a different way of thinking.

Then he sent me this third track ‘Untouchable’… I immediately fell in love with it, it was lush and emotive. I started thinking about the people that both me and Stephen had known, and Billy Mackenzie came up.

‘Untouchable’ pays tribute to Billy and starts with the lyric: “The cup is smashed…” – what was in your mind?

Stephen loved HEAVEN 17’s version of ‘Party Fears Two’ and I started writing these lyrics that were becoming about Billy. That line is obviously a throwback to “I’ll smash another cup…” and it’s carrying on from ‘Party Fears Two’ really. I found it very emotional in the studio and when I was singing it, I actually shed a tear and wondering how he got to that stage where he could commit suicide. I know why as he was upset and depressed after his mother had died, but I was trying to be inside his train of thought really. Billy changed a lot through his career and as a person. But his beauty and his talent, it’s untouchable.

I sang it and really liked the lead vocal but then I started playing with different notes, melodies and harmonies. Then I got really big and pushing my range… I was almost fainting doing the vocal! I thought it was fantastic and sent it to Stephen, he was blown away. We had another two hour phone call at the end of that day to decompress. He thought it was wonderful and understood why I liked it so much. I’m really happy we got it together.

What’s your favourite personal memory of Billy Mackenzie?

You know he was completely into Whippets and bred them? ASSOCIATES lived in a hotel round the corner from me and the whippets had their own room! It’s crazy!

So my favourite memory was when we were mixing ‘The Secret Life Of Arabia’ for the BEF album – Billy came in and went “one of my daughters has had a puppy, do you want one?”, I went “NO! I DON’T BLOODY WANT ONE!”. This went on and on and I said “NO!”, so he eventually he went “oh, no worries”.

But that night, we were going to a screening of ‘The Comic Strip Presents’ at The Scala Cinema in Kings Cross. We were stood in the bar chatting with Rik Mayall and Robbie Coltrane when Billy arrived in a big overcoat and his black beret. We said hello and he went “Alright… by the way Glenn, I brought you a present” and took out from under his coat, this tiny whippet puppy… I was like “BILLY!!! F*CK OFF!” but I thought “I’m never gonna get out of this one!”

So the dog stayed with us all night and wandered around the cinema, p*ssing and sh*tting everywhere! But I fell in love with it and I am now on my fourth Whippet. I’m as much in love with them as he was. In fact, the Whippet I’ve got now is called Billy… we got him about two months after Billy had died. But of course, I then had to phone Billie Godfrey, HEAVEN 17’s backing singer to tell her “I’m calling my dog Billy, but not after you, I hope you don’t mind” *laughs*

You’re no stranger to working with an orchestra having done so on ‘The Luxury Gap’, ‘How Men Are’ and more recently, on the ‘Night Of The Proms’ shows in Germany… what are the main challenges for you working within an orchestral format compared with electronics?

I don’t really think there are many. When you do it live, I guess you’ve got to be more flexible in that the orchestra is more in control than you are. When you have a band and you make mistakes or change things, the band can catch up with what you are doing. But you can’t really do that with an orchestra. When we did the ‘Night Of The Proms’ things in Germany, it was amazing but quickly, you realise you are not in control at all, you’ve got to do what they do at their tempo, you’re being conducted as it were. But in a recording environment, there’s no real difference at all apart from the lush beauty that it brings…but that’s not saying electronics doesn’t have a lush beauty as well.

One of the other songs you’ve done with Stephen is called ‘A Break In The Weather’ which has a sort of ‘Wild Is The Wind’ meets Bond Theme quality about it. What was the inspiration behind this?

I was thinking of Scott Walker and Burt Bacharach, interesting songs like that and that style of writing. I was trying to find a connection, I had a melody and everything but then I took the dog for a walk in the park. It was cold and the sky opened up and I thought “we need a break in the weather”. So I got inspired to write about a relationship that needs some space when there’s been a break up and there’s the hope of getting back together.

You recorded ‘It Was A Very Good Year’ for BEF ‘Dark’ which follows similar territory. Has there always been a Scott Walker wanting to fire escape in the sky? *laughs*

I’ve always been a really big fan of crooners, my mum had an enormous collection of Anthony Newley singles and was really into Dean Martin. I remember I was listening to them even when I was starting to get into KRAFTWERK and NEU!

So it’s always been there. The way I sing anyway, people always used to say I sounded a bit like a crooner, that baritone type thing. I like pop and Dusty Springfield… even Cilla Black. They’re just good songs, it’s good to have that sensibility. It’s pop, not rock. I was never into The Stones, I don’t really get them. I’d much rather listen to Scott Walker or Anthony Newley.

What was it like working with Tony Visconti?

That was amazing, what a nice guy. We were at Abbey Road together and he told me some great stories.

How was the Koko concert with HEAVEN 17 doing that early HUMAN LEAGUE material for you?

We really enjoyed that Virgin40 gig. I completely loved it. It was a challenge doing those songs to make them sound as much like the original ones but then, it is different because I’m singing them and not Phil. Mine and Phil’s voices are pretty similar in a lot of ways so they did kind of fit. You know I love those songs. Every time I see Phil, I plead with him to do those first two HUMAN LEAGUE albums, just even if it’s once!

Did you hear about the HEAVEN 17 fan who complained to Koko’s manager about you doing HUMAN LEAGUE songs?

Yes I did! What can I say? He did come to see HEAVEN 17 so I can understand him being a bit p*ssed off. But there’s a total history line there all the way through even to the extent that there was a possibility that If I’d had not gone to London, I would have been the singer with THE HUMAN LEAGUE originally.

So there really is a complete line of history through the whole thing and most HEAVEN 17 fans know that; there’s a shared love of those two bands so I think most people enjoyed it.

Is there a HUMAN LEAGUE song from that era that you haven’t performed yet but would like to give a go?

I think ‘Dreams Of Leaving’ would be right there on the list. In fact, Martyn Ware and I talked about that in the studio a few weeks ago so you never know! We toyed with ‘I Don’t Depend On You’ for the BEF weekender at The Roundhouse but I don’t know why we didn’t do it. That came on my iPod the other day on shuffle and it sounded great. I was actually there when they recorded that one. They always used to stay at my house when they came to London… house??? That sounds very grand! They actually used to stay in my basement flat and sleep on the floor! *laughs*

And how is recording of the new HEAVEN 17 album coming along?

At the moment, it’s fairly loose… I’m doing that deliberately, the drum tracks are very basic and I’d say as guide, the tracks are more like the electronic side of ‘Penthouse & Pavement’ than ‘The Luxury Gap’ or ‘How Men Are’. Whether it will when we’ve finished, I don’t know. It’s feeling more ‘Travelogue’ era HUMAN LEAGUE / initial ‘Penthouse & Pavement’. It’s going to get pulled both ways so it could be a bit funky as well like early PRINCE.

We usually only do three or four days together and then do the rest on our own because you need time to focus on what you’re doing. Otherwise you take turns at being sat behind the other and going “DO THIS! DO THAT!” *laughs*


ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Glenn Gregory

Special thanks to Sacha Taylor-Cox at Impressive PR

‘Untouchable’ by Stephen Emmer & Glenn Gregory is released on 7th April 2014 and available via the usual digital outlets

Stephen Emmer’s album ‘International Blue’ featuring further songs by Glenn Gregory plus Midge Ure and Liam McKahey is due out later in 2014

http://www.stephenemmer.com/

http://www.heaven17.com/


Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
7th April 2014, updated 4th May 2014

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